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10/10/2015  |   12:15 PM - 1:15 PM   |  Andrew Foster Auditorium

Instant Earmolds Options - Commercial and New Alternatives

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 360 million people in the world have hearing loss greater than 40 dB HL in the better hearing ear and most of them live in developing countries. With the high prices of hearing aids, many individuals with hearing loss cannot afford to buy hearing aids. They either do not use any form of amplification devices or rely on donated devices to meet their amplification needs, resulting in the extremely low hearing aid adoption rate of <2.5% in these countries. The service model of hearing aid provision in developing countries may not mirror that of more developed countries. Access to hearing services often requires long distance travel. As most donated hearing aids are traditional behind-the-ear hearing aids for their physical versatility and wide fitting range, the demand for properly fitted instant-earmolds is great in developing countries. The purposes of this presentation are: 1) to review several kinds of currently commercially-available instant-fit earmolds, and 2) to introduce an alternative low-cost instant-earmold system that clinicians can make themselves using supplies available in audiology clinics. The alternative instant-earmold consists of a single/double bent tubing, a brass lock, a plastic lock, and an ear tip. Its advantages include: quick and easy to make, inexpensive, durable, easy to clean, able to accommodate different ear canal sizes, easily modifiable to suit changing ear canal sizes for children, venting-ready, and crafted with minimum additional tools needed (i.e., a flush cutter and tubing glue). The goals of this presentation are to summarize available instant-earmold options, to engage fellow humanitarians to share their experiences with different instant-earmolds, and to discuss how to make the alternative instant-earmolds to meet the unique patient needs of regional clinics in developing countries.

• At the end of this presentation, the audience will be able to list different commercially available instant-earmold options
• At the end of this presentation, the audience will be able to make instant-earmolds for different patients using materials that are commonly available in audiology clinics

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King Chung (POC,Primary Presenter), Northern Illinois University, amplificationrocks@yahoo.com;
Dr. King Chung is a Professor of Audiology at Northern Illinois University. She has been leading students on humanitarian research and service trips to different countries every summer for several years. The long-term goal for these research and service trips is to facilitate better hearing services to all peoples around the world. A researcher at heart, Dr. Chung report the hearing systems in the visited countries/regions and the hearing status of people tested during these trips in professional publications so that more people are aware of the great demands for hearing services in different countries. The long-term goals of these humanitarian research and service trips are: 1. To facilitate academic and clinic exchanges, 2. To deliver hearing services to underprivileged populations, 3. To provide participants wit opportunities for cultural immersion 4. To advocate better hearing services for underserved and unserved populations around the the world