Bluetooth Hearing Aids

Bluetooth technology is now in sync with most all elctronic devices, utilizing wireless radio waves connecting these appliances within a 100 ft range. Ease of use is derived from getting rid of the requirement of wires for connectivity purposes.

Bluetooth is not new to the tech world. It has been around for years and is setting higher standards in the sphere of electronics. Long gone are the issues of compatibility with iPods, cell phones, and other electronic devices, enabling the user to enjoy all the technological advances that science has to offer.

Devices enabled with Bluetooth technology can connect with two hearing appliances, resulting in the most natural hearing possible for the hearing impaired. The two devices improve hearing by connecting and talking to each other using the wireless Bluetooth technology, making advancements that were previously incompatible with traditional hearing aids.

Manufactures with Bluetooth technology include:

Seimens: Tek Connect communicates via wireless with the wearer’s mobile devices, allowing phone calls, music and data to feed directly into the hearing instrument, enabling the wearer to stay connected without having to tamper with or remove the hearing instrument.

Phonak: Offers CORE wireless technology in its premium brands, Exlia and Nada. When coupled with an easy to use, intuitive outboard control unit called iCom, you are connected to everything digital unlimited, wireless connectivity to all your communications devices.

Oticon Epoq: With ConnectLine solutions Epoq users can finally talk on the phone, watch TV and listen to music with just as much ease as everyone else. ConnectLine delivers improved performance in terms of speech intelligibility and sound quality since sounds are streamed directly to the Epoq instruments via the user friendly Oticon Streamer.

Starkey: Starkey Laboratories' ELI hearing aid is designed to pic up user's side of the conversation through a small microphone on the end of the ELI. This device plugs into the bottom of most behind the ear hearing aids and routes calls directly from the phone to the ELI and into the aid. Approximately only 30 percent of hearing aids being used are behind the ear types, there is a version of the device available for in-ear aids users, in which the ELI device is actually worn on a necklace and linked to the hearing aid by analog wireless. Most all hearing aid manufacturers are in the process of developing their own products using Bluetooth technology to accomodate and improve their clients ability to hear. For people with a hearing impairment, Bluetooth eliminates the annoyance created by electronic interference which causes buzzing and feedback from the unit.

If you already wear a hearing aid, or if this is your first one, consult with you hearing professional about switching or using a hearing device connected with the Blue technology.

by Barb Hicks, RN/LMT