HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2012
Montco Chapter Officers:
President
: Patty Cortez, email:
pattypeep@gmail.com phone: 610-446-7302 Vice-President: Tom VanArman; email: tcvanarman@gmail.com
Treasurer
: Donna Penman Assistive Technology: Don Groff
Newsletter committee
: Tom Van Arman, email:
& Don Groff
Meeting Schedule: 1st Monday of each Month, except January, February, July, August & September: (September is 2nd Monday) William Jeanes Library, 4051 Joshua Road, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444 Meeting Time: 6:00-7:45 p.m.
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3-D Technology to make impressions for ear molds
The entire process of rendering the exact replica of the dynamic ear canal remains inherently inconsistent and professionally demanding. Knowledge, skills, and experience need to be mastered prior to taking an ear impression on a patient. A number of different techniques and materials have been proposed, but the fact remains that there still isn’t one agreed-upon standard for impression-taking. The process remains something of an art, and some clinicians are better artists than others. These inconsistencies have almost certainly led to unnecessary time lost in preparing earmold materials and cleaning, multiple visits/fittings, and, in worst-case scenarios, discomfort for patients, frustration for dispensing professionals, and extra costs for hearing aid manufacturers (and consumers) in the form of hearing aid returns.
Lantos Technologies’ intra-aural 3D scanning device eliminates the need for taking physical ear impressions with standard impression material. Utilizing a handheld video otoscope/scanner that maps the interior of a liquid-filled conforming membrane (CM) inside the ear canal, the system is designed to take 3D images safely beyond the second bend.
For over a decade, there has been talk about digital scanning of ear canals and all the great benefits it can usher for key stakeholders. Now, Cambridge, Mass-based Lantos Technologies has developed an intra-aural 3D scanning device that eliminates the need for dispensing professionals to take physical ear impressions, while still providing an accurate image of the ear canal for manufacturers to create customized hearing instruments (Figure 1).
Hearing care professionals understand the implications of ear canal dynamics, correct oto-block (tamp) size, particularly when taking deep-canal impressions. In addition to the labor involved in making impressions, manufacturers are increasingly creating hearing aids that are “invisible,” and consequently there is a growing need for deeper and more accurate impressions that provide rich data for creating custom hearing products that fit comfortably.
The Insider, July 26, 2012
Deaf Digest
Gold
, July 22, 2012
Top of Form
Deaf people can get lifetime National Parks pass at no cost
Did you know that deaf US citizens can get a free lifetime pass to all national parks and recreation areas? The Access Pass is a free pass available to deaf U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States. The pass gives access to more than 2,000 recreation sites managed by five Federal agencies.
This pass is valued at $80.00 per year but is free to deaf.
http://store.usgs.gov/pass/access.html
Quick Statistics
Compiled by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women.
Of adults ages 65 and older in the United States, 12.3 percent of men and nearly 14 percent of women are affected by tinnitus. Tinnitus is identified more frequently in white individuals and the prevalence of tinnitus is almost twice as frequent in the South as in the Northeast.
Approximately 17 percent (36 million) of American adults report some degree of hearing loss.
There is a strong relationship between age and reported hearing loss: 18 percent of American adults 45-64 years old, 30 percent of adults 65-74 years old, and 47 percent of adults 75 years old or older have a hearing loss.
Next Meeting: Business Meeting
Due to Labor Day, the next meeting will be held September 10, 2012 beginning at 6 p. m. This will be a business meeting. We will collect dues and discuss what has been happening during the summer as well as updates on the Walk4Hearing fundraiser.
Highlighting the meeting will be the traveling Assistive Device Suitcase recently brought into circulation courtesy of HLA-PA. In this suitcase are various assistive listening devices you always heard about but never saw up close or used. Here’s your chance to see and hear what you have been missing. Don’t miss this travelilng showcase! You don’t know when it will come again!
Also on the agenda is the looping of the community room at the Williams Jeanes library. The issue is to ask about permanent looping of the room. We will take votes on possible donation to this endeavor. You know how useful the loop is. Make it permanent!
HLAA - Montgomery County Chapter 