House of Hearing upgrade testing suite

House of Hearing recently took delivery of a brand new Otometrics Astera high frequency audiometer, along with Otometrics' latest Aurical Freefit real-ear and visible-speech-mapping system, bringing several new dimensions to the testing and verification suite in our Edinburgh office.

With Edinburgh's tram project having hit the buffers somewhat, the prospect of quietly-efficient public transport passing by on the adjoining Shandwick Place is still something of a dream, and so all testing in the new suite is done in a soundproof booth.

The new audiometer allows testing to be carried out up to 20kHz (conventional audiometers are restricted to 8kHz), bringing a more complete picture of the hearing loss, and allowing the full performance of today's state of the art hearing aids to be unleashed. Modern hearing instruments are capable of amplifying up to 8kHz and in some cases even higher.

House of Hearing staff who have tried out their hearing with the new audiometer have been somewhat dismayed by their complete inability to hear anything above 16kHz...

Readers of this blog are invited to make an appointment to see if they can do any better! Give us a call on 0131 220 1220, or contact us via the website.

St Andrews Open House

House of Hearing's newest premises in the heart of St Andrews launch their first Open House event on Monday! As with our recent incredibly popular Edinburgh event, there will be an opportunity to have your hearing re-checked and your hearing aids cleaned, serviced and adjusted. These services are completely free of charge for the duration of the event, which runs from Monday until Wednesday 30 March.

There will be a chance to try out the latest bluetooth hearing technology and find out more about the latest in discreet hearing devices, the Phonak Lyric and Starkey Soundlens. With free goodies, and all hearing aid purchases discounted for the three days, the event is sure to be popular, so make sure of your place by calling 01334 470011!

Galashiels Open House

House of Hearing's office in the heart of the Borders launch their Open House event on Monday! As with the popular Edinburgh event, there will be an opportunity to have your hearing re-checked and your hearing aids cleaned, serviced and adjusted. These services are completely free of charge for the duration of the event, which runs from Monday 21st until Tuesday 29 March.

There will be a chance to try out the latest bluetooth hearing technology and find out more about the latest in discreet hearing devices, the Phonak Lyric and Starkey Soundlens. With free goodies, and all hearing aid purchases discounted for the three days, the event is sure to be popular, so make sure of your place by calling 01896 755474!

Open House 2011

House of Hearing have run Open House events over several years now and these have proved to be a great success with our customers. They provide an opportunity to have your hearing re-checked and your hearing aids cleaned and serviced. With our in-house ENT nurse, you can also have your ears cleaned too, if required! All free of charge. We usually have a theme for our events and this year it will be demonstrating the wonderful new technology now available, allowing you the opportunity to learn about the latest in hearing aid technology; from the new truly invisible, completely-in-the-canal products, the Phonak Lyric and the Starkey SoundLens, to the latest easy to wear, open-fit micro products, with full bluetooth compatibility for excellent telephone and TV reception.

This year’s event runs from Monday 7th – Friday 11th March in our Edinburgh store, with later dates in March for our Gala and St Andrews events. For more information contact 0131 220 1220... Oh, and did I forget to mention there will be a 10% discount off all hearing aids purchased during the event?

Hope to see you there!

Recycle here!

An innovative idea being put into practice in our Galashiels shop has an environmental theme. In the UK only about three to five per cent of all household batteries are recycled. Most old batteries end up in landfill, where they can leak harmful chemicals into the soil.

House of Hearing are offering a free clean and check of hearing aids to anyone who brings in their hearing aid batteries for recycling. This invitation is open to any hearing aid user including NHS patients and those with aids purchased elsewhere.

Hearing aids are designed to be precision instruments, and they need a certain amount of basic attention in order for them to perform at their best.

A little care given to your hearing instrument will allow you to get the best possible service out of your device, make it work efficiently and ensure that you prolong the natural life of the aid.

The whole job has been made so much easier by the introduction of this new maintenance offer and we welcome anyone coming in with their hearing aid to take advantage of a free clean and check.

Our hearing aid audiologists will be happy to advise you about the importance of looking after your hearing aid and will be available to talk through any questions on general hearing aid maintenance.

Breakthrough towards hearing loss drug

Researchers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, have discovered a drug that repairs hearing after damage caused by loud noise.

Until now, exposure to loud noise has led to permanent hearing loss. However, the researchers have shown that if treated with a compound called ‘ADAC’ after noise damage, hearing recovered substantially. The scientists found that a five day treatment of daily injections starting six hours after noise exposure were most effective. Single treatments were less effective but also resulted in some hearing recovery. The drug is thought to work by increasing the sensory hair cell’s ability to break down the damaging waste products, which build up during noise exposure.

This study presents the most effective pharmacological strategy to date for reducing noise-induced hearing loss after exposure to damaging noise. If clinical trials prove successful, this research could mean that, in future, people who are exposed to loud noise and risk damage could be administered a drug to stop the hearing loss becoming permanent.

Hearing Aid Top Tip!

Don’t leave your hearing aids on a windowsill in a bathroom or kitchen – condensation will readily form on the instrument and may cause it to become faulty.

Moisture can be a real problem for most hearing devices as the tiny microphones and receivers (loudspeakers) are susceptible to moisture ingression and when damp, will not function correctly, if at all. In addition, battery contacts can corrode, causing intermittent or complete malfunction.

Always keep your hearing instruments in their case when not in use and regularly use a proprietary silica gel drying agent. We always have these available at House of Hearing.