LOW-COST, PROGRAMMABLE, TIME-LIMITED HEARING HEALTH AID APPARATUS, METHOD OF USE, AND SYSTEM FOR PROGRAMMING SAME

摘要

A low-cost, programmable, time-limited hearing aid and a means to program the hearing aid with user-specific hearing-loss data for the purpose of emulating the performance of a more permanent, but more costly, hearing aid device. The hearing aid is operational for only a limited time, and is intended for temporary, evaluative purposes. By providing the user with a low-cost, but temporary, means to evaluate the benefits of assisted hearing, he or she becomes more comfortable with its use, and therefore is more amenable to the more involved process and greater expense of being fitted for a more permanent hearing health solution. A method of use of the hearing health aid and the associated programming system that allows a hearing-loss candidate to evaluate the effectiveness of the hearing aid device is also presented.