Solar-powered Hearing Aids!

The older we get the faster our hearing diminishes. More so if you, like me, went to a lot of great rock concerts over the years...

When the Stuff Hits The Fan...and your supply of hearing aid batteries dwindle to nothingness, will you be stuck in a world of silence at a time when you really need your sense of hearing the most?

I can tell you about my personal experience with the world's first solar-powered hearing aid:
http://solarear.com.br/

Here are the specs for the individual products. (PDFs) http://solarear.com.br/professionals/

I bought one in 1999 from this company for under $200, shipping included, back when the manufacturer was a one-man operation in a village hut in Botswana, Africa.

His motivation to create the world's first solar hearing aid was to give nearly-deaf villagers a chance at life. Literally. The villagers were convinced that deaf and hard-of-hearing children were influenced by demons, and the innocent children were seriously shunned by the entire village and not treated well (to put it politely). They barely survived on the outskirts of their village and were easy prey for things larger than themselves.

This man knew that to save these children, he must help them to be able to hear. Unfortunately, hearing aids are notoriously expensive and batteries would not be affordable or easy to obtain on a regular basis. So he set about to make the world's first solar-powered hearing aids.

For a long time, he made only one kind, a rough looking box-type about the size of a deck of cards that fit into your shirt pocket. It came with old fashioned corded earpieces.

It is very, very powerful! I am profoundly hard of hearing, but man! With this piece of wonder, I can hear two mosquitoes arguing which kind of people tastes better, the fat ones or the skinny ones...

It is more powerful than the ones sold today for thousands of dollars. Kid you NOT. When I was little, the box kind (almost like the solar hearing aid) was the kind I wore, and they are, by design, more powerful than behind (or in) the ear types.

Because I was such a rambunctious kid, to secure my hearing aid, my mother sewed small flannel pockets with a button to secure the top flap on all of my shirts. (Flannel because any other cloth would be too stiff and rub up on the microphone which produced a scratchy sound that nearly drove me insane.)

The company has grown by leaps and bounds since I bought the solar hearing aid in 1999 and they are offering lots more variety these days.

Happy with your current aid? They sell solar - rechargeable hearing aid batteries too! (#13, #313, #675 NiMh or equivalent sized NiMh batteries)

You can get your local hearing aid store to make custom ear molds to fit you. TIP: when the impressions are being made, do NOT yawn, talk, cough, etc. or else the finished earmolds won't fit properly. The resulting feedback will be a problem and your aid will whistle at you until you go crazy.

NO, I am not an affiliate of theirs. Just one very satisfied user who is ready to rock the days when there are no more hearing aid batteries.

Thought some of you would like to read a first-hand experience with a solar hearing aid.


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What did you say?!!!!! ​

 

I have a problem with the high frequencies. Lots of years in machine shops litening to the noise of metal being pealed off of metal by metal and then a few hundred thousand rounds fires with protection only some times. I notice it the most when I'm talking to women with high pitched voices and little kids especially little girls. I am also willing to admit, my wife isn't, that my listening might not be as good as it once was. Her listening sucks. I thought it was her hearing until I started just looking at her when she says, "What???" She pauses and THEN will answer my question over half the time. I guess that is just what happens when you have been with someone for 45 years...

 

That is my loss as well. The human voice escapes me, especially women and children. But, the upside is that bass drums thrill me, lol.

Weird, I can hear the rumble of a tornado or hurricane force winds in the distance before other people can.


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I have had several hearing aid, and not the cheap kind, I quit wearing them. The wind noise drove me crazy and when I switched to behind the ear type, then I get all peripheral noise too. Not worth it most of the time. I have become a pretty good lip reader. High frequency is gone, no bird songs. Low frequency still around, mostly.

 

TMT, the wind noise drove so many people insane that there are aids designed to combat that problem. Some are even made with tiny wind shields on them, and they work. Another trick: just grow your hair longer and the hair will baffle the wind some. Nothing wrong with the rock star look with a ponytail in back, these days, lol.

When the SHTF, you will NEED your hearing. All of it, or as much as possible.


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