A Scientific, Neuro-Cognitive Approach to Correcting for Hearing Impairment

Dr. Magilen has developed a unique battery of diagnostic tests to assess the variables affecting a person's ability to comprehend speech in the "real world". The diagnostic tests are used to customize the hearing-aid settings to the client's specific "sensory-cognitive profile". This means that the hearing aid is not used merely to amplify sound, but also to shape it in a special way that enables the listener to process speech more quickly, with less mental effort, and in a broader range of acoustic environments than would occur with conventionally fitted aids. Such sound shaping helps listeners to understand speech in even the most challenging environments.

So important is the need for objective measurement of sound in the ear canal for hearing aid fitting that Dr. Magilen developed and patented unique instrumentation to accomplish this goal. This is only one of the ways in which Dr. Magilen goes to extraordinary lengths to provide the best possible fit for the hearing aids chosen.

In order to provide the client with a "realistic expectation" of their optimal hearing experience, Dr. Magilen first demonstrates the optimum settings for a variety of environments, using a broad range of voices and listening situations. The goal is to provide the client with a concrete illustration of:
(1) the best speech quality obtainable,
(2) the most natural sound quality achievable, and
(3) the best possible separation of a speaker's WORDS from background noise.
Dr. Magilen also demonstrates the amount of improvement relative to the client's previous hearing aid under comparable conditions of use. This demonstration serves as a baseline by which to compare the true efficacy of a hearing aid of any model, price, size or features.

Just as a sound engineer can tune his or her equipment for concert hall performances or a studio recording, today's digital hearing aids can be precisely tuned and optimized for the client's specific needs.

Walnut Creek Hearing Aid Center's proprietary technology allows the aids to improve speech comprehension by 300% for the "typical" listener in noisy situations, in comparison to the traditional audiological tuning procedures. Better comprehension enables the brain to process speech easier, faster and better, resulting in cognitive performance superior to what would occur without it.

Obviously, a progressive disorder like hearing impairment, that uses delicate hearing aids, on an aging and changing ear/brain system, requires at least as much follow-up testing and services as in dentistry and optometry. However, hearing aids do not require frequent replacement like eyeglass lenses. They require merely re-engineering of the fitting. Dr. Magilen's clients replace hearing aids generally after 5-10 years. This is why Dr. Magilen includes on-going support for the hearing aids purchased over the devices' lifetime. The concept is: the client receives the long-term professional support they need to keep them hearing their best.

Discovery of an individual's optimal capabilities begins with a hearing assessment evaluation. It can change that person's life.