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Sonic Innovations Official Hearing Aid of the VA

2009-10-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Salt Lake City — Sonic Innovations has announced it has been selected to supply hearing aids to the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) beginning Nov. 1. According to industry data from the Hearing Industry Association, the VA represents approximately 18% of the market for hearing aids and experienced unit growth of more than 29% for the three months ended June 30, 2009, compared to the same period of 2008.

In response to the contract award, Sonic Innovations CEO Sam Westover said, “Winning the VA contract is a significant opportunity for Sonic. It allows us to provide hearing care to the single largest purchaser of hearing aids in North America.” According to contract documents, the VA anticipates purchasing from the qualified suppliers approximately 430,000 hearing aids in first year of the contract, with steady growth in volume over the following four years.

Westover indicated this award was particularly gratifying because it provided Sonic another opportunity to support the men and women of the military. “As a U.S. company, we are excited to be able to provide our technologically advanced hearing aids to our U.S. veterans. Hearing damage is the leading disability being faced by our returning veterans, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to serve them,” Westover said.

Sonic submitted its proposal to the VA in response to a request for proposal issued earlier this year. Sonic was successful in receiving an award in each of the categories in which it bid, allowing it to sell its custom, BTE and RIC products through the VA. The contract award from the VA is a one-year contract with four one-year extension options. Sonic anticipates participating on the contract for the entire five years.

AT&T Premieres Real Time IM Relay for Customers With Hearing and Speech Loss

2009-10-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

DALLAS, Sept. 28 --For people with hearing and speech loss, communicating with callers who can speak and hear just went real time, thanks to AT&T and AOL's AIM instant messaging service. Customers using AT&T IM Relay services now have a new, faster feature at their fingertips: AT&T Real Time IM. AT&T is the first and only provider to offer the new real time feature -- offering more than 31 million people with hearing and speech loss, nationwide, a more immediate way to communicate with standard telephone users.

Users log in to a specialized AIM interface that works with an Internet connection on a PC and on many wireless devices. A specially-trained relay operator reads IMs to hearing callers and types IMs which are displayed -- in real time -- to the end user. The new service is offered at no additional charge to customers who register with AT&T Relay Services.

With the new real time IM feature, instead of waiting for the relay operator to type a full phrase or sentence, IM users can see the text messages they are receiving, word-by-word as they are typed -- making conversations feel more like calls experienced by hearing customers.

"To hearing users, this may sound like a trivial enhancement," said Claude Stout, Executive Director, TDI. "But for many callers with hearing or speech disabilities, this creates a wireless and online communications experience that is much closer to what hearing people encounter when talking with others on the phone. TDI applauds such collaboration between industry players that results in greater functional equivalency for deaf and hard of hearing consumers."

Hearing Loss Leads to Lower Income

2009-09-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Sonic Innovations, Salt Lake City, reports that Americans who ignore a hearing loss are also losing income, according to a statement released by the company.

A study from the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), a nonprofit corporation that educates the public about the neglected problem of hearing loss and what can be done about it, provides the numbers, says Sonic:

$100 Billion Lost in Earnings Each Year:

Average annual amount of income lost by American working people who don't get hearing aids ranges from $1,000 (those with mild hearing loss) to $12,000 (those with profound hearing loss).
BHI survey states that getting hearing aids at a younger age reduces the chance of losing income. Only one out of four Americans with hearing problems is getting treatment.
Michael Nilsson, Sonic's VP of auditory research, says in the statement that people who ignore hearing loss and refuse to admit they need a hearing aid are passing up a tool that will boost their self-esteem, help reduce anxiety, and increase their income.

He says further that in today's economy, the thought of affording new digital aids—which can cost between $1,000 and $4,000 each—may be discouraging. However, since the average life of today's hearing aids is 3 to 5 years, the device cost averages about $3 a day, he adds.

Sonic designs new hearing devices with patented hearing aid technology to significantly advance sound quality and performance, says the statement. The company's products include Sonic Touch, a small receiver-in-the-canal product; the Velocity line of hearing aids, a small, fully functional behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid; ; and the ion line, a small thin tube BTE device.

Rexton Cobalt Hearing Aid Review

2009-09-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a new review of the Rexton Cobalt. Cobalt is Rexton's top of the line model, and the ONLY hearing aid on the market to offer true Bluetooth compatibility:

For more info on the Rexton Cobalt, click the link below now:

Rexton Cobalt

FAQ: Do I Need One Hearing Aid or Two?

2009-09-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

Should I get two hearing aids or can I get by with just one? If I have only one can I damage my hearing? Is two a waste of money? In our continuing Frequently Asked Questions video series we've addressed these issues with a brand new video. Click the play button on the video now to watch:

Digital vs. Analog Hearing Aids: What's the Difference?

2009-08-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

One of the most common hearing related questions we get is, "What's the difference between analog and digital?" Here's a video to explain:

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Hearing Aid Review - ReSound Ziga

2009-08-20T21:48:00.001-07:00

Here's a review of ReSound's Ziga hearing aid, a great hearing aid available at EarMall.com and featuring our exclusive 3 year warranty and 30 day money-back guarantee. To purchase a Ziga, or for more information, click here now:

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Hearing Aid Review - X-plore by ReSound

2009-08-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a video review of the X-plore by ReSound, a small, discrete, and highly comfortable hearing aid. As with all of our hearing aids, the X-plore is available with EarMall's exclusive 3 year warranty and 30 day money-back guarantee. To purchase the X-plore click here now:

X-plore by ReSound

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Hearing Aid Review - dot by ReSound

2009-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a video review of the dot 10, dot 20, and dot 30 hearing aid by ReSound.

Buy dot by ReSound for under $1000

Longer Lasting Hearing Aid Batteries

2009-07-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hearing aid batteries don't seem to be expensive at first, but as you start replacing them time and time again you'll start to see just what an investment they can be. And, a lot of people do not realize that they are throwing away batteries that are not even dead at all, so in turn they are spending money when they don't have to.

It can be hard to tell when your hearing aid battery is dead enough to throw out, but with a hearing aid battery tester you never have to worry about this again. A hearing aid battery tester is used to read the amount of power the battery has left. You can schedule regular times on your calendar to use the hearing aid battery tester to make sure that your batteries are going strong so you don't have to throw them out.

A hearing aid battery tester is very quick and easy to use. Even if you test your batteries just once a month, you'll know exactly when your hearing aid battery is dying, which will save you money in the long run.

Which Type of Hearing Aid is Best for You?

2009-06-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

The ideal hearing aid for you depends on the severity of your hearing loss, your lifestyle, and your manual dexterity. Smaller aids are less visible, but don't offer quite as many features and might be more difficult to manipulate. People with more severe hearing loss might get better results with a behind-the-ear model with earmolds or an in-the-ear model. Owners of behind-the-ear, open-fit designs tend to have the most improved hearing in loud social settings.

Behind the ear open-fit

Pros: Comfortable, barely visible. No earmold.

Cons: Limited Manual Controls.

Behind the ear with earmold

Pros: Most versatile. Fits the widest range of hearing loss.

Cons: Most visible. Vulnerable to sweat and wax, so must be cleaned regularly.

Completely in the canal

Pros: Nearly invisible.

Cons: Vulnerable to wax and moisture, so needs regular cleaning. Short battery life.

In the canal

Pros: Barely visible.

Cons: Vulnerable to wax and moisture, so needs regular cleaning. Short battery life.

In the ear

Pros: More room for features. Less of a plugged up feeling.

Cons: More visible. Vulnerable to wax and moisture, so needs regular cleaning.

Illustrations courtesy Consumer Reports.

How to Use an iHear

2009-06-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a brand new video which shows how to properly use and care for Accutone's iHear Personal listening device...

Hearing Aids Can Save Your Life!

2009-06-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

A Florida woman almost lost her life because she wasn't wearing her hearing aids. Fortunately, her dog cam to the rescue. Here's the story from the Miami Herald:

Dog Saves Fla. Woman from Fire

GROVELAND, Fla. -- A Florida woman's barking dog saved her from a fire at her home.

Lillian Miller, 58, thought her Chihuahua mix Spaz just needed to go outside when he started barking around 3 a.m. Saturday. She took him out, but when she returned to her mobile home in Groveland she saw flames coming from her living room window.

"He must have heard the fire alarm, but she couldn't hear it because she didn't have her hearing aids in," said her mother, Eudora Miller.

Groveland is west of Orlando.

EarMall June 2009 Survey

2009-06-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

We need your input. To serve you better and to make EarMall.com the absolute best hearing related website, we'd like you to fill out our June 2009 survey. It's only 10 questions. Thanks so much for your assistance.

Click here now to take the survey

How to Clean a Hearing Aid

2009-06-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

This video shows you how to properly clean your hearing aid to save you time and money...

New Hearing Aid Tax Credit Bill

2009-06-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

The Hearing Aid Tax Credit has been reintroduced in BOTH the House of Representatives (H.R. 1646) and the Senate (S.1019). If enacted, it would provide a $500 tax credit per hearing aid available once every 5 years. To let your Senators and Representative know that the Hearing Aid Tax Credit would make a real difference in your life go to The Better Hearing Institute now.

Cute Miniature Dachshund All Dressed Up

2009-05-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Cute video starring Sassy, the EarMall.com mascot...

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How to Change Hearing Aid Batteries for Digital Hearing Aids

2009-05-25T10:43:00.000-07:00