Gardner Audiology

January 08, 2012 News

Gardner Audiology is searching for people to join in a new hearing aid study in 2012. Participants will be able to compare conventional digital hearing aids with Spectral IQ. This new Starkey inventions bypasses damaged hearing cells and diverts amplified sound to useable cells resulting in a boost of speech recognition. If you have difficulty understanding conversation or presently wear hearing aids you could qualify after a free candidate screening. Call 1-800-277-1182 to schedule a consultation with an a Gardner Audiologist.

December 22, 2011 News

Gardner completes 2011 Hearing Aid Study
Results from 450 Participants Tabulated and Published

Gardner Audiology has collected hearing and hearing aid consumer data from over 2000 patients in the Tampa Bay area. The results of their 2011 Starkey hearing aid study along with an overview of previous studies is posted under Our Research at the www.gardneraudiology website.

December 21, 2011 News

Better Hearing Institute

As part of its outreach efforts, BHI is publicizing its online Quick Hearing Check at www.hearingcheck.org. Throughout the holiday season, people can use this interactive, online screening tool in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. We're also encouraging people to visit our online discussion forum and information exchange. It's a great social media tool for helping people better cope with hearing loss-whether it's their own hearing loss or that of a loved one. By visiting www.betterhearing.org, clicking on "Discussion Forum," going to "Welcome!" and registering, anyone can take part in the discussion.

October 2011 News

October 28^th is the deadline for candidate screening to participate in the 2011 Starkey Hearing Aid Study. Almost 400 Tampa Bay Area residents have used the newest Starkey Hearing Aid Technology for 30 days in exchange for their opinions on a short study questionnaire. Call 1-800-277-1182 for a free candidate screening in Tampa, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, Zephyrhills, Spring Hill, Crystal River, or Inverness.

October 18 , 2011 News

Alzheimer’s Disease and Hearing Loss

Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Today, an estimated 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and they are supported by nearly 15 million caregivers. Alzheimer’s disease is now the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. (Source: Alzheimer’s Association)

There is strong evidence that hearing impairment contributes to the progression of cognitive dysfunction in older adults. Studies also have shown that the use of hearing aids can help individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease. At the same time, research shows that although a significantly higher percentage of people with Alzheimer’s disease may have hearing loss than their normally aging peers, they are much less likely to receive attention for their hearing needs.

For these reasons, Better Hearing Institute is encouraging hearing health professionals across the country to join us in raising awareness of this heart-wrenching disease, its early warning signs, and the related implications of unaddressed hearing loss.

It is extremely important that a comprehensive hearing assessment be part of any Alzheimer’s diagnosis and that the hearing health community advocate for such an assessment on these individuals’ behalf. They also urge caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease to address their own hearing health, recognizing the negative impact that untreated hearing loss can have on their own quality of life and emotional well-being.

September 2011 News

Gardner Audiologists Jodi Conter M.S., Joanie Davis Au.D., and Dan Gardner M.S. recently attended the the Florida Academy of Audiology conference. They got a firsthand demonstration of new hearing aid technologies that will soon be available to the hearing impaired. The most impressive products will automatically connect to television, phone, and handheld microphones with built in wireless receiver. Television dialog is very clearly heard with these new devices. For more information or a personal consultation with a Gardner audiologist call 1-800-277-1182.

August 2011 News

Gardner Audiology begins tabulating results of 2011 Starkey Hearing Aid Study

Hundreds of people throughout the Tampa Bay area have participated with Gardner’s field study of 5 new hearing aid models manufactured by Starkey. Gardner has begun to tabulate the results and will continue to screen additional hearing aid candidate until November.

July 2011 News

Gardner Audiology Joins Hearing-Aid.com

Hearing-Aid.com is a website devoted to educating the consumer about better hearing and the causes of hearing loss. This website even offers an online hearing screening test. Tell a friend or family member about Hearing-Aid.com. Gardner Audiology is one of the providers of local one on one consultations coordinated by hearing-aid.com

May 2011 News

Gardner Audiology has included Starkey’s new Wi 70 into the 2011 hearing aid study. The Wi 70 has the same built in fm receiver as the more expensive Wi 110 model but has less noise management features. Gardner patients have the ability to use the Wi 70 and its companion TV transmitter free for 30 days in exchange for answering pre and post fitting questionnaires. Call Gardner Audiology at 1-800-277-1182 to join the Starkey Hearing Aid Study.

April 2011 News

Gardner Audiology has included the newly released Wi i70 to the Starkey Hearing Aid Study. The new i70 has the same FM reception capabilities as the i110, but will cost less. Gardner’s study participants are giving very high ratings to Starkey’s Wi model hearing aids. Tampa Bay area residents can participate in a free 30 day fitting and field study of the new Starkey hearing aids by calling Gardner Audiology at 1-800-277-1182.

March 2011 News

Starkey partners with Gardner to collect consumer satisfaction with a new wireless transmitter that streams TV sound to an fm receiver that is built into the new Wi model hearing aid. Call Gardner Audiology at 1-800-277-1182 for a free candidate screening. In return for answering questionnaires participants in this field study will be given one month to test out this new technology.

February 2011 News

Gardner seeks participants for Starkey AMP hearing aid field study.

Starkey is proud to offer AMP™ — the hearing aid for people who aren’t ready for a hearing aid. AMP addresses the main concerns of millions of Americans who are reluctant to consider hearing aids, including not wanting to be seen wearing a hearing aid, cost and outdated perceptions of how hearing aids sound. Starkey is partnering with Gardner Audiology to field study consumer satisfaction with the AMP.

AMP Overview:

• Completely digital, four-channel hearing aid

• Includes feedback cancellation to extend the fitting range

• Uses a size 10 battery

• Allows patients to turn AMP on and off as well as adjust volume with a magnetic wand

• Patients can walk out the door wearing an AMP in a single visit

Call 1-800-277-1182 for details.

January 2011 News

TSA Issues Guidelines For Screening Hearing-Impaired Travelers

Washington, DC - If all of the news regarding new full-body scanners and optional pat downs is confusing to those who can hear, the information can be even more confusing to those with hearing aids. As a result, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued the following guidelines for travelers who suffer from hearing loss or have hearing aids.

Perhaps the most relevant of the guidelines regards hearing aids, the TSA states: "According to otolaryngologist and otolaryngology surgeons, hearing devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, external component of cochlear implants, and middle ear implants are not affected by x-ray inspection or walk-through metal detector screening. In addition, these devices may also safely be screened using Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT)."

If you have patients that are traveling this holiday season, you may want to inform them of the following suggestions from the TSA:

• If you need to communicate with the security officer, inform her/him of your disability and the way in which you can communicate. TSA security officers are trained to provide whatever assistance they can to persons with hearing disabilities.

• If the screening process is unclear to you, motion to the Security Officer that you can't hear and ask him/her to ask the security officer to write the information down.

• If you can read lips or are hard of hearing, ask the Security Officer to look directly at you and repeat the information slowly.

• It is not necessary to remove hearing aids or the exterior component of a cochlear implant at security checkpoints.

• It is best if you wear your hearing device while going through the metal detector.

• According to otolaryngologist and otolaryngology surgeons, hearing devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, external component of cochlear implants, and middle ear implants are not affected by x-ray inspection or walk-through metal detector screening. In addition, these devices may also safely be screened using Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT).

• If you are concerned or uncomfortable with going through the walk-thorough metal detector, or are uneasy with having your external component of your cochlear implant x-rayed, you can ask for a full body pat-down of your person and a visual and physical inspection of the exterior component while it remains on your body.

• Assistive listening devices must undergo x-ray screening.

• If you use a hearing dog, you and the dog will remain together at all times while going through the security checkpoint. See the "Service Animal" section for more tips on service animals in the screening process.

November 2010 News

Hearing Loss Treatment: Improves Marriages

• A new British survey confirmed what we at Gardner Audiology already know. In marriages where one spouse has an untreated hearing loss, the other partner suffers as well.
• The inability to comfortably communicate with a spouse can be a source of stress and often lead to domestic arguments.

Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Chicago — Children with permanent hearing impairment who received hearing screening as newborns had better general and language developmental outcomes and quality of life at ages 3-5 years compared to newborns who received hearing screening through behavioral testing, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).