June 15, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Researchers are looking at ways to apply new signal processing strategies to the design of hearing aids. Signal processing is the method used to modify normal sound waves into amplified sound that is the best possible match to the remaining hearing for a hearing aid user. NIDCD-funded researchers also are studying how hearing aids can […]
June 9, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Murphy’s Law informs us that “if anything can go wrong, it will.” A better variation might be that “things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance.” That’s the reason we change the oil in our cars, switch out the filters, and rotate the tires. We’re aiming to preserve our […]
April 21, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Have you ever taken a course, or attended a lecture, where the ideas were presented so rapidly or in so complex a fashion that you learned practically nothing? If yes, your working memory was most likely overloaded beyond its total capacity. The limits of working memory We all process information in three steps: 1) sensory […]
April 7, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Hearing aid guides are not uncommon, but the majority are not exactly reader-friendly, either. Most are simply too long or complex, generating more perplexity rather than less. My guess is that you’re a great deal less interested in the physiology of hearing or in the particulars of acoustical engineering and a lot more interested in […]
March 25, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Technology changes fast: in 2005, the typical 40-inch flat screen TV would have cost you in excess of $1,500. Now, 10 years later, you can purchase a 40-inch flat screen TV for about $230. The same has taken place with hearing aids, even though it’s more likely to escape our recognition. We take note that […]
February 25, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Photo credit: flickr Saad Faruque Twentieth century neuroscience has discovered something rather astonishing: specifically that your brain can change itself well into adulthood. While in the early 1900s it was assumed that the brain ceased changing in adolescence, we now know that the brain reacts to change throughout life. Neuroplasticity To understand exactly how your […]
February 11, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Congratulations—you’re prepared to join the millions of Americans who have found out how wearing hearing aids can make life more exciting and fulfilling. In the near future, you’ll be listening to sounds you’ve long forgotten, engaging in stimulating conversations, and listening to music with enhanced discernment for each instrument. But before you can get to […]
January 14, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
We might take it as a given that our hearing aids are hardly noticeable, can be controlled with our smart phones, and can discern between speech and background sound. What we might not realize, however, is that those capabilities are the results of 400 years of research, design, and development. Even 5 years ago, hearing […]
December 3, 2015 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
To keep your hearing aids functioning correctly for years to come, you’ll want to learn proper care and maintenance. And although it may feel like an extra burden, with the right plan your hearing aid care will become easy and automatic. The secret is building effective habits. If you integrate your hearing aid care into […]
November 12, 2015 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Struggling with hearing loss throughout the holiday season can be especially challenging. While you may honestly prefer to NOT hear some of your family members, the conversations you do want to take part in can be stressful. And because most large holiday gatherings tend to be loud, it can be near impossible to focus on […]
