There seems to be increasing consumer interest in self-fit hearing aids. I’m not surprised. For one thing, it brings the cost right down. There’s data showing the best test of hearing is to ask yourself if you have a hearing problem. There’s data to show that the best approach to personalizing a hearing aid is to involve the user more – to be alongside, but not to do it for people. Is that a surprise? Of course not. We have been adjusting our own TV volume for a long time – without a prescription. It’s time we acknowledged the professional and commercial self interest from various vocal minority vocal groups that say “It can’t” or “Shouldn’t be done”. What better way to have client involvement than have it “DIY” but with support in the background, if you can make a hearing aid system, like IHearYou, smart enough that it’s really easy.   I believe that the support is important, and am very skeptical about systems that are in development that claim they will be able to “do it all”. These are other groups trying to play “catch up”. I hope the “wanna be” research groups understand the importance of the balance between client independence and support. Blamey & Saunders have worked hard to get this right over recent years, and I’m grateful for the feedback from our customers in helping us do that. We can be “virtually” alongside our customers if they want, and not if they don’t. If customers choose to be connected to us, we can do a lot, and be sensitive to their needs. We’ve helped on all sorts of issues relating to ears, hearing health, hearing aid use and care, and more. After all, hearing aid users are all people, not ear support systems. Three cheers for our clients, all over Australia, and around the world.
We will continue to keep improving our service with hearing aids that are so smart and so easy that you can do it yourself, and with prices that are frankly unheard of.