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About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S. - HIS and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CC, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA. C-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services.

In this episode, Blaise Delfino speaks with Mary Ann Stefko, an interventionist at the Scranton School for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children. 

A Lifelong Passion

As a child, Mary Ann had a deaf friend at the Scranton School for the Deaf, whom she visited regularly. It was there she learned ASL. She knew then she wanted to work with the deaf and hard of hearing, particularly babies.

Teaching Babies to Sign

Mary Ann says teaching what’s known as “baby sign language” to children with hearing loss is vital. The non-verbal child learns simple words using hand signals, such as “milk,” “mommy” and “daddy.” By teaching baby sign language, the neural pathways needed to communicate are created. Speech is a neuro muscular process, while language is a code of shared ideas. 

Newborn Hearing Screenings are Critical

Newborn screenings were a pivotal point in the hearing healthcare field. 30 years ago, it was not uncommon for a child to be diagnosed with hearing loss for the first time at age 3, 4 or even 5. These screenings have made a huge difference for children with unilateral hearing loss. Often this type of hearing loss wasn’t diagnosed until grade school when background noise became an issue. Now children can get appropriate amplification and families learn sooner how hearing loss effects learning. Children are meeting milestones they would not have met without newborn screenings.  

Technology Has Boomed

The technology of hearing instruments has changed dramatically over the years, from large hearing aids worn on the body to today’s small, inconspicuous hearing instruments that fit in the ear. In addition, technology in general has leveled the playing field for those who have hearing loss. Deaf and hard of hearing students learn to use computers and other technology when they are in preschool. They become quite techno-savvy and have the same opportunities in all areas of life as their hearing peers.

Dr. Gregory Delfino adds that children who are identified very early and get amplification during the critical language learning period are doing great things with their lives. They don’t let their hearing loss stop them, and go on to live full, happy productive lives, including getting advanced degrees, having loving families and great jobs.

A Team Approach

It is essential that parents of hard of hearing or deaf children understand that helping their children is a team effort. Very few heard of hearing children are born to parents who expect this. Parents are encouraged to go through the process with hearing healthcare professionals. They need to work with an audiologist to get their child the best amplification possible. They also need to understand that they should not lower their expectations fo

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About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S. - HIS and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CC, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA. C-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services.

In this episode, Blaise Delfino speaks with Audiology Services patient Richard Taylor about hearing loss and getting hearing instruments. 

A Lifetime in the Printing Industry

Mr. Taylor spent his entire career, 50 years, in the printing business. He did not use hearing protection, although as the owner of a printing company, he encouraged his workers who ran the presses to do so. They would wear headphones or some form of hearing protection when he was there, but we he went on sales calls, they would take them off. They claimed they couldn’t adjust to wearing them, and that they were uncomfortable.

In the Navy

Mr. Taylor also spent several years in the Navy aboard aircraft carriers, where he says, it was impossible to get away from the noise. It was noisy 24/7.

Mr. Taylor didn’t think much about his hearing loss, until his daughter, Pam, made him aware of it. Also a patient at Audiology Services, Pam took her father to see the practitioners at the age of 90. He put off getting hearing aids because of vanity.

Most People Delay Getting Help

Dr. Gregory Delfino says most people delay getting hearing instruments because of the way they look and the stigma that “only old people get hearing aids.” Usually once people get hearing instruments and find out how wonderful it is to hear again, they no longer care about how the hearing aids look.  

Mr. Taylor says he is so happy to have gotten hearing instruments. He can’t say enough good things about them. He says it’s like having a whole new life. He encourages everyone who has hearing problems to get help. He adds that if a person has financial problems, that can be worked out with the audiologist. There are a number of payment plans and a variety of prices to fit every budget. Audiology Services now offers a leasing plan, with the lowest costing hearing aids at $15/month.

Blaise adds that the cost of untreated hearing loss is much greater than that of hearing aids. Untreated hearing loss has a number of comorbidities, including dementia, diabetes, heart disease and many other chronic diseases.

A Whole New World

Mr. Taylor says he’ll never forget the day he left Audiology Services with his new hearing instruments. He heard a bird chirping and was just delighted. He says it was an emotional moment. He waited 90 years but now can hear. He strongly advises anyone who is having trouble hearing to get fitted with hearing instruments. He says, “Don’t ignore hearing loss another day.”

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Send us a text

About the Hearing Matters Podcast

The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S., HIS and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA. 

What are Best Practices?

Dr. Beck explains that best practices are not set by individuals in the hearing healthcare profession. They are determined and codified by a group of national organizations. The International Hearing Society, the American Academy of Audiology, and the American Speech and Language Hearing Association assemble groups of experts, who come together and decide what practitioners need to do for their patients. They use outcomes-based research to make their determinations.

Best practices include, but are not limited to: air and bone conduction, word recognition, speech reception thresholds, otoacoustic missions, ipsi and contralateral reflexes, tympanometry, speech in noise testing, and communication and listening assessments.

Why are Best Practices Important?

Best practices follow the primary thought used by physicians: diagnose first, treat second. A physician will not prescribe antibiotics simply because a person has a cold. The cold could be caused by a virus, and antibiotics would not help. As with medical care, hearing healthcare is not one size fits all. Research has shown that people who go to practitioners who use best practices do much better than those who do not. Audiology Service strictly adheres to best practices, and only one percent of patients return because they are unhappy with their hearing instruments.

Real Ear Measurement

A procedure known as real ear verifies that the fitting the practitioner does is meeting the standards and is giving the patient the best possible hearing experience and meeting his/her goals. About 50 percent of hearing healthcare practitioners use real ear, but only about one in five use it on every patient. 

To do real ear the practitioner inserts an incredibly small microphone into the ear canal within five millimeters of the ear drum. A measurement is taken to determine how the patient’s ear canal responds to sound. The measurement is taken again with the hearing aid in the patient’s ear. The practitioner measures to determine if the hearing aid is producing the sound curve that is correct. If not, the patient may hear loud noises too loudly and soft noises not loud enough. The practitioner wants to get the most power for the quietest sounds and not increase the power when a sound is normally loud to the patient. If a hearing aid is not adjusted properly with real ear, the patient may suffer damage to his/her auditory system.

Discussions with the Patient

Dr. Beck explains that having a discussion with the patient is far better than giving him/her a questionnaire to fill out. It helps the patient feel secure with the practitioner’s expertise and gives the practitioner the chance to fully understand what the patient is experiencing and how

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

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About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S., HIS, and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA. 

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast

Twitter: @hearing_mattas

Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

Send us a text

About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S., HIS, and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA. 

In this episode, Blaise Delfino discusses the importance of hearing protection for those who are in bands and/ or those who got to live concerts with Dr. Douglas Beck, vice president of academic sciences at Oticon.

Dr. Beck explains that he plays several instruments. He was first runner-up for the part of Ringo Starr in the musical Beatlemania on Broadway. He played in a band that made several albums. In the past, most band members had no idea that they were causing hearing loss simply by wearing in-ear monitors.

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has set guidelines for hearing loss. It says listening to 90 decibels of sound for eight hours causes hearing loss. It goes up from there. Listening to 95 db for four hours, 100 db for two hours, 110 db for 30 minutes and 115 db for15 minutes cause hearing loss. People who leave a concert with ringing in their ears have caused temporary hearing loss that could become permanent. 

Dr. Beck encourages practicing and playing musicians to wear musician earplugs. While they are expensive, they take out the highest and lowest frequencies, allowing the wearer to converse. They also protect the wearer from hearing loss. Over-the-counter ear plugs are better than nothing, but custom-made earplugs are the best.

In-ear monitors are worn by singers in a band so he/she can hear his/her own voice over the other musicians. Custom in-ear monitors are made to prevent hearing loss from loud noise. The person first gets an audiometric evaluation, a custom mold is made and a measure of the noise level the wearer will experience is taken. Dr. Beck says it’s very important to use in-ear monitors safely so they do the job. Whatever costs are incurred, it is worth saving your hearing. 

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast

Twitter: @hearing_mattas

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Send us a text

About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S., HIS, and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA. 

In this episode, Blaise Delfino discusses Cognition, Audition and Amplification with Dr. Douglas L. Beck, Vice President of Academic Sciences at Oticon.

Dr. Beck explains that the connection among cognition, audition and amplification is the human brain. The three are intertwined and cannot be separated. There are 26 million Americans who have no hearing loss but still cannot understand speech in noise. This can be caused by a traumatic brain injury, dyslexia, and many other conditions. An audiologist can determine if the problem is central auditory processing. 

Dr. Beck explains the term “cross-modal recruitment.” It occurs when one area of the brain is not stimulated, and another area of the brain takes it over. In a study done by Drs. Sharma and Glick, titled “Frontiers of Neuroscience,” the area of the brain that processes sound was not stimulated, and the part of the brain that processes sight took it over. Drs. Sharma and Glick found that by fitting patients who have hearing loss with hearing instruments reversed the cross-modal recruitment that had taken place in their brains. 

Hearing screenings are not something that Dr. Beck advocates. He believes that they are usually not done in sound-proof booths, the instructions are not well presented, and headphones are generally not used. He is in favor of Universal Newborn Screenings, however, which tests the hearing of all babies born in hospitals and birthing centers. He is also in favor of cognitive screenings in older adults who are having difficulty with speech in noise. He says once people reach a certain age there are many conditions that can cause hearing loss. Among them are neurovascular conditions that reduce blood flow to the brain.

Dr. Gregory Delfino adds that he has seen many patients over the past 20 years who have central auditory processing problems and have significantly improved with low-level amplification. 

Buying hearing instruments online or over the counter is not something Dr. Beck advises. He says a person may be experiencing hearing loss for any number of reasons, from a hair up against the ear drum or the bones in the ear malfunctioning to a brain tumor. The rule in medicine he says is first diagnose then treat. Without a diagnosis by a trained hearing healthcare professional, a person could do more harm than good by buying over-the-counter hearing aids. He adds that a person can get well-made hearing aids provided by a professional for as little as $1,000 per pair.     

Have questions? Let's hear em'!

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Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast

Twitter: @hearing_mattas

Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

Send us a text

About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S., HIS, and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA.

The Benefits of Deep Neural Networks in Hearing Aids

In this episode, Blaise Delfino discusses the deep neural network in the new Oticon More hearing aid with Dr. Douglas L. Beck, vice president of academic sciences at Oticon. 

Dr. Beck explains that in Oticon’s newest hearing aid, the Oticon More, there is a deep neural network, or DNN, which enables a wearer to have an even better hearing experience than before.  He explains that artificial intelligence (AI) is as simple as a thermostat in the refrigerator. It senses when it needs to adjust the temperature and then does so. 

DNN is a much more sophisticated form of AI. It learns in the same way the human brain does. It’s used in a variety of everyday tasks, for example buying something on Amazon. Once you buy a certain item, Amazon will let you know when similar items become available. The general idea of a DNN is that it learns through repetitive action from a collection of samples. 

In a hearing aid, the DNN is trained with millions of real-life sound scenes – a restaurant, train station or busy street. The DNN learns to identify and balance each sound within it, so the wearer can access the sounds most important to you.

The Oticon More was trained with 12 million complex real-life sound, which it then learned to analyze, organize, and balance. This hearing device can utilize the DNN’s intelligent capabilities when balancing and prioritizing the sounds that are important to the wearer.

The benefit of the DNN is that the wearer’s brain has access to the full sound scene, so he/she can hear the person next to him/her, as well as other environmental sounds, all balanced and amplified in a true-to-life way.

This is because a DNN provides the brain with more meaningful sound information, which makes sound much clearer and speech easier to follow. In fact, research shows that Oticon More delivers 30 percent more sound to the brain and increase speech understanding by 15 percent. 

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast

Twitter: @hearing_mattas

Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

Send us a text

About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S. - HIS and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA.

About Dr. Phillip Zazove

On this week’s episode, Blaise Delfino talks to Dr. Phillip Zazove, the George A. Dean Chair and Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan. Dr. Zazove is Deaf.

Dr. Zazove explains that he was not diagnosed with profound hearing loss until he was four years old. At that time children who were deaf were put in state schools for the deaf. His parent however believed that he could compete in a regular school setting, so he was in mainstreamed. He was the first deaf child to be mainstreamed in the northern Chicago suburbs. His parents were great advocates for him. 

When he was a child, there were no cell phones or other technology to help deaf children. Hearing aids were big and bulky. He refused to wear hearing aids because he didn’t want to be different. Today’s children have greater advantages than kids even 25 years ago. 

Dr. Zazove says he got his passion and grit from his parents, who were both doctors. He adds that getting to know other people with disabilities also drove him to want to help others, especially those with disabilities.

Advocating for yourself as a deaf person is especially important. If a deaf or hard of hearing person doesn’t tell his doctors, for example, that he can’t hear, he may not get the best care. The doctor needs to know so he/she can be sure the patient understands what’s going on. He adds that people need not be embarrassed that they have a hearing loss and should think about wearing hearing aids the same as wearing glasses. 

Dr. Zazove did studies that show a doctor will treat a hearing patient differently when it comes to recommending having colonoscopy, mammogram, cancer screening, etc. Another study demonstrated that a deaf or hard of hearing patient is more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days than a hearing person. He says processes and procedures need to be set in place, so doctors know to ask patients if they have hearing loss.

Dr. Zazove applied to about 30 medical schools and was only accepted to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He was the third deaf person to go through medical college.

He believes there are four things that can help an individual who is Deaf the most:

1. Parent advocacy when the child is going through school. 

2. Learning a language by age three, whether it’s sign language, English, Russian, etc. 

3. Make whatever accommodations are needed, whether it’s sitting at the front of the class, getting hearing aids or a cochlear implant or having an interpreter. 

4. Join support groups.

Dr. Zazove runs a foundation for Deaf high school  students who wish to go to college. It is known as the Louise Tumarkin Zazove Medical Foundation and is in its 17th year. It generally pays for a deaf or hard of hearing student’s full tuition for four years. 

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

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Twitter: @hearing_mattas

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Send us a text

About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S., HIS, and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA.
 

The Newest Technology

In this episode Blaise Delfino discusses the newest hearing technology with Scott Bunnell, senior global product manager of Sonic Innovation. Scott says the newest hearing aid is called the Radiant. It uses a new technology platform known as Extend. This latest processing chip has more power and more memory than Sonic's previous chip. It also has a new way of processing sound, new compression technology and noise management and reduction. It uses 24 bands, whereas the old platform used only 16.

Joint Compression System

Scott says the new technology uses a combined compression system that has both fast and slow capability. The slow compression handles the narrow band noises, such as vacuum cleaners and blenders, and keeps them at bay. The fast compression emphasizes every part of speech and puts the emphasis where it is needed. 

 Increased Connectivity

The new Radiant hearing aid is also now able to be connected to an Android phone. In the past it was only able to connect to an iPhone. Audiologists can also do remote fittings and fine adjustments. This is especially important for those who are physically unable to come to the office and those who are out of town. 

The Radiant also has a new open/closed dome that keeps its shape better in the ear canal and is more comfortable because of changes in venting.

Great for Musicians

Scott, who is a musician himself, explains that hearing aids were first made for people to be able to hear speech. Listening to music was not something companies considered. He says the wave lengths of speech are predictable as are the frequency ranges. Music however has a wider range of frequencies and an extended range. Because of that the new Radiant has a smart music program that enables wearers to really enjoy music. 

Final Advice

After giving a brief history of his musical life as a singer and guitar player, Scott offered the following advice. “If you have hearing loss, don’t wait to do something,” he says. “The longer you wait the worse the hearing loss becomes. Untreated hearing loss is the number one risk factor for acquiring dementia. Don’t listen to the horror stories about hearing aids. They are nothing like they used to be. They’re great.”  

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast

Twitter: @hearing_mattas

Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

Send us a text

About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S. - HIS and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA.

Becoming an Audiologist

On this episode Blaise Delfino discusses the emergence of hearing technology with Scott Bunnell of Sonic Innovation. Scott explains that he was in a dead-ed job when he decided to go back to school to become an audiologist. He got a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in audiology. He practiced as a clinician in a hospital for 6 years. He was laid off when the hospital closed its audiology unit.

Moving into Industry 

While looking for another job, he got a call from Sonic Innovations, asking him if he wanted to become a tech support audiologist. He enjoyed learning things that were not part of his job in the hospital. HE was put on a marketing team and is now a senior product manager. 

Sonic in its Early Years

Scott explains that Sonic began with three brilliant scientist-engineers. Dr. Thomas Stockham, who was a pioneer of digital recording and a master of digitizing and processing sound. Dr. Douglass Chabries designed Navy sonar systems and developed algorithms that simulated how the human ear and brain process sound.  Both had lifelong interests in how sound is produced and how the human brain processes it. They were later joined by Dr. Carver Meade, who is considered the father of microelectronics. He reduced a bench-top prototype to a single tiny chip. Using digital technology and the latest microchip manufacturing techniques, they created the first Sonic product in 1998. It was a completely digital hearing aid that fit inside the human ear. The company first tried to manufacture the hearing aids in Utah, but found it was easier to do so in Minnesota. Today R and D is located in Salt Lake City and manufacturing is done in Minnesota.

Sonic’s 4S Foundation

Over the years, Sonic has consistently improved and refined each generation of hearing devices. They developed algorithms that separate speech from noise and bring it to the foreground. They learned how to reduce background noise in many diverse environments. 

Scott says Sonic products and accessories are true to the company’s 4S Foundation: Sound That’s Natural, Speech Understanding in Noise, Simplicity in Everything We Do, and Style That Stands Out 

Sonic is a Leader in Noise Management

Most patients struggle with speech in noise. Sonic hearing aids use two microphones in one. One picks up the sound from the person who the wearer is talking to, and the other picks up other noises and mutes them. These microphones do this every time the wearer moves his/her head. 

Compression is Important.

Scott explains that compression in a hearing instrument is its ability to cut off the peaks of a sound wave that are too high (loud). He uses the example of a sailboat going under a bridge. If the sail is too high, its sails need to be compressed so it

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

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