HLAA – Montgomery County Chapter

Chapter member Diana Bender described the latest efforts to provide a completely enclosed cochlear implant.  

Two manufacturers are working on devices similar to current units, but are completely implanted. It’s obvious that providing a microphone and powering the processor are major challenges.

A third supplier is exploring an approach that places a microphone at the three bone assembly in the ear, then processes that sound and uses a wire into the cochlea.

Don Groff demonstrated newly available Auracast technology.  A transmitter was fed by audio from a radio station, and one guest with Jabra Pro 20 hearing aids received that signal  An Auracast receiver with headphones was circulated. It’s visible on the right side of the table.

There were twelve in the group.

A general discussion of technical support in hearing assistance followed.

We do not meet in July and August.

Watch this space for the September meeting.

Jeanes Library
4051 Joshua Road
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444

The focus of the meeting was Auracast and its current applications. There were 11 in the group.

We watched a video by Cliff Olson made recently about current implementations of the technology. There are now a number of sources of consumer-level transmitters and receivers, and there are a small number of facilities with Auracast in operation. Future acceptance will depend specially on consumer acceptance beyond the hearing loss community, but one estimate is 3 to 5 years for wide usage.

We also watched an HLAA webinar from December 2025 presented by staff of Listen Technology/Ampetronics, but not limited to their own offerings in the area.

They reviewed existing technology such as radio frequency, infrared transmission, loop systems, dedicated Bluetooth systems, and compare these to Auracast systems.

Other topics discussed:
Several members will attend the April 11 conference in Wayne.
The HLAA national convention will be in Louisville in June.

At the Jeanes Library,
4051 Joshua Road, Lafayette Hill, PA 19044April 7, 2026
5:30 to 7:30

Watch this space for details of our May 5 meeting.

As we emerge from the ice and snow banks of January and February, we will gather in March to share our winter experiences.  How did we plan for charging batteries during power failures?  How did we get groceries and other essentials?  What did we enjoy while we were stuck in-doors? 

Back in session since November, as our December party was canceled. There was a lengthy discussion about cochlear implants, as one member just got his. (March 5, 2026)

Watch for details about our April 7 meeting here.

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Travel conditions for tomorrow (Tuesday, December 2, 2025) evening are looking difficult, and for many of us, driving at night in bad weather is ill advised. Therefore we have decided to cancel our Holiday Party this year, and do not plan to reschedule.

The HLAA MontCo chapter does not meet in January or February, so we’ll be looking forward to seeing everybody on March 3, 2026.

We hope that you can celebrate the Holidays in whatever means you find appropriate: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever Tradition you follow, and all the Best for the New Year.

Diana Bender reviewed the varieties of ways that people with hearing loss deal with background noise. Some are operational: avoid noisy situations, or move conversations to a quieter location. Some situations can be made less noisy by a simply request, but some level of assertive behavior can sometimes solve a problem.

Many hearing aids now provide some measure of noise reduction. Microphone configuration can provide directivity, which can help to suppress noise. There are a variety of focus modes on hearing aids that can suppress noise other than speech.

A remote microphone is a major step in dealing with noise. The microphone picks up the sound at its source and transmits it directly to the ear.

Members added questions and answers to these topics.

Do you have trouble hearing when background noise is loud? The October meeting will explain how noise reduction programs in hearing aids and cochlear implants work to improve our hearing in noise. We will also briefly review the new hearing aids which use AI to get further improvement.

We meet at the Jeanes Library, 4051 Joshua Road, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444, at 5:30 on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Watch this space for details.

Please join us.

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Chapter member Alice Dungan described how to deal with all the people you need to deal with, from initial contact, to signing in, handling the range of treatment you might be provided with, and the whole range of transactions you might be subject to.

Many attendees were able to share experiences in dealing with a wide range of dealing with health care.

We will not do a picnic at a local park this year, after limited growth of such an event over the last few years. Our chapter will not meet in July and August, but will meet again in the first Tuesday in September. Watch this space.