The Total Hearing Care Difference

Smart Ears: How Modern Hearing Aids Transform Lives Beyond Sound

• Dr. Jill Copley • Episode 5

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Advancements In Hearing Technology

Hearing technology has undergone a dramatic transformation, evolving from simple amplification devices to sophisticated wearable tech that connects seamlessly with our digital lives. Dr. Paige Gainey takes us on a fascinating journey through the cutting-edge innovations reshaping how we think about hearing aids and the remarkable ways they enhance quality of life.

Gone are the days of clunky, obvious hearing devices with limited functionality. Today's hearing aids are sleek, nearly invisible, and packed with features that extend far beyond better hearing. Fall detection capability now allows these devices to recognize when a user has fallen. The future looks even more promising, with industry leaders exploring health monitoring functions like heart rate tracking and cholesterol measurement—essentially transforming hearing aids into comprehensive health management tools worn discreetly in the ear.

Artificial intelligence and deep neural networks have revolutionized performance in challenging listening environments, directly addressing the number one complaint Dr. Gainey hears from patients: difficulty understanding speech in background noise. Bluetooth connectivity delivers crystal-clear audio directly from phones and TVs, while the emerging AuraCast technology will soon allow automatic connection to public announcement systems in places like airports. And with rechargeable technology now standard in nearly all models, the hassle of changing tiny batteries is becoming a thing of the past.

What truly makes hearing technology effective isn't just advanced features but matching the right solution to each person's unique needs and lifestyle. Whether it's hearing grandchildren speaking from the backseat of a car or participating confidently in business meetings, Total Hearing Care specializes in finding personalized hearing solutions that address what matters most to you.

Ready to experience the remarkable difference modern hearing technology can make in your life? Call 469-218-4853 to schedule an appointment at Total Hearing Care, serving the DFW Metroplex, or visit TotalHearingCare.com—because when you hear better, you truly do live better.

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com
Total Hearing Care
Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
469-218-4853

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference where we help you experience life through better hearing. Hosted by the experts at Total Hearing Care, a leading private audiology practice serving the DFW Metroplex, we're here to provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus and the latest advancements in audiology. Transform your life through better hearing. Let's get started.

Speaker 2:

Today's hearing aids aren't just for hearing better. They're smart, sleek and packed with technology that can connect to your phone, adjust automatically and even track your health. The future of hearing is happening now. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host slash producer, back in the studio with Dr Paige Gainey. Dr Gainey, how are you today? I'm doing fantastic. How are you, sophia? I'm also doing fantastic. So, dr Gainey, what are some advancements in hearing technology?

Speaker 3:

So hearing devices, hearing aids, have come so far, even since I started doing them over a decade ago. Some really cool things are out now and I just only foresee that getting better and better with technology and I just only foresee that getting better and better with technology. Some things that are new we have fall detections of somebody's falling that can be detected. There's been some talks during conferences about checking heartbeat, heart rate, checking cholesterol, those types of things. There's lots of different talks in the industry about what can happen in the future. I foresee personally, with hearing devices kind of being like your new smartwatch, but it's gonna be inside your ear and it's gonna be not even felt. Even now, hearing devices aren't even felt in their ears. Lots of patients say, oh, my gosh, they're so light. Being able to introduce new technologies like that is gonna be really cool in the future. There's also voice recognition. We already have it in our phones, like if I were to say hey, siri, my phone would detect it.

Speaker 3:

Hearing devices I foresee that happening as well. It's just like you know, if your kid runs out in the street right, and they scream, our brains automatically know hey, that's our kid, that is my child, I need to go help. Hearing aids are going to do that too. I foresee that they're going to say oh well, I'm around this voice 80% of the time this sounds like my wife's voice. Okay, I'm going to make sure I hone in on that voice, although some patients would say I don't know if I want to do that. But you know, with technology there's always going to grow. It's exponential, and so I see that the future of hearing aids, or listenables, is very bright.

Speaker 2:

So, dr Gainey, thank you for those helpful insights thus far. Let's get into it a bit more. How does Bluetooth connectivity in hearing aids improve everyday listening experiences?

Speaker 3:

Yes. So Bluetooth connectivity has been a game changer for hearing devices, and whenever we look at Bluetooth connectivity, it's almost like if someone were standing right next to your ears, talking in both sides. So that signal is a strong, great, great quality signal, and hearing devices provide that now. So they also provide it with television, and there's also something new called AuraCast that is coming out. Some hearing devices are already enabled for it. It might just take an update. Television's already coming out with AuraCast and that's where anybody that comes in with an AuraCast hearing device can connect directly to that device, which is amazing, because what if you're in an airport and you need to hear your name over the speaker? The hearing aids are going to be smart, so they're automatically going to know when to detect that system.

Speaker 2:

Wow, I was just about to ask you how does artificial intelligence work within hearing aids to learn users' preferences?

Speaker 3:

Yes, so artificial intelligence, ai, has been out in hearing aids for a while, but now they're using more of a deep neural network, which is like a DNN, and so they're just going to get smarter and smarter. Using artificial intelligence and hearing aids has significantly improved hearing and background noise. That's the number one complaint I get with patients. I want better hearing and background noise. Now we have it because of that artificial intelligence and that deep neural network learning.

Speaker 2:

What are the advantages of rechargeable hearing aids compared to traditional battery-powered ones?

Speaker 3:

Yes, so now I would say about 98, maybe 99% of patients have rechargeable hearing devices. It's just getting more and more common. Those little tiny button batteries that are no much bigger than the eraser end of a pencil were hard to change and challenging, not just for patients but for providers as well. And it's one more thing to add to your routine. Life is becoming rechargeable, and so should our medical devices, and hearing aids are definitely there, and the rechargeability is lasting days, so that's good.

Speaker 2:

Wow. And so if someone has a hearing device, what I'm hearing you say is it's the best that they don't just keep one, but they also keep a backup.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, absolutely, that is very important.

Speaker 2:

So, Dr Gainey, how does Total Hearing Care help patients choose the right hearing technology for their needs and lifestyle?

Speaker 3:

and lifestyle. I call it your hearing healthcare journey right, and I am here to guide you through your journey and to look at all of the latest and greatest products that are available for patients that are correct for their hearing loss, their lifestyle, their everyday use. So whenever I'm looking at the patient, I don't look at just what's sitting in front of me. I ask them questions. You know, tell me your top three situations that you wish you could hear better. If I had a magic wand and I could fix something. What would it be? Getting to know the patient on a one-on-one basis, they might say. You know, I pick up my grandkids from daycare every Tuesday at 3.30 and I have trouble hearing Emery in the backseat. Hey, that's an important part of life for this patient. They want to hear their grandkids. So me being able to know those exact things allows me to find a specific product to help that patient in that situation.

Speaker 2:

Wow. Any final words today on the advancements in hearing technology. It sounds like there's so many exciting things coming out.

Speaker 3:

Oh, absolutely, sophia, there are, and the biggest thing is don't wait. Look now, there's options, there's plenty of options for you. Now and call and schedule and we'll go through all of your different options.

Speaker 2:

Love it. Dr Gainey, We'll catch you in the next episode. Have a fantastic rest of your day.

Speaker 3:

Thanks, sophia. You too, have a fantastic rest of your day. Thanks, sophia.

Speaker 1:

You too. Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing Care Difference. If you're in the DFW Metroplex and ready to take the next step toward better hearing, call 469-218-4853 to book an appointment or visit TotalHearingCarecom, because when you hear better, you live better. See you next time.