The Cellphone and the Hearing Aid: The Odd Couple
Published: Jan 25, 2009“Mom, stop shouting into the phone—I can hear you just fine.” That’s what happens when I talk to my 77-year-old mother. And my experience is not atypical, for today the aging of the population means that more people are suffering from hearing loss. In fact, 4 million to 6 million people in the United States currently use hearing aids. Even more need them but don’t wear them, although a greater proportion of this population is likely to start using hearing aids as they get both more effective and more attractive.
At the same time, there are over 280 million cellphone subscriptions in the United States, for cellphones are rapidly becoming a ubiquitous and essential form of communication in today’s global society.
It’s a given that a growing number of hearing-aid users are cellphone users as well. But like The Odd Couple’s Felix Unger and Oscar Madison, these two fundamentally good technologies cannot always live together in close proximity without conflict. At issue is electromagnetic compatibility.
As a result, hearing-loss advocacy groups have increased their pressure on industry and the U.S. government to make sure hearing aids and cellphones work together, allowing hearing aid users access to the entire range of wireless voice and data services. Compatibility standards do exist, but they’re struggling to evolve as quickly as technology advances.
Read more on IEEE Spectrum Online
