Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg welcomed everyone
to the August 15 Sunday meeting of the Pattaya City Expat Club at the Tavern
by the Sea Restaurant. After the usual opening announcements, Richard called
on fellow member Gary Hacker to introduce the guest speaker, Wallapha (Taan)
Vessanont of the DMed Hearing Service of Pattaya.
Last Sunday’s guest speaker for the PCEC meeting was Dr
Wallapha (Taan) Vessanont. She describes typical hearing problems and how
they are compensated. Dr Taan was introduced by satisfied customer, PCEC
member Gary Hacker.
Gary pointed out that Taan works in her DMed office on
Sukhumvit Road from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; on Mondays
and Wednesdays during those hours she works with the Hearing Center at
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya (BHP). Gary had high praise for Taan as she had
previously fitted him with the right type of hearing aid. He personally
recommended that if you have a hearing problem, then Taan was the person to
see.
Taan said she would talk about hearing aids incorporating
the latest technology. Before a hearing aid can be recommended, she said you
need to get a proper hearing test. The test will produce an audiogram, which
is used to identify the model and fitting range for the type of hearing aid
that is best for you. She pointed out that staff from BHP had set up a
hearing booth at the meeting and were providing free hearing tests for those
in attendance. If the test shows a hearing loss, she suggested that there is
probably a hearing aid available that can meet your needs.
Most people do not realize they have a hearing problem
when they are in a one on one conversation with no significant background
noise. However, she said that in a noisy environment or when watching
television, you may have difficulty hearing all that is said. The inability
to hear clearly the speech from a television set indicates a hearing loss in
the high frequency range. Many people have some high frequency loss of
hearing as they age; consequently, their first recognition that they may
have a hearing problem is when watching their television set.
If you are diagnosed with a hearing loss, the next step
is to determine if a hearing aid will help. Taan noted that there has been
considerable improvement in hearing aid technology over the past several
years. The type of hearing aid available today does not have the problems of
the older models; such as feedback and volume control.
She showed a chart that identified different types of
hearing aids and described the types of hearing loss that they improve. She
pointed out that one type is a behind the ear model that can help with
severe and moderate hearing loss.
Many people resist the idea of getting a hearing aid
because of its visibility. However, there are hearing aids on the market
that are virtually invisible because they are inserted into the ear canal.
Taan said that the RIC (receiver in canal) hearing aids are virtually
invisible, more comfortable to wear, have more natural sound quality and
provide improved hearing in a noisy environment. There are different models
that can correct almost all types of hearing loss. These RIC hearing aids
are digital and operate well as they automatically adjust the volume for
your surroundings. She mentioned that they do have a remote control
available, but in most cases she believes it is not really needed.
In conclusion, Taan mentioned that hearing aids generally
start around 20,000 baht and can go as high as 120,000 baht for the best
technology. She also said that if her office hours at DMed or BHP are not
suitable, she can arrange for personal appointments on a Saturday.
After her presentation, Nat from BHP told everyone about
the current promotions being offered by BHP and invited everyone to attend
their upcoming seminar in September. This seminar will be about Lasik and
Supersight surgery. Nat pointed out that if you are a PCEC member, BHP is
offering a free screening for Lasik or Supersight surgery at the seminar.
Richard Silverberg then concluded the meeting by calling
on “Hawaii” Bob Sutterfield to conduct the always informative and sometimes
humorous Open Forum, where questions about living in Thailand and Pattaya in
particular are asked and answered.
