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Hearing aids and 30 years

Posted by Living Sounds

After nearly 30 years in the Hearing Aid Industry and as a second generation Hearing Aid Practitioner, I am continually amazed how technology and the profession have evolved.

My late father, Louis Nedelec, was one of the first Hearing Aid Audiologists in Edmonton and opened his first office in the downtown Hudson Bay store on Jasper and 101 Street. It was a small shared space with optometrist Dr. Donald Hamm.

We were the “Hudson Bay Hearing Center” and dad’s office was no larger than 12 feet by 12 feet with a shared receptionist and waiting room. Everything was in that small office, his audiometer, filing cabinet and desk. All faculties of the business were done in that room from consultations to fitting hearing aids to paying his invoices to manufactures for product and there were not many at that time. We dealt with Audiotone, Siemens, Phillips and Starkey.

Hearing aids were also not a thing of beauty. They were large ugly devices that either were hung behind your ear or worn in the temple of your eyeglasses (a nice supplement to Dr. Hamm’s business) and the big ol’ body worn device.

I often wonder what my father would think of today’s technology from invisible devices that hide deep in your ear canal to software in these devices that is faster than most computers.

Yes, the times they have been changing and I think my late father would be beside himself wondering how to fine tune one of these state of the art hearing aids without a screwdriver.

 

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