Fortunately technology has saved us from such contraptions. Now, hearing aids are commonly electronic devices that are worn on the ear like any other ear phone. The first design of these had a rectangular battery pack that connected to the ear piece with a lengthy wire. The battery pack was usually placed in the user's pocket. This wasn't the best design it turns out as the microphone used to amplify sounds wasn't placed very strategically, often suffering disturbances from the user's clothing. Later in the century, they came up with hearing aids that included a small battery inside the ear piece.
There are several hearing aids for you depending on your specific needs. There are the body worn hearing aids, which were introduced earlier. And then there are behind the ear (BTE) hearing aids, which are situated behind the ear with a specially made ear mold. This is convenient because it allowed the user to still use their natural hearing and at the same time it came out in a variety of colors and designs.
The in the ear (ITE) hearing aids on the other hand are seen custom made to fit the user's ear. Modern models of the ITEs have the ability to regulate and cancel feedback. Like a loud, screeching sound caused by sound leaking out and being amplified again.
There are also in the canal (ITC), mid canal (MIC) and completely in the canal (CIC) types of hearing aids. ITC aids only fill the bottom half of the external ear. MIC and CIC are smaller and usually not visible. They are advised for mild to moderately severe hearing problems.
Bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA) on the other hand are aids that are surgically implanted devices that make pathways of sound out of bone.
In the 50s, there were devices that were catered for those who had problems with both hearing and seeing. They were called eyeglass aids, devices that combined both hearing aids and spectacles. The hearing aids were put in the temple part of the glasses. The problem with the design was that there wasn't a wide range of choices for frames, and one had to wear both the glasses and the hearing aids at the same time, or not at all.
Custom hearing aids will normally cost a little more than the regular hearing aids, however this is understandable as they are tailor made for you. It's important to find a hearing aid that works best for you, despite the price.
There are some common settings that can be customised on hearing aids:
-Adjust the equaliser
Most people start to notice hearing loss affecting only certain frequencies, this is normally only the higher frequencies. They may start to be unable to hear high pitch sounds, you can buy a specific hearing aid to boost whichever specific frequency the patient is having a trouble with.
You should go to see your audiologist as they can help you to adjust the hearing aid so you can hear better. Digital hearing aids have the advantage of having an EQ (equaliser) function much like your home stereo.
- Different Presets
A number of popular hearing aids have the ability to set a number of different programs. These programs can be selected when you enter different environments, one flick of a switch can completely change how your hearing aid works.
When you go to a noisy environment, you can flip the switch to customise the settings for that specific environment. When you go to a quiet place you can select another program to customise the settings further. This function is very useful as it is more user friendly than simply adjusting the volume.
- Dual Microphones
Modern digital hearing aids have a great new feature of using two microphones. One microphone is capable of amplifying what is really in front of the user, while the other microphone is able to pick up sounds from all around.
The different microphones can be selected, which makes it ideal for reducing any background noise, allowing you to listen to the person in front of you.
- Noise Reduction
New hearing aids have a noise reduction feature which is similar to the one on your stereo. These have a computer chip built into the hearing aid which is designed to analyze the sound and cut out certain frequencies of sound.
Quite often hearing aids can cause feedback, this often sounds like buzzing, or a whistling noise. If you hear feedback, you would have to turn down the volume until the feedback is reduced. However the noise reduction chip is able to remove feedback without having to turn down the volume.
- Telecoils
Telecoils are designed to make phone conversations for people with hearing difficulties much easier. Switching a switch changes the device to use the telecoil, this cuts out the background noise completely so you can concentrate completely on the telephone.
This feature doesn't work with all telephones, it's important to check whether or not yours is compatible before considering purchasing a telecoil hearing aid. Check out which is a comprehensive resource for people suffering from hearing loss to get information on hearing aid options, prices and maintenance.
You should talk to your audiologist to decide exactly which extra custom features are suitable for you, some of these features may be great for you, others may not be so useful and so may be a waste of money.
Both Salvador Paez & Amanda Fain are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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