Bengal Speech is the leading hearing aid center that offers free hearing aid trial in delhi, kolkata, mumbai, patna and other major cities of India

1. Binaural fittings
AVISHEK DUTTA
DIRECTOR
BENGAL SPEECH AND HEARING PVT. LTD.

2. Elements of communication

3. Satisfaction level with hearing aid
•Satisfaction level of person with conductive
hearing loss fitted with hearing aid is usually the
best.
•Satisfaction level of elderly people fitted with
hearing aid is usually poor.

4. Why???????
•Hearing loss
▫“Although it is true that mere detection of a sound does
not ensure its recognition, it is even more true that
without detection the probability of correct
identification is greatly diminished”. (Pascoe, 1980)
•Global cognitive decline
•Maladaptive compensatory behaviors
•Neural plasticity and progressive neurodegeneration
▫Morest, 2004
•Loss of confidence
▫Saunders and Cienkowski (2002)

5. Hearing aid patients by age
From Strom, Hearing Review, 2001

6. Perceptual and cognitive declines (resource
limitations) in elderly
•Speed of processing
•Working memory
•Attention difficulties (noise, distraction and
executive control)
Wingfield and Tun, 2001- Seminars in Hearing

7. Impact of ageing on speech
perception
•Even in the absence of hearing loss, older subjects
require 3-5 dB higher SNR than young listeners
(Schneider, Daneman and Murphy, 2005).
•Older subjects with normal hearing perform
approximately the same as young hearing impaired
subjects (Wingfield and Tun, 2001)

8. • Perhaps the problem isn’t that older people have
true cognitive differences than young. Rather, the
need for greater SNR places a greater strain on the
cognitive resources. This creates more effortful
listening (Pichora-Fuller, 2006).

10. solution
•Binaural fitting

11. Advantage of binaural fitting over
monoaural fitting
•Better understanding of speech
•Better understanding in group and noisy
situations
•Better ability to tell the direction of sound
•Better sound quality

12. •Smoother tone quality
•Wider hearing range
•Better sound identification
•Keeps both ears active resulting in potentially less
hearing loss deterioration

13. •Hearing is less tiring and listening more pleasant
•Feeling of balanced hearing
•Greater comfort when loud noises occur
•Reduced feedback and whistling

14. •Tinnitus Masking
•Consumer preference
•Customer satisfaction

15. Candidacy for binaural fitting
•Symmetry of hearing loss
•Age: Central Processing Ability & Dexterity
•Attitude of the service provider
•Other factors

17. CASE STUDY
Group – I Group – II
No of cases 5 5
Pure tone Average (PTA) Rt ear : 50.0dB HL
Lt ear: 51.6 dB HL
Rt ear : 48.3 dB HL
Lt ear: 50.0 dB HL
Type of hearing loss Sensorineural Sensorineural
SRT Both ears: 50 dB HL Both ears : 55 dB HL
WRS 80 – 85 % 60 – 65 %
Speech in noise 70 – 75 % 30 – 40 %
Satisfaction with hearing
aid
Monaural Binaural

18. Group I Audiogram

19. Group II Audiogram

20. THANK YOU