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Hearing Aid Security Device Article
The Hearing Review Vol 12, November 2005 p.42
www.hearingreview.com
Hearing Aid Security and Protection Devices
Susan, age 2, has a new pair of
hearing aids. Her moderate-to-severe hearing loss was identified
at birth due to universal newborn hearing
screening (UNHS), and she has
now used hearing aids for about a year.
In light of the research surrounding the
benefits of early intervention,' it is easy
to understand why her parents have
invested in a high-quality pair of digital
aids which cost them about $3000.
However, at age 2, Susan isn't sure
about these strange things in her ears.
She is too young to reason with, and
although her parents have gently tried
to get her accustomed to wearing her
aids-offering rewards, praise, and
even going to the extra expense of having
the ear molds made in her favorite
color-sometimes Susan has just had
enough of wearing the devices and
wants them off. Like most 2 year olds,
she isn't very concerned where they
end up. Knowing this, Susan's parents
watch her carefully, but today her mom
is on the phone and preoccupied when
Susan wanders toward the bathroom,
casually tosses her aids in the toilet,
and-in accordance with her parents'
potty-training lessons-flushes.
A Growing Problem
Although this scenario is not an
everyday occurrence, concerns about
hearing aid security and protection are
clearly increasing. In fact, in light of
the cost of hearing instruments and the
value they represent to their owners, it
might be fair to say this situation is too
often overlooked by dispensing professionals
and the hearing care field, in
general. Although this problem affects
ITE and BTE (as well as cochlear
processors and the external BAHA
component) users of all ages, the first
and probably most statistically significant groups dealing with hearing aid protection
and loss issues are infants and
small children.
Due to the acceptance and success of
UNHS programs throughout the US, over
4 million infants were screened last year,
with approximately 5000 infants being
diagnosed with hearing loss. This has created
a situation where there are children as
young as 6 months wearing hearing aids.
This is obviously good news: Pediatric
audiologists are fitting more of these children
at earlier ages than ever before.
However, many of these children are far
too young to understand the need for
hearing aids, let alone understand that
these aids are not indestructible. This can
be the source of all sorts of difficulties and
concerns for parents and caregivers.
Further, as these children grow up, FM
systems are introduced-again at much
earlier ages than ever before. Because the
FM unit attaches to the hearing aid (or
processor), there are often difficulties in
achieving a secure fit. The issue of FM
units being lost is becoming a problem for
families and schools all over the country.
As the hearing care field continues to
evolve, this issue will no doubt repeat
itself with the new Bluetooth attachments,
as well as similar applications that are
becoming popular as hearing instruments
expand in wireless functionality.
Both children and adults with hearing
loss, want-and often expect-to be able
to wear their hearing aids during all sorts
of outdoor activities, including competitive
sports. These activities can expose
hearing aids to sweat, moisture, and dirt,
creating potential problems of chafing and
irritation for the wearer, and mechanical
damage for the hearing aid. Adults who
work in dusty, dirty, or high-moisture
environments must deal with the same
type of problems. There are also ongoing
concerns of the effects of insect repellents,
hair spray, and other beauty aids on hearing
instruments.
Another group who should be considered
at high-risk for hearing aid
security/protection issues is children and
adults with cognitive disorders, such as
global developmental delay due to genetic
issues or dementia brought on by old age.
At great risk for the loss of hearing aids,
this group has special requirements for
hearing aid security/protection due to
their inability to clearly comprehend the
need for, and care of, hearing aids.
There are some other factors that are
worth noting when discussing the
increased concern around hearing aid protection/
security. First, the average cost of a
hearing aid has increased substantially
during the last 15 years.. In the early
1990s when analog aids still held the
majority of the market share and CICs had
not been invented, the average price of a
hearing aid was about $1000 in current
dollars. Today, with the advent of digital
hearing aids-in models of all sizes with
many offering advanced features such as
noise reduction circuitry and directional
microphones-the average price is about
$1900. This makes the loss or repair of
hearing aids a much more expensive
proposition.
Second, although ITE wearers have
often been the focus of the companies
offering hearing protection/security
devices, BTE users also have the same
kinds of concerns. The number of BTE
wearers is increasing. For many years
BTE's were about 18% of the hearing aid
market, and that has increased substantially
over the past 5 years to close to 30%.
The reasons for this significant increase
include the higher use of directional
microphone systems and open-fitting type
hearing instruments. It is interesting to
note that, in Europe, BTE’s have long held
the lion's share of the market at somewhere
around 75%, and several industry
experts predict that the North American
market will see a gradual migration
towards the 50% mark.
Special Needs for Special Circumstances
As parents of a daughter with cognitive
delays and a mild-to-moderate hearing
loss, my wife and I experienced a great
deal of difficulty keeping our daughter's
hearing aids on her ears. The initial suggestions
from our hearing care professionals
were to put the aids on for limited
amounts of time, praise her, offer rewards,
etc. After finding these solutions to be
ineffective, we were offered solutions such
as stiffer tubing, two sided wig tape, and it
was even suggested that we might want to
create some sort of homemade solution with fishing line and a
bobby pin that could be attached to a small hook that we could
have installed in the base of the BTE. When these approaches did
not solve the problem or appeared to be unacceptable, we were
finally introduced to a commercial hearing aid security device,
which offered a partial solution.
We felt our hearing care professionals did not fully understand
the stress we were experiencing as we vainly attempted to keep
an eye on our daughter in the house, outside, and while we were
visiting friends and family. To make matters even more stressful,
we were forced to rely on others to keep track of our daughter's
hearing aids when we sent her off to day care.
We had many close calls. One time, her hearing aids went
missing for 3 weeks only to "magically reappear" just as we
were about to contact the insurance company to make a claim.
It was frustrating experiences like these-as well as the day-today
pressure dealing with the concern of hearing aid damage that
led me to develop my own version a hearing aid
security/protection device.
In bringing this product to market, I discovered there were,
indeed, a number of other devices that had been created to
address the issue of hearing aid security/protection. In general,
these devices can be separated into 1) Products that protect the
hearing aid from dirt, dust, and moisture; and 2) Products that
are security devices designed to prevent hearing aid loss. The
products listed below all appear to represent appropriate solutions
for protection and/or security concerns, and-along with
the author's combined protection/security device-are presented
here as a starting-point for interested dispensing professionals
and their clients/patients.
Protection Devices
 Hearing Aid Sweat Band. The Sweat Band is a sock-like
cover that slips over a BTE or cochlear processor BTE. It can also
be used to keep FM units attached to BTEs. The Hearing Aid
Sweat Band is constructed
of a specially
designed material that
is both moisture repellent
and absorbent,
but does not inhibit
sound. It comes in five
sizes and six fairly
neutral colors, ranging
from white to grey.
The Hearing Aid
Sweat Band does not
require any special
tools to install and allows operation of the hearing aid controls. The Sweat Band is
designed to withstand a few washings (obviously, without the
hearing aid!) and then should be replaced.
Super Seals. Super Seals were developed by a parent whose
child was experiencing problems from moisture related to rain
and sweat. This latex-rubber sock must be
installed using a special tool that is included
in your Super Seal starter kit. The product
comes in three sizes and six colors,
including neutral and brighter colors.
Security Devices
Huggies. Huggies offers a wide range
of products that will secure BTEs, ITEs,
cochlear processors, bone oscillators,
body aids, and more. Huggies will also
custom-make hearing aid retainers for
specific needs. Huggies is best known for
its Huggie Aids, a circular plastic tubing
that slips over the ear with two flexible
plastic rings attached to it, holding the
BTE in place. The ring that fits over the ear
is sized in one-quarter inch increments
and the circumference of the ear should be
measured to get a correct fit. Huggie Aids
are available both with and without the
cord and clip.
 Oto Clips. The Oto Clip is a stretchy
plastic cord with a loop on the end that
slips over the
tone hook and,
when pulled,
tightens to create
a firm hold
on the BTE.
Attached to the
cord is a clip
which secures
the Oto Clip to
clothing. The
Oto Clip is
available in
BTE and ITE
models (the ITE model requires a small
hook to be attached to the ITE) and in
both monaural and binaural models. The
Oto Clip is available in a wide range of colors,
as well as a model called Fun Oto-
Clips-clips that have a variety of farm
animals, dinosaurs, and sea creatures as
part of the clip design to encourage children
to wear the product.
Kids Clip. The Kids Clip is a hearing
aid security device numerous hearing aid
manufacturers distribute as part of the
care kits they provide with newly purchased
BTEs for children. The device has
two flexible plastic rings that the BTE scan
be slipped into. These rings are attached to
a stretchy elastic cord which has a clip that
allows you to secure the product to clothing.
Available from audiologists and other
dispensing professionals.
Safe N Sound. Safe N Sound was developed by parents who had children
with hearing loss and vision problems.
This product also uses a flexible plastic
ring to hold the hearing aids in place, and
can be used with BTEs, cochlear processors,
and glasses. The attachment component
of the device is provided by both a
strap (which is available in multiple colors
and with colored beads) that extends from
ear to ear and, in the case of younger children,
a clip is added which attaches to
clothing. Safe N Sound is available in four
different sizes.
Combination Devices
Ear Gear. Ear Gear is a new hearing
aid device designed to combine hearing
aid security with protection from moisture,
dirt, and dust. As an added bonus,
Ear Gear can transform any BTE hearing
instrument into a fashion accessory. Ear
Gear is a spandex boot that fits snugly
over a BTE. It is available by the pair in six
different models, and a variety of stylish,
fun colors and patterns. The current product
line includes: Ear Gear Original (for
BTEs up to 2.75 inches), Ear Gear FM (for
BTEs over 2.75 inches and those with an
FM attachment), Ear Gear Infant (with a
shorter cord), and Ear Gear Monaural.
The Original and FM models can also be
ordered with or without attached cord and
clip. Ear Gear is fully washable and comes
with a 1-year guarantee.
Conclusion With the successful implementation of
UNHS and better hearing health care, in
general, there are more children at
younger ages receiving hearing instruments.
Similarly, hearing instrument technology
has evolved substantially, and
some of the technology options available
today often represent an investment of
several thousands of dollars for parents of
these children and young adults.
Additionally, security/protection devices
are useful for people of all ages who have
cognitive impairments or who lead
extremely active lives.
The devices discussed here should be
"road tested" by the dispensing professional,
and those devices that are found to
represent good options for a particular
patient population should be recommended
during the counseling process. Hearing
security/protection devices can help
relieve the stress hearing aid users-and
their caregivers.
References
1.Yoshinaga-Itano C, Sedey AL, Coulter OK,
Mehl AL. Language of early- and later-identified
children with hearing loss. Pediatrics.
1998;102(5):1161-1171.
2. Ingrao B. Bluetooth technology: Toward more
wireless hearing care solutions. The Hearing
Review. 2005;12(1 ):26-27,88.
3. Dietrich S. Roadtest: An FM system in the
dental office/educational setting. The Hearing
Review. 2005;12(1 ):38-42.
4. Yanz J, Roberts R, Sanguino J. A wearable
bluetooth device for hard-of-hearing people.
The Hearing Review. 2005;12(5):38-41.
5. Tchors J. Utilizing bluetooth for better speech
understanding over the cell phone. The
Hearing Review. 2005;12(2):50-51,80.
6. McSpaden JB. Why are hearing aids so
expensive? The Hearing Review.
2005;12( 10):30-34,85.
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