Our prefered
technology partner:
Hearing Aid Institute
725 1st Ave N
Great Falls, MT 59401
800-331-6009
406-727-7269
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The Hearing Herald
Published by:
HEARING AID INSTITUTE, INC.
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September - October - November - December Issue 2007
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Our patient spotlight for this newsletter is Norman
Clark of Anaconda, MT. He was born in Townsend, MT and then moved to Whitehall
with his parents where he attended school. He is married to Sharon and they have
5 children. One of their children lives in Alaska and the other 4 live
throughout Montana.
Norman worked for the Arco mining company driving a Cat
in the Berkley Pit. He feels that working in that job for 29 years is what gave
him his hearing problem. After retiring from Arco he moved to Anaconda where he
currently builds furniture, which he has been doing since 1992.
Norman has been wearing hearing aids since Feb. of 2007.
He loves the new Rhapsody technology and is very pleased he purchased them. He
is also pleased with the service he has received. We are so happy you can now
"Hear the Beauty of Life"!
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MEMO FROM MR. MIKE
WHAT CAN I EXPECT
from my hearing aids?
This subject is like a coin...It has two sides and I will try to
cover both sides so you will be able to achieve the very best from amplification.
EXPECTATIONS...
I will cover the area that causes the most problems for new hearing aid wearers.
1. OVER EXPECTATION. This is
where people feel that they should hear like they did before they had a hearing problem.
That doesn't happen. Your youthful hearing is gone and the good news is that your
hearing aids are there to help provide the sounds that your ears are no longer capable
of hearing. If you were fast at running the 100 yard race, then broke your leg, badly,
and now must walk with a cane, you could not run the 100 yards as before. Now your
hearing aids are your cane for hearing.
2. LACK OF PATIENCE. It takes
time to get used to your hearing aids. Your ears are not accustomed to having something
in them; the sounds are foreign and at times you are unable to understand.
2a. The instruments may need to be reprogrammed. This is fine tuning to
cont. page 2
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cont. from page 1
your specific hearing needs and generally helps improve
your hearing and understanding. Don't hesitate to call the office so we can get
you in and help you. That is what we do, help you hear better.
2b. Because you haven't heard "normal" for years, the sounds you do hear seem
strange. Your hearing aids are providing the sounds your ears are not providing
to your brain and that will sound different. In time, those sounds will become
normal and acceptable to you.
2c. If the instruments are uncomfortable or make your ears sore, do not wear them.
Immediately call for assistance in getting the aids altered or remade so they are
comfortable to wear.
BENEFITS...
1. HEARING WHAT YOU'VE
BEEN MISSING. Now, you can hear the TV at the same volume as your family. You notice
that you did understand what was said, all though you still said "what?" Your car
has some sounds you didn't know it had and you can even hear the turn signals.
Birds do sing and babbling brooks still babble. But most of all it is enjoyable to
take part in conversations with family and friends.
2. PUTTING YOUR BRAIN
TO WORK. As you wear them, your brain will begin to work as it did as a youth.
You know, talk on the phone, listen to the radio, read a book, all the same time.
Not really all of that, but in time as you wear your aids, your brain can begin to
block out some distractions and allow you to concentrate on what is important to
you. This will help you overcome distractions that you were unaware of as a younger
person.
3. CONSULTING. To help you
achieve the greatest help from your aids you may need to discuss your hearing with
one of our Specialists or one of our Public Relations persons. Working with you and
your family to help with needs and expectations is part of our service to you. We
want you to get the very best results you can from your hearing aids. A call to the
office will get you scheduled. Just call 1-800-331-6009.
4. RETRAINING YOUR BRAIN.
Over time when you have suffered hearing loss, the brain is deprived of certain sounds
and will forget some of those sounds. This makes it hard to understand words even when
you hear them, especially when there are distracting sounds. Remember the old saying,
"Don't use it, loose it." Well just as you can forget a foreign language that you
learned in school, you can lose the ability to understand some of our English words.
It is very difficult to re-learn these sounds but you can work to maintain your
understanding. READ OUT LOUD to yourself whenever you are reading; the newspaper,
magazines, the Bible, anything you can, READ OUT LOUD to yourself.
By reading out loud you are doing several things:
A. Your eyes recognize the words (the vision part of the brain)
B. You say the words out loud (the speech part of the brain)
C. You hear the words (the auditory part of the brain)
These things can help you retain understanding and can
sometimes even help improve it. You can receive tremendous benefits from your
hearing aids and be able to hear and enjoy the sounds of life and the world around you.
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WE NOW HAVE A WEB PAGE!!!
Just go to www.hearingaidinstitute.com and see
what is there! In case you lose your newsletter and service center pages
you can go on-line and look for the service center nearest you. If you
have internet services, check us out and let us know what you think.
Products for you to order ---- remember Christmas
is coming and you might find something for yourself or one of your hearing
impaired loved ones.
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NEW SHAKE AWAKE
The Vibrating Alarm Clock
Shake Awake is the unique way to wake up! It uses
quiet vibrating system that is guaranteed to wake up even the soundest sleeper.
A compact, self contained, battery operated vibrating
alarm clock that nestles comfortable under your pillow.
- Large, easy to read display
- Powerful vibrating motor awakens even the heaviest sleeper
- Extra loud audible alarm
- LED backlight
Simply choose the vibrating or audible alarm then clip
Shake Awake onto your pillowcase or under your pillow! It also has a light for
night time viewing.
Order now for only $34.95!
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SUPER SALE!!!
That wonderful product called MiraCell that helps
soothe irritated or itchy ears is on sale from $24.99 to $29.99 for the large bottle.
This product helps to maintain healthy ears and will help soften earwax for easier
removal and less damage to the keratin layer of the skin in the ear canal. If you
know anyone who has problems with itchy ears or lots of wax let them know about this
great sale on MiraCell.
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The Deer Lodge Service Center has been stopped as
there has not been enough interest in it. If you need service please go to Sound
Advice Hearing Center at 2339 Cobban Ave in Butte. The phone number there is
406-782-7000 or call the toll free number 1-800-331-6009.
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Here are two recipes for the holidays; one for dessert and
one for gift giving.
PUMPKIN BARS
1 C. Flour
2/3 C. Sugar
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/8 Tsp. Salt
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1/8 Tsp. Cloves
1 C. Canned Pumpkin
2 Egg Whites, slightly
beaten
1/4 C. Oil
1/4 C. Water
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Spray an 11" x 7" baking pan with non-stick vegetable spray;
set pan aside. In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking
soda, salt, and cloves. Stir in pumpkin, egg whites, oil, and water until thoroughly combined.
spread batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick
inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack; frost. Cut into 24 bars.
Cover and store in refrigerator.
Frosting:
1/4 C. Cream Cheese
1 3/4 C. Powdered Sugar, divided
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1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/4 Tsp. Lemon or Orange Zest
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In medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, one cup powdered
sugar, vanilla and grated lemon or orange zest until mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually beat
in remaining powdered sugar.
HOLIDAY COCOA
A pair of mugs and a tin of holiday cookies would go nicely with this
gift.
6 C. Cocoa
2 C. Malted Milk Powder
7 C. Sugar
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2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Vanilla Bean, split in half
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Blend all ingredients and let sit for 3 days; remove vanilla bean.
Spoon mixture into gift jars. Decorate as you wish. Included these instructions with your
gift:
Mix 1/4 cup of mix into 8 to 10 ounce mugs of hot milk.
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HEARING AIDS
ARE MIS-NAMED!
by Mr. Mike
Yes, I feel that hearing aids have the wrong name.
Unless a person is stone deaf (cannot hear anything) all of us
can hear. We don't necessarly hear well, but we do have some awareness of the vibrations in
the air that we know as sound. It is this ability to hear sounds that make life so enjoyable.
It allows us to be aware of danger, take in the sounds of the birds, babbling brooks, waves
crashing ashore at the ocean, the wind in the trees and be able to enjoy the voices of
friends and family.
In other words, TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE!
Hearing aids allow our auditory senses to receive sounds that make
life real and enjoyable. They assist us in our quest to hear all the sounds of life and as
such give us the precious ability to talk and visit with others.
Don't you agree now that they are mis-named?
They should have been called "COMMUNICATION DEVICES"
We know the change will never happen but I think you can see where
the designation of Communication Devices could apply.
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