Wireless Earpieces
Teenagers and other tech-lovers with their ever-present Wireless Earpieces for iPods, cell phones and other electronic devices may unwittingly be helping to battle a stigma attached to hearing loss. Wearing Wireless Earpieces used to be a sure sign that a person was hard of hearing. "You put on a hearing aid and suddenly you lose 30 IQ points and age 20 years," said Dr. Robert Jackler, chair of otolaryngology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The stigma of Wireless Earpieces may be diminishing, however, as wireless ear devices used for cell phones, MP3 players and other gadgets become more sleek, more fashionable and more of a status symbol.
"We have not seen a big change so far," said Dr. Catherine Palmer, director of audiology at the Eye & Ear Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. But she's optimistic that the growing popularity of ear pieces will help people with hearing losses be less reticent to use hearing aids.
Dr. Palmer and other audiologists are also optimistic that rapidly changing technology will be helping people with hearing loss to use other electronic devices.
Companies that make hearing devices are close to coming out with devices that use Bluetooth communication technology to turn select hearing aids into wireless hands-free headsets.The hearing aids will be able to hook into cell phones, MP3 players, computers and Web access.
Deborah Albaugh, an audiologist who owns and operates HearBest, Inc. in Mt. Lebanon, said industry officials had been predicting those Bluetooth-based devices might be available for hearing aids by late 2005. That didn't happen, but she said the devices are expected soon.
People with hearing aids often have difficulty using cell phones.
"Hearing aids can make phones squeal," Dr. Palmer said. Within the next two years, the new cell phones coming out should be compatible with hearing aids.
Aging baby boomers may feel less stigmatized by the need to get hearing aids to combat hearing loss, Dr. Palmer said. Boomers tend embrace gadets and new technology and are likely to be interested in pursuing new breakthroughs in technology.
Wireless Earpieces
OTHER RELATED INFORMATION
Teenagers and other tech-lovers with their ever-present Wireless Earpieces for iPods, cell phones and other electronic devices may unwittingly be helping to battle a stigma attached to hearing loss. Wearing Wireless Earpieces used to be a sure sign that a person was hard of hearing. "You put on a hearing aid and suddenly you lose 30 IQ points and age 20 years," said Dr. Robert Jackler, chair of otolaryngology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The stigma of Wireless Earpieces may be diminishing, however, as wireless ear devices used for cell phones, MP3 players and other gadgets become more sleek, more fashionable and more of a status symbol.
"We have not seen a big change so far," said Dr. Catherine Palmer, director of audiology at the Eye & Ear Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. But she's optimistic that the growing popularity of ear pieces will help people with hearing losses be less reticent to use hearing aids.
Dr. Palmer and other audiologists are also optimistic that rapidly changing technology will be helping people with hearing loss to use other electronic devices.
Companies that make hearing devices are close to coming out with devices that use Bluetooth communication technology to turn select hearing aids into wireless hands-free headsets.The hearing aids will be able to hook into cell phones, MP3 players, computers and Web access.
Deborah Albaugh, an audiologist who owns and operates HearBest, Inc. in Mt. Lebanon, said industry officials had been predicting those Bluetooth-based devices might be available for hearing aids by late 2005. That didn't happen, but she said the devices are expected soon.
People with hearing aids often have difficulty using cell phones.
"Hearing aids can make phones squeal," Dr. Palmer said. Within the next two years, the new cell phones coming out should be compatible with hearing aids.
Aging baby boomers may feel less stigmatized by the need to get hearing aids to combat hearing loss, Dr. Palmer said. Boomers tend embrace gadets and new technology and are likely to be interested in pursuing new breakthroughs in technology.
Wireless Earpieces
No comments:
Post a Comment