Hearing aid remote controls are meant to replace pushbuttons or rotary controls that would normally be found on the outside of the hearing aid. Hearing aid remotes are smaller than TV remotes and contain only a few buttons that perform limited functions, such as changing the volume level and the listening mode. Some remote controls also allow the user to check battery life.

Remote controls are a great option for those with dexterity issues due to arthritis, stroke, cerebral palsy or another neurological disorder. A remote control can offer larger buttons instead of small rotary volume control wheels or miniature push buttons. Larger controls often require less pressure and dexterity to operate.

A remote control is the only option for people who like to see the controls when they change them. Obviously, once the hearing aid is in your ear, you can't see the controls. Most people operate controls fine simply by feel. But for people who are visually oriented, it is inconvenient to take the hearing aid off your ear to change a control, and you cannot easily adjust the sound with the hearing aid off either.

Remote controls also can offer more features that can't, due to size limitations, be placed on really small hearing aids. Remote controls also are an option for children, allowing caregivers to retain control of volume and program settings and preventing the child from accidentally changing the settings.

But there are disadvantages. A remote control is one more thing to keep up with. While it can be clipped to a belt or fit in a sports coat pocket or a purse, it also can be be misplaced or left behind.

Although remote controls are durable, perhaps even more durable than the hearing aids themselves, they are also something else that can break down and need repair.

Remote controls are not appropriate in some instances. People who have implanted pacemakers or defibrillators should not use the remote control device while the pacemaker is being read or programmed. Hearing aid manufacturers also generally recommend not to use the remote control within four inches of the pacemaker, such as from a shirt pocket directly over the implant site. This is a general precaution since no studies have actually shown interference between remote controls and pacemaker function.

Remote controls are considered to be electronic devices and should not be used in places where electronic devices are forbidden, such as aboard aircraft during takeoff and landing.

As with other metallic objects, hearing aids and remote controls may activate metal detectors, and they should be removed during MRI and X-ray scans.

With today's technology, a hearing solution can take into account the listening needs as well as the physical needs of the hearing aid wearer. Remote controls should be considered by patients who might benefit from this technology.

By Danielle Tousinau
http://www.timesnews.net/communityArticle.dna?_StoryID=3591395