Designing Hearing Aids That Fit Your Lifestyle

People who wear hearing devices live with these instruments all day under a variety of conditions and in a range of listening environments. Thats why theres no such thing as a one-size-fits-all hearing aid. We all have different hearing needs. We all have different life styles.

Problem? No, thanks to Bernafons Oasis Plus computer software that tracks each patients life style and quantifies various aspects of that life style. For example, if youre a NASCAR fan, youre going to need different hearing aid settings than the librarian checking out books. In one case, loud noise on a regular basis is the norm (VROOOM) while in the other, things are pretty quiet.

In the past, hearing devices were set to meet the hearing needs of the patient boost the higher frequencies, up the volume, reconfigure signal-to-noise ratio and other settings based on hard, numeric data derived from all of that sophisticated testing gear in your audiologists office.

Problem was, two people may have similar hearing loss but live two very different life styles. So, even though two people have the same hearing needs, their different lifestyles would require different settings for their hearing devices.



Bernafons Life Style Driven Technology

Gathering the hard data the numbers that measure hearing acuity is a fairly straightforward process of recording hard data acquired through a complete hearing evaluation. No problem.

But Bernafon has developed its Oasis Plus computer software that simulates 80 different life style factors everything from workplace noise to frequent trips to the local opera as shown on the screen above.

As the patient views each one of these lifestyle factors, s/he answers questions about each scenario. The image above shows the patient in a theater watching a play. This same screen would ask the patient how often s/he goes to the theater or the movies or to the opera, developing a more complete, more accurate picture of the full dimension of each patients life.

Patients are no longer seen as a series of numbers derived by testing equipment, though these numbers are critical to the effective adjustment of a Bernafon hearing device. Now, the hearing health professional has another tool computer software that measures (quantifies) factors of lifestyle.

By asking a series of questions and employing Bernafons Oasis Plus software, the hearing professional has up to 80 different dimensions of lifestyle with which to work a tremendous advantage in both fitting and setting the right device for each patient based on both quantity and type of hearing loss (measured mechanically) and lifestyle factors, providing a device thats more comfortable and convenient for the daily activities of each patient.

Better wearing comfort, automated convenience for adjustments to different environments and improved sound quality result in the multi-dimensional development of this patient profile. Using numbers and quantifiable lifestyle factors, todays audiologist is able to improve hearing without numerous repeat visits from patients.

And thats a good thing for both the patient and the professional.

Like what you're reading? Visit HealthyHearing for a full featured article on Measuring the Good Life: Bernafon Quantifies Your Lifestyle