Dave Thijssen
Web-based Legal Atlas
Room: B3.08
Phone: +31-(0)20-5253424
Email: dthijssen@leibnizcenter.org
Links: CV
Add comment October 15th, 2007
Posts filed under 'Graduates'
Marcello di Bello
ESTRELLA
Room: B3.10
Phone: +31-(0)20-5254797
Email: marcello.dibello@gmail.com
Add comment April 12th, 2007
Drs. Emily Besselink
Email: email
MSc Forensic Science student 2006-2007
Internship Forensic Intelligence
Electronic Tracking of Criminal Offenders using
GIS and Legal Atlas: a Feasibility & Utility Study
At family gatherings, my relatives got so tired of repeating themselves that they left Grandma out of conversations. Even as a kid, I realized how isolated she must have felt due to her severe hearing loss.
My grandmother never got a hearing aid because she worried that wearing a huge piece of equipment behind her ear would alert the whole world to her hearing loss. Anyone who shares the same fear today should know this:
Times have changed. These aren’t your grandma’s hearing aids.
“I like to say that the hearing loss is more visible to others than the hearing aid,” says Pam Mason, director of audiology professional practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). “Hearing aids today are behind the ear, very small, with a tiny wire that goes down into your ear canal. They truly are invisible.”
Hearing aids are not the only hearing loss treatments available. There are other options, including middle ear implants and cochlear implants. But before you can get a hearing aid or any other hearing device, you need to first find out what’s causing your hearing loss.
Step 1: Get Your Hearing Evaluated
The time to see a specialist is as soon as you start experiencing signs of hearing loss:
You’re turning up the TV or radio volume louder than usual
You have ringing in your ears
You have trouble distinguishing conversations from background noise
Your family and friends have to repeat themselves
You have difficulty hearing on the telephone
You notice a difference between the right and left ear
The hearing evaluation and treatment typically involve a team of specialists that includes an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor, also called an otolaryngologist, and an audiologist.
“The first thing is to do a complete evaluation of the patient from a head and neck standpoint and understand the nature of the hearing loss,” explains Anand K. Devaiah, MD, FACS, associate professor in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Boston University School of Medicine.
Many of the medical conditions that can contribute to severe hearing loss, from infections to tumors, are treatable. For most common conditions take a lot at these link text“>sonus complete reviews.
“We might be able to intervene from a medical or surgical standpoint first,” Devaiah says. Treatments may include:
Using antibiotics to treat ear infections
Surgically correcting anatomical problems with the eardrums or bones of the middle ear
Removing ear wax that blocks the ear canal by washing it out or dissolving it with ear drops
Once any medical cause of hearing loss has been ruled out, you’ll undergo a series of hearing tests to evaluate:
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Your ability to hear at different pitches and volumes
Your ability to understand speech and tell the difference between similar-sounding words
How well sound passes through your eardrum and middle ear
How well signals are passing from your ears to your brain
Step 2: Know Your Treatment Options
The type and degree of your hearing loss will determine which treatment your audiologist or ENT recommends. Here are some of your options.
Hearing aids fit inside or behind your ear. They electronically amplify the sounds going into your ear, but they don’t restore hearing. “A hearing aid will never bring their hearing back to normal, but it will improve their ability to understand speech and to hear the sounds their hearing loss is masking,” says Hull Bell.
Your audiologist will use the information from your audiogram to choose the best hearing aid for you. Then the hearing aid will be programmed to accommodate your type and degree of hearing loss. Some hearing aids amplify the higher frequencies to improve speech recognition. Other hearing aids can be programmed to accommodate for specific situations, such as noisy or quiet environments.
Lastly, your audiologist will test the hearing aid in your ear to make sure the amplification works for you. You can also customize your hearing aid further by adding one of these options:
Directional microphones boost the sound coming straight at you so that you have an easier time hearing conversations.
A telephone switch (“T” setting) filters out background noise while you’re on the phone. You can also use the “T” setting with the listening systems available in many public facilities to help you hear plays, concerts, meetings, and worship services.
Cochlear implants are electronic devices that create the sensation of sound by directly stimulating hearing nerves in the inner ear.
The benefits of cochlear implants can be dramatic, but they’re not for everyone. “It’s for those people who really cannot get good benefit from hearing aids,” says Hull Bell.
A cochlear implant isn’t like a hearing aid. It doesn’t amplify what your ears are hearing. Instead, it bypasses your ears and directly stimulates the auditory nerve, which sends the signal straight to your brain. Although cochlear implant surgery is considered to be safe, it is still surgery. So talk with your doctor about the risks.
A new technology that combines a cochlear implant with a hearing aid in the same ear is being tested in clinical trials. This technology may help certain patients with high-frequency hearing loss and some residual hearing in the low frequencies.Researchers are still testing these devices with the goal of improving hearing across the frequency spectrum.
The sound you hear with a cochlear implant is not the same as normal hearing. However, with time and practice a person’s performance ability improves. Many cochlear implant users say they’re able to hear very well in quiet environments. They also show a lot of improvement when it’s noisy. Many use landline and cell phones, and some enjoy music again.
Performance with cochlear implants gets better with time and practice. At first, someone might hear voices but may not be able to understand them very well. The brain will adapt, and this adaptation may improve if the user takes part in aural rehabilitation.
Most people with cochlear implants are satisfied with the results and can actively participate again in the hearing world.
To find out if you qualify for cochlear implants, you’ll undergo a thorough hearing loss evaluation. Your ENT will also examine you to make sure you’re healthy enough to go through the implant surgery.
Add comment April 11th, 2007
Gertrude van Cappellen
December 5th, 2005
Wendy Meijer
Email: email
Subject:
A comparative study on the effects of e-government at several Dutch government institutions. This study emphasises on the discrepancies and similarities of change programs held within these organisations because of new or amended legislation. The impact of these change programs on future legislation will be considered as well.
Add comment October 20th, 2005
Peter Kops
Email: email
Subject:
Mijn afstudeerwerkstuk gaat over het visualiseren van gebeurtenissen uit onderzoeksdossiers opgesteld door de politie. Nu informatie uit dossiers steeds meer de digitale vorm aanneemt is het overzichtelijk representeren van deze informatie ook steeds meer van belang. Tijd en plaats van gebeurtenissen spelen hierbij een belangrijke rol.
Add comment October 20th, 2005
