help is at hand how hearing instruments make a difference hearing instruments can improve your baby s ability to hear sounds and speech significantly through amplification the amount of amplification provided is directly related to the degree and shape configuration of the hearing loss and the characteristics of the incoming sound signal in other words each hearing instrument constitutes a tailor-made solution color is fun the choice of hearing instruments for tiny ears today the design of hearing instruments for infants and children is specifically tailored to the specific needs and preferences of these young wearers many instruments are very compact and both instruments and earmolds are available in a wide range of colors the color also makes the instruments easier to spot should the baby remove them colorful stickers on the hearing instruments also can be fun.
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getting started inserting a hearing instrument into a child s ear for optimal performance the hearing instrument must be in the correct position to insert the hearing instrument into the child s ear just follow these simple steps 1 either turn the instrument off or select the minimum volume setting to avoid whistling 2 grasp the tubing near the earmold between your thumb and index finger see figure 2 3 bring the instrument to the child s ear tilting it forward slightly and carefully place the canal portion of the earmold inside the ear canal see figure 3 4 once the canal portion is in place twist the earmold back so that it fits into the concha and tuck the instrument behind the ear taking care not to twist the tubing you can check that the instrument is in the correct position by tracing the contour of the ear with your finger to see that it is sitting snugly see figure 4 5 now you can switch on the instrument and adjust the volume to the desired level in some cases the volume co
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step-by-step success getting your baby used to hearing instruments very young infants spend a lot of time asleep and they will not be wearing their hearing instruments during these periods however as your baby grows so does the amount of awake time where the use of hearing instruments is crucial this represents a learning process for you and your baby and requires patience and persistence the natural reaction is quite understandably one of surprise accompanied by a desire to remove them as the baby begins to associate sound with meaning the impulse to remove the instruments should decrease you can start off by establishing the hearing instruments as a part of the morning routine this plays an important role in setting up the communication between parent and baby from day one all parents talk to their children during the daily morning routine saying hello talking about all the things that are being done freshening up getting dressed etc putting the hearing instruments in at the beg
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sometimes the transition to full-time use is challenging if your baby repeatedly rejects the amplification you can ask your audiologist to check the following hearing status earmold fit and condition seating of the tone hook and hearing instrument on the ear e.g does the instrument have a pediatric-sized earhook and/or sit snugly behind the ear hearing instrument function and settings presence of wax in the ear canal in a few cases babies may develop an ear infection if you suspect this call your baby s physician or audiologist for advice if your baby is unwell or over-tired simply remove the instruments temporarily it can be extremely motivating to keep a record of the hours of hearing instrument use on a calendar this encourages you towards the goal of full-time use some parents also add notes on new sounds their baby reacts to or sounds their baby makes to give a fuller picture and to track progress battery use can be recorded on the calendar as well during periods when th
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little ears big challenges ensuring that the hearing instruments stay in place babies and young children are not experts in keeping still nor should they be the audiologist needs to ensure that the earmold offers a snug fit in the small soft ear and check that the tubing is trimmed to the correct length pediatric-sized tonehooks also help to optimize the instruments fit babies are very likely to remove their hearing instruments either deliberately or accidentally sometimes babies who were happy wearing their instruments at three to four months allow curiosity to take over and may start removing them when they are five or six months old exploration is a part of growing up and there is no reason for concern it is however a reason to attach the instruments to the baby s clothing in some way to avoid loss or damage the most common solution is a cord that connects the hearing instruments to some form of clothing clip this clip is best attached to the side of an item of clothing so th
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no room for compromise checking the instruments performance since your baby cannot tell you whether the hearing instruments are working properly or not you have to take an active role in checking their performance it is ideal to check the instruments at the end of each day so that they are ready for action when your baby wakes up the next morning this checklist will help you to carry out these examinations easily and effectively earmolds make sure that the opening to the ear canal portion of the earmold is free of wax should you find wax there simply wipe it with a damp cloth or use a wax loop or brush to remove it if the earmolds are visibly soiled wipe them with a damp cloth be sure not to get the hearing instruments wet check that the earmold tubing is free of moisture as a drop of water blocking the tube can prevent sound getting to the ear if you see moisture detach the earmold from the hearing instrument and use an earmold blower to dry it if the earmold has a vent blow th
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maintaining what counts daily equipment care each part of the amplification system needs to be cared for and properly maintained earmolds during the first two years babies will need many new earmolds to keep up with their rapid growth later a three or four year-old might keep the same earmolds for as long as one year earmolds may become loose over time and cause feedback so it is important to check regularly that the earmold has a snug fit and to have new earmolds made if they are loose lubricants these products are specially made for use with hearing instruments and are a great help when earmolds are either loose or too tight please note that petroleum jelly is not a suitable substitute since it has a tendency to grow bacteria batteries button batteries power the hearing instruments the estimated battery life for a button battery varies with each device and its power needs estimated battery life is available from your audiologist for each hearing instrument but the use of a battery
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ready for action reassembling a hearing instrument after cleaning in order to clean the earmold properly you need to separate it from the hearing instrument the hearing instrument should never come into contact with water once the earmold has been cleaned make sure that it is completely dry using the air puffer reattach the two pieces so that the curve of the earmold matches that of the hearing instrument now the instrument is ready for insertion 16
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the phonak oliver program adding fun to function the oliver program is designed specially to support the needs of hearing impaired children oliver articles are functional and fun to use oliver pediatric care kit with the pediatric care kit maintenance is child s play it contains everything you need to care for the hearing instrument including a battery tester a dehumidifier a listening tube an air puffer the clever kids clip stickers and a user guide oliver kids clip this clever clip helps to ensure that the hearing instruments are not lost or broken if they are taken off or knocked off while playing oliver gets hearing aids a beautifully illustrated children s story about oliver the elephant who is fitted with hearing instruments for the first time the story provides the perfect way to introduce the idea of hearing instruments to a hearing impaired child a popular story for all children oliver gets fm the second book in the oliver series addresses the need for fm although oliver d
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my hearing system hearing instruments a model specify left and right b color specify left and right c serial number specify left and right d warranty expiration date e programs i program 1 is for ii program 2 is for iii program 3 is for f volume control should be worn at name left left left right right right or n/a fm system g to access i fm the hearing instrument should be set to and the fm receiver should be set to ii fm+m the hearing instrument should be set to and the fm receiver should be set to h model i serial number i transmitter ii receiver j warranty expiration date k default frequency l other available frequencies:
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phonak listens to the needs of children with hearing impairment around the world phonak s experience with hearing instruments for children along with developments in the field of pediatrics have had an impact on the advancement of phonak hearing systems overall by listening to the needs of children phonak has created a range of instruments to suit every hearing need the swiss high-tech group is active in over 70 countries the phonak group is based in stäfa switzerland and has been developing manufacturing and distributing a wide range of hearing systems for children and adults for over 35 years your hearingcare professional www.phonak.com more about hearing www.hear-it.org 028-0273-02/v00 1004/wia printed in switzerland ©phonak ag all rights reserved
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