“My, um, FRIEND sure could use one. What company makes that really cool one with the Bluetooth connection?” “My elderly father can’t stand his old hearing aid and refuses to wear it anymore, should we check into one of these groovy new ones?” Or… “You know, it’s true, I do seem to turn the TV up really loud now, and going to a crowded restaurant for dinner on a Saturday night, well, forget it.”
Too bad I’m not getting a commission from the company that makes these cool devices, although my audiologist did get a huge kick out of my post and said he was going to show it to the sales rep. The company is called OTICON. They make several models, but the one that I am sporting is called EPOQ and it just came on the market the end of May (like the day before I got mine, thus making me the first person in Kansas City to have one!) I am really pleased with the way they work, the way they look and the way I can hear now. (Warning: they are expensive.)
But here’s the burning question everyone kind of danced around: Gloria, did you get that, um, big blue fish hearing aid or was that just an illustration of what’s available and you know, if you did get that big blue fish one, that’d be cool, if you really want to make a statement about yourself or whatever.
Sorry to disappoint, but I didn’t get the fish.
My “personal communication assistant” is not even aquamarine or sunset gold.
Here’s what it looks like.
The first picture, expertly taken by Eddie, shows pretty much what it DOESN’T look like – that is, my hair covers up the amplifier that sits on the back of my ear. The only thing you might possibly see is the little piece of clear tubing that runs into my ear canal. The second photo, also expertly taken by Eddie, features me pulling my hair up and out of the way to reveal the said “hearing assistive device.” (I haven’t quite decided yet which high tech, boomer-esque, soft sell term for hearing aid I prefer.)
Now, if you are interested in reading more, by all means check out this article from yesterday’s New York Times (Fashion and Style section, by the way). It’s chock full of interesting information. Thanks, Linda, for sending it my way.
WHAT’D YOU SAY?
1 comment:
It's amazing how far they have come with the technology. When I was a kid my grandparents all had hearing aids...and they were big and bulky and always making that high pitched feed back noise. Now they can communicate with your phone too? That's Amazing.
You have pretty ears! :) *Giggles*
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