Clinical Considerations in Fitting a Multimemory Hearing Aid

Multimemory hearing aids have the potential to better serve individuals with hearing impairment, but the technology is new and operational issues need to be resolved before their full advantages can be realized. The current situation is that not all individuals with hearing impairment would benefit from a multimemory hearing aid and not all multimemory hearing aids have the same features for every individual with hearing impairment. In addition, appropriate memory assignment is crucial to a successful fit. In evaluating a listener for a multimemory hearing aid, one must consider the individual's communication needs and psychophysical skills, his or her acoustic environments, and his or her listening preference. An understanding of the available multimemory devices is necessary in order to select the one that meets these requirements. The initial determination of optimal electroacoustic characteristics for each memory is important, but the need to provide constant support and continued follow-up cannot be overemphasized.