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Re: Yet again on hearing aids - The Marriage of System and Desire



A further digression: would you say that a basic digital WDRC aid rapidly programmed using NAL-NL1, IHAFF or whatever would always better than nothing for a client with a "typical" sensorineural loss?
 
In other words, is the "fine tuning" essential to actually make an aid usable - or is it just a "nice to have"?
 
regards,
 
Richard
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 3:45 PM
Subject: Re: Yet again on hearing aids - The Marriage of System and Desire

In a message dated 3/29/2004 9:06:33 AM Eastern Standard Time, auditory@AUGMENTICS.COM writes:

<<I wonder which one the audiologist should fit????>>

Not at all a trivial point, but the bottom-line subject of this debate.  My reply...we are lucky enough in this day and age to have the option of changing the hearing aid programming.  Auditory behavior is learned and adaptive (for the most part).  Fitting a hearing aid is an essential part of aural rehabilitation, i.e., retraining the auditory system to hear as close to acceptable norms as possible.  Hopefully, by the time we get the patient, the system is plastic enough so we can gradually retrain it from "comfortable" without optimal performance to "comfortable" with optimal performance.  Even in those patients with reduced plasticity, there is still the possibility of adaptive behavior and function. 

Anyone who has been in any type of physical therapy knows this routine.   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harriet Jacobster, Au.D., CCC-A, FAAA
Board Certified in Audiology
 
 

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