Your cochlear is a battery that could power your hearing aid

Research out from America reported in the Daily Mail shows that hearing aids could be powered by the bodies own power source, rather than hearing aid batteries.


Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been working on a way to harness the energy that is generated by the cochlear in the process of natural hearing. They have proved in animal tests that tiny electrodes, inserted into the cochlear, can generate enough current to keep a miniature circuit board running and think that future developments could lead to tiny hearing aids or implants being powered by the body itself  possibly requiring no external parts.


Tests have been carried out on gerbils in the lab and proved successful but it remains to be seen if this technique would work with all types of hearing loss or along side cochlear implants. Check out the article here.

Hat tip to Fil

Jazz up your hearing aid or processor!

PDDCS learns of a new blog this week which shows you how to make your hearing aid or cochlear implant bang on trend! Have a look at some of these designs and see what you can do!

Pimp My Hearing Aids is created by craft business owner and designer Sarah Smith. Have a look and see what you could do .. The video is created by NDCS's Ni Gallant.

How to look after your child's hearing aid

The NDCS webteam have been busy creating a range of youtube video clips to support children, teenagers, families and professionals.

This youtube clip explains how to look after a child's hearing aids



If you wish to give the NDCS team feedback on this clip click here
It will only take a minute.

How to maintain your hearing aid video

Here is a good video produced by the Chesterfield Royal Hospital's Audiology Department about how to fit and maintain your hearing aids. It's good advice on how to keep your hearing aids in good working order.

Create a personalised book for your deaf child/sibling

Image courtesy of Squeeze Marketing 2012

Experience books have created bespoke books that can be personalised for young deaf siblings/children. The books have been developed by the parents of a Cochlear Implanted boy; John Featherstone from the ‘My Brother John’ books. Parents who have bought them have loved the books. The 20 page book can be used to explain to friends, family, carers and school staff how your child communicates, explain about their hearing loss, and show their interests and favourite things

A sample of a few pages can be viewed on the website http://www.experiencebooks.co.uk/

Worth a look...

Deaf Footballer Sent Off For Wearing Hearing Aids

Normally footballers are sent to the stands because an overpaid fellow professional is rolling around the floor looking like they've been attacked by a dangerous dog following a contact so slight it could almost be described as romantic.

But its a different story if you play for pub team in Rotherham and get a referee seemingly hell-bent on taking health and safety madness to new levels: 'Never mind the studs in your boots, Son ... I'm worried about your killer hearing aids'.

The Mirror has the full story here about how hearing aid wearer Craig Beech was told to get off the pitch by the referee for wearing hearing aids during a match. Refusing to bend to appeals from Craig's team mates and the opposition, the match was bought to a premature end by the daft ref when Craig's team, The Mason Arms, walked off in protest.

It's a wonder that the referee hasn't sent a player off yet for having teeth. See the FA rules about hearing aids and cochlear implants here. Basically, its fine to wear them and all this need not have happened..

Picture: The Mirror
HT: Filippo Adamo Pasqualino