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Health & Fitness

Finally Hearing A Spouse's Voice

Many Naperville residents will clearly hear their spouses voice for the first time in years.

That’s because Hearing Health Center has just received a new latest-generation hi-tech device.

The device, called the Aurical, can simulate ideal hearing for anyone within minutes. “People have no idea how much they’re missing,” says Ronna Fisher AuD, the Founder and President of Hearing Health Center. “This device uses the sound of their partner’s voice to help them find out.”

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The Aurical consists of a tiny wireless microphone deep in each ear combined with digital amplifier headphones. The microphones measure the precise frequency and amplitude of sounds reaching the tympanic membrane.

 

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That’s where a spouse comes in. He or she then reads a prepared text as the audiologist adjusts the settings to find the ideal amplification to hear a partner’s voice.

 

“The astonishment of patients is incredible,” says Dr. Fisher. “They often had no idea just how removed they’d become from their spouses. And in many cases their marriages had suffered as a result.”

 

Unlike standard hearing tests that use tones, the Aurical measures the sound patients care about most: human speech.  “Nothing,” says Dr. Fisher “is more important to patients than the desire to hear and understand speech.”

The high-tech device also improves hearing for those already using hearing aids. New advanced models have literally millions of possible settings. The Aurical allows audiologists to find the best setting for hearing human speech. In fact, a recent study by Hearing Health Center showed most existing hearing devices are being set incorrectly. They fail to amplify high-frequency sounds enough to reach a patient’s tympanic membrane. As a result many users still have unnecessary problems hearing and understand speech. Other studies show hearing-impaired patients tested with the Aurical need only half as many follow-up visits as those getting standard tests.

 

“The greatest potential for the Aurical, though, is with baby boomers,” says Dr. Fisher. “Many will resist getting their hearing tested. In a matter of minutes this test shows them how they’re missing out on the most important person in their lives.”

 The Hearing Health Center is located at 636 Raymond Dr. #203 in Naperville, 630-369-8878. Web site is www.hearinghealthcenter.com

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