User manual SIEMENS BEETHOVEN 2000

[. . . ] Hearing Training against Hearing Frustration ­ When High-Tech alone is not enough Beethoven Discussions 2000 H e a r i n g Tr a i n i n g a ga i n s t H e a r i n g Fr u s t r a t i o n ­ W h e n H i g h - Te ch a l o n e i s n o t e n o u g h Beethoven Discussions 2000 Bonn, 23rd March 2000 4 A b o u t t h e B e e t h ove n D i s c u s s i o n s 2 0 0 0 Studies in Europe and the USA show that user satisfaction with hearing instruments has increased significantly in the last years and that the quality of life for these people has improved considerably. Despite this positive trend, there remains a problem which needs to be addressed ­ too many hearing instruments end up in a drawer instead of in the ears of their owners. A study which was initiated by Siemens recently confirmed this problem. It is apparent that high technology products alone are not enough to provide complete satisfaction for many hard of hearing people. [. . . ] However, between the ears exists a human with all the momentary moods, specific needs and individual demands. Despite medical and technical know-how many hearing impaired people still have difficulties to adapt to their new acoustical environment after the fitting. Next to the personal circumstances which have been discussed, two possible factors can be seen as causes: overload and disappointment. Hearing impaired people are often stressed when sudden sounds break through their usual silence. They fight against the irritating roars and hammering which they can no longer or not yet categorize. This phenomenon can be observed in children and adults alike, although completely different explanation patterns could apply. If hearing impressions were already present, maybe the new sound perception might just not be able to be integrated into memories of acoustic sound experiences of older days. Misinterpretations are often the results of blurred perceptions. By the time the hearing instrument is degraded to a drawer instrument, its owner already has been through a rough time of acceptance and rejection, between euphoria and resignation. 26 Be e t h ove n D i s c u s s i o n s 2 0 0 0 4. Learning how to Hear and how to Ignore The question, whether hearing can be (re)learned, depends on the individual and the factors that exist around him or her. On a medical and technical level, one can see the challenge of providing adequate fitting that is based on a comprehensive diagnosis, involving all available knowledge. On a pedagogicpsychological side it is very important to introduce subtle dimensions of sounds and noises so they can be refilled with known meanings. Besides hearing (classifying acoustic perception into specific, defined events), an important goal is to relearn how to ignore ­ to recognize momentary, unimportant sensations. To the hearing impaired, this so-called semi-conscious hearing could be a chance to make hearing situations easier ­ a break in constantly demanding intense concentration. To get this unconscious process off the ground, long and intense phases of a conscious connection to the acoustic reality are necessary. For people who were not fitted with hearing instruments, this means taking on hearing as a challenge. For those who were fitted late, it means accepting hearing in its changed form. Te i l I I n Professor Gerlinde Renzelberg 27 Some short quotations, taken from a poll, on the occasions of the Beethoven Discussions, show how significant a constant linkage to acoustic reality can be to (convinced) hearing instrument wearers. n I never dared to not wear my hearing instrument for longer periods of time, not even when I was sick. I plugged them in now and then, just to stimulate the auditory nerve. n Once, when I forgot my hearing instrument on a trip, I was very unhappy. At home it took nearly a day until I regained the complete hearing ability. n In the morning I have to tune in, first with soft noises, then with louder noises. [. . . ] With the hearing training, I experienced the benefits, that the hearing instrument could offer me. Without the hearing instrument I misinterpreted the roar of water as just a strange noise, that I could not classify. The hearing training made me really aware of the sound difference. " 40 Be e t h ove n D i s c u s s i o n s 2 0 0 0 "Thanks to the intensive hearing training I discovered noises that were long forgotten, for example the dripping of a water faucet or the chirping of birds. " "In the beginning of the hearing training, many times I did not know what direction the noises came from. [. . . ]