Introducing: Oticon designRITE

Same Power, Just Smaller

Oticon recently released an update to it's Inium platform of hearing devices. The designRITE style may remind you of the Oticon Intiga (which was based on the older RISE2 platform). They look virtually the same, however the designRITE is built a little sturdier and uses an upgraded speaker system. 

The new designRITE style is available in all of the 'Pro' models on the Inium platform (namely Ria Pro, Nera Pro, and Alta Pro). Unlike the miniRITE style, designRITE uses a size 10 battery and does not have a volume control switch. 

Who Needs a Volume Control?

Many people like keeping as much control of their volume is possible -- but is that really necessary? When it comes to the latest hearing devices, including Oticon's Inium products, a volume control isn't necessary. These devices change, by themselves, based on sound changes in your environment. However, these small devices that do not have built-in volume control buttons have small remote control accessories available if you desire both small design and full functionality. 

Prices? 

No problem! Chances are you won't find better prices than these. If you do, let us know and we will beat them. 

Ria Pro     - $1,350    prices are listed as single unit prices
Nera Pro  - $1,999 
Alta Pro   - $2,795

Bluetooth Remote   - $325
Standard Remote     - $275

Ear Protection For Hunting

It's November in Texas - and that means deer hunting. The loud noise from shooting a gun can irreparably damage your hearing, but in order to hunt you really need to hear! You need to hear the people next to you, the rustle of the leaves, the animals in the vicinity - nature.

Digital Ear Protection

Serious hunters need digital ear protection. What is digital ear protection? It's a custom ear mold that includes both an amplifier for hearing noises around you and fast digital compression that will suppress the sounds of the guns (and other very loud noises) around you.

Unlike traditional passive hearing protection, the advanced circuitry embedded in digital ear protection actually enhances low-level sounds instead of blocking them. You can carry a conversation, detect game, and hear your surroundings while still being protected from gunshot noise. Since custom protection is made just for your unique ears - it's the most comfortable protection you can wear. 

The highest end devices include advanced technology for suppressing wind noise. You can find more information, including pricing, on our Device page, here. Unlike other companies, we are advertising the very best, most expensive technology you can buy. Other, more affordable options exist, so don't hesitate to contact us for more detailed information. 

Contact us by your preferred method, or just leave a comment on this blog post!

Is It Dementia, or Hearing Loss?

     We recently ran an advertisement in the San Antonio Express News, and inside we included a brief article discussing some current studies in the area. Check it out below: 

“Over the last few years, you’ve likely seen news and health articles that link hearing loss with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. What does this really mean? How can hearing loss be linked to the brain and cognitive ability? The research is ongoing, and while many studies show links that support this claim, nothing has been written that is conclusive. Here is what we do know:

According to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging (published Jan 22, 2014), hearing loss is linked to accelerated brain tissue loss. The researchers found that adults (and animals) with impaired hearing have accelerated brain atrophy compared to those with normal hearing. The report claims that the amount is about one additional cubic centimeter of brain tissue each year.

A news release from John Hopkins Medicine states that shrinkage in these areas might simply be a consequence of an “impoverished” auditory cortex, which could become atrophied from lack of stimulation. However these structures don’t work in isolation, and their responsibility include memory and sensory integration which have been shown to be involved in the early stages of mild cognitive impairment and Alzhiemer’s Disease. Essentially, the study claims that without normal auditory brain stimulation, a measure of atrophy occurs that affects more than just sorting sounds and languages.

We also know that the symptoms of hearing loss are strikingly similar to those of dementia and include misunderstanding, depression, and social isolation. Based on the current evidence, the importance of having your hearing checked regularly cannot be overemphasized. Hearing In Motion offers comprehensive hearing evaluations for the reasonable cost of $49.”

     Bottom line: where there is smoke, there is usually fire. There are so many studies linking the relationship between dementia and hearing loss that many people take their hearing more seriously. And why not? Hearing is an important part of life on its own. 

Hearing Aid Marketing Nonsense Part I

You've seen this before. Hearing aids offered for 50% off (thats buy one get one free!) Unfortunately, this practice is at best, not a wonderful deal. How so?

MSRP - Is It The Normal Price?

Inflating the MSRP on a product isn't reserved for the automotive industry. Even though hearing aids are considered medical devices, the companies who make them tend to inflate the products MSRP. Most, if not all, clinics (in my 10 year experience) never charge MSRP. 

Is It Any Discount At All?

The best answer is: 'maybe a little, sometimes'. Usually '50% MSRP' is pretty close to the every day price. That means that the advertisement is simply a ploy to get you to walk through the door and enjoy their normal services at their normal prices. Is that a rip-off? Not really, but it is pretty misleading.

How Does it Work At Hearing In Motion?

Our prices are way lower than MSRP. In fact, our prices are way lower than all of our competition. We invested in all mobile equipment - which gives us the freedom to see anyone, anywhere without the cost of a physical location. We unbundled our prices to significantly lower the cost of hearing devices. 

-Written by Caleb Dowell-

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Another common practice is to offer devices for '$1,000 off'. We'll talk about this in Part II. 

Hearing Loss: Adam Savage

Adam Savage, of MythBusters fame, spoke about his experience with hearing loss on a recent episode of Still Untitled. The whole episode is worthy of a listen, but I wanted to elaborate on a few of their points.

Importance of Getting Your Hearing Checked

This can't be emphasized enough. Hearing loss can be the result of more than just noise exposure. Adam himself said that his hearing loss had nothing to do with the explosions  on MythBusters - hearing loss can be a symptom of something else going wrong in the auditory system. This includes a perforated tympanic membrane (hole in the ear drum), fluid in the middle ear, a problem with the ossicular chain, or even a tumor. We should treat our ears as important as the rest of our body.

Hearing Aid Stigma

They work wonders and they aren't, by any means, exclusive to the elderly. Adam shows us his hearing aid, but it's kind of hard to see. (For what it's worth, it looks like a Phonak Audeo, and since he said it's top of the line, that would make it a Q90.) Todays hearing aids are small, discreet, and work better than ever. He even goes as far as to say that they "saved" his marriage. Each advancement in hearing aid technology was a step up for Adams quality of life. There should be no stigma attached to better quality of life.

Hearing Aid Price

You'll hear a brief rant (after minute 14) about the cost of his hearing devices. This may be a little self deprecating, but I couldn't agree more. In my experience, considering the type of hearing aids Adam purchased, I wouldn't be surprised if they cost $8,000 (for the set) - possibly more since he's in California. I hate that some people charge that much - because it makes the technology so out of reach for most people. That's why I've worked so hard to lower the prices. Unfortunately, the high end devices are still 'thousands of dollars', but my everyday price on a pair of Q90 is $4,800 - knocking over $3,000 off of the typical cost. 

Self Tuning

Again, Adam hits the nail on the head. His biggest gripe about the tuning process is that it takes place in a sound isolated room. The acoustic environment in a sound isolated room is unlike any acoustic environment your are ever likely to be in - including a quiet room in your house (let alone a noisy bar). This is one of the many reasons that Hearing In Motion is based on the idea of being 'mobile'. What better way to tune your hearing aids than in the very environment that you are having trouble in? That's not to say that a quiet room doesn't have it's place - that's an extremely important baseline, but it also isn't a realistic way to make sure someone can hear wherever they go.

As far as adjusting your own hearing devices, I think we'll see a lot more of this in the near future. Once companies are able to put in various protections in the software there will be less risk of harming oneself with these 'homemade' adjustments. This won't replace the fine tuning that a skilled professional will be able to perform, but it may very well create less followup appointments. 

This was a great podcast and I really appreciate Adam sharing his experiences. The more knowledge is out there about hearing loss and hearing aids, the easier it will be for people to make the step and live a better quality of life.

Wearable Technology

Some people may think that Apple is lagging behind in the 'wearable technology' space - but they may actually be ahead of everyone else.

As a tech enthusiast, there seems to be a lot of attention given to 'wearable technology'. An Apple iWatch has been rumored since shortly after the iPhone, Google has come out with Google Glass, and Nike and Samsung are among numerous companies making devices we wear on our wrists. 

Where's Apple? 

Introducing: Made for iPhone Hearing Aids

Just a tiny note in the bottom right corner of the iOS6 release features.

Over 30 million people have a substantial amount of hearing loss in the United States - it's a big market.

A lot of people may dismiss hearing aids because they consider them ugly, clunky, and associate them with a disability. That may have been the case upwards of 5 years ago, but now hearing aids are tiny, sleek, and sound amazing. 

In fact, as someone who is around hearing aids a lot and does not have hearing loss - I use them as wireless headphones every chance I  get. It's like having your own private theater. 

Right now Apple is teaming up with hearing aid manufacturers, but I wouldn't doubt for a second that they are considering building some personal sound devices of their own.

Anyone remember the Apple HiFi? 

There are a ton of amazing applications for personal sound devices. 

• Siri would live in your head.
• A sensor in the earpiece could easily measure body temperature.
• Wireless headphones.
• Tinnitus treatment/masking application.
• Monitoring ambient noise level to let you know if its getting dangerously loud.
• Stream customized public service announcements.
• Receive driving or walking directions without getting out your phone.
• Combine Siri + iBeacon + Personal Sound Device for amazing custom experiences.

Hearing aids that look like something Angela Ahrendts (recent Apple hire, ex-CEO of Burberry)  might sell.

Wearable technology is here, and the exciting stuff is not on your wrist.

High Frequency Hearing Loss

Many people  suffer from high frequency hearing loss. For example, words like 'star' may sound like 'tar' or 'are'.  For some, the hair cells that pick up high frequency sounds are so damaged that they become completely inaudible regardless of the amount of amplification. This wreaks havoc with speech understanding as high pitched consonant sounds become inaudible. Even with the volume turned all of the way up, these patients still only catch part of the word. 

We're proud to offer a technology called 'Sound Restore' that compresses the damaged high frequencies sounds to a lower frequency that can be more easily heard. 

This technology is available in most Hansaton devices. We're currently offering the highest-end device at a special price of $1,599. Please contact us for more information or to inquire about more affordable alternatives.

A Brief Update

You've probably only seen a few changes to the website for the past several weeks. While we are continuing to update our website, most of the work has gone towards infrastructure and internal organization. 

Things are moving fast! We are currently setup to perform hearing evaluations, create custom ear molds, and digitally program most hearing devices. But we aren't stopping there. Keep checking back with us as we continue to announce exciting new services!

Coming Soon

Soon we will be providing an exciting new service that's never been offered before! Most people wouldn't imagine that a hearing healthcare provider would come to you and cost less money. That is the foundation of Hearing In Motion. How will we do it?

 Less overhead and a little forward thinking.

All of our equipment is state-of-the-art and fits in the trunk of our car. Theres no need for big offices and big booths - its just not necessary. Waiting rooms, reception areas, and 'open house' areas are a thing of the past. 

Happy patients are the best marketing. We won't ever send out big mail pieces and huge newspaper inserts. Rather than marking up the prices because of marketing expense, we pass those savings on to the patient.