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Further Information
Oneliners
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16 % of all adults have a hearing loss of more than 25 dB
There are about 55,5 million hearing impaired in the EU
Only one out of six who could benefit from hearing aids has hearing aids
The annual costs in Europe Union of unaided hearing impairment alone
are 170 billion euro
Surveys show that over 70 % of hearing aid wearers are satisfied or very
satisfied with their aids
Surveys show that 66 % of the hearing aid users think that hearing aids
have given them better quality of life.
Users of hearing aids are more willing to participate in social relations
than non-users
About half of all hearing-impaired people are of working age
As you get older, the hair cells in your inner ear begin to die; this will
affect your hearing as time goes by
Noise exposure is one of the most common causes of hearing loss
Half of all young people in Britain have experienced hearing problems
after having been exposed to loud music
A person may benefit from hearing aids if she or he has a hearing loss of
more than 25 dB
Signs to be Aware of
Yourself
You might be suffering from a hearing problem if you sometimes think:
 I need to turn up the television. I can't hear a thing. However people say
that the television is turned up too loud.
 People mumble and do not look at me when they are talking.
 It is difficult to follow a conversation when people talk away without
listening.
 It is a bad habit shouting from another room. It is very difficult to hear
clearly.
 I like standing face to face with the person I am talking to.
 Jokes are not funny anymore.
 I am not so fond of parties or being together with a lot of people. It is as
if all the sounds melt together.
 I am very tired at the end of a meeting, having said, "excuse me" or
"what", all the time.
 Sometimes I answer without knowing the exact question.
If you suspect that you are suffering from a hearing loss you should go and see
your GP. The GP may think you need to have a hearing test.
Your relative, friend or colleague
If you suspect one of your relatives, friends or colleagues is suffering from
hearing loss, you can look for certain signs. One or more almost always occur.
Some of the most common signs of hearing loss include:
 Turning up the volume of the TV or radio.
 Problems hearing the doorbell or the telephone ringing.
 Difficulty hearing people calling and talking or talk from behind.
 Often asking people to repeat themselves - or saying "what?"
 Misunderstanding what has been said or agreed upon.
 Often cupping hands behind the ears.
 'Forgetting' what has been said or agreed upon.
If you find that your suspicion is confirmed and a hearing problem may be
present, it is important that the individual has a hearing test.
Always remember
Before you discuss the issue with the hearing-impaired person in question, keep
in mind that he or she may not be aware of the problem and may be sensitive to
the thought of acknowledging the possibility of a hearing loss.
Getting a Hearing Aid
If you regularly find it difficult to hear properly you should consider having a
hearing test.
First it is a good idea to visit your family doctor who if necessary can refer you
to a thorough hearing test conducted by a hearing health care professional.
In most cases, the hearing test will detect a hearing loss if one is present, as well
as the nature of your hearing loss.
Should a hearing test show that you suffer from hearing loss, then the next step is
to obtain a hearing aid. In many countries the hearing aid can either be bought
from private dispensers or obtained through the public health system.
To get an individually fitted hearing aid, it is necessary to make a casting of the
ear canal to ensure that the ear mould fits perfectly.
Hearing aids do not cure hearing loss, but in most cases they can help hearing
impaired people live normal lives.
Getting used to Hearing Aids
The first use of a hearing aid can be somewhat shocking. Most hearing-impaired
people wait far too long before getting hearing aids and they have often forgotten
what it is like to have normal hearing. Generally, in the beginning the sounds are
experienced quite differently when compared to normal hearing.
Below is some good advice for first-time users of hearing aids.
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You cannot compare hearing aids with spectacles. When you use glasses
for the first time, you see the difference right away, but with hearing aids
you have to get used to hearing differently.
It is a good idea to practise being a good hearing aid user. This means
that you must keep wearing your hearing aid - do not put it away if it
irritates you. You need to have a good and ongoing dialogue with your
audiologist and supplier. The more you tell them about your experience
using hearing aids, the better they can be fitted.
Fitting is an ongoing process. When you become more familiar with your
hearing aid, you can tell the supplier that a certain sound seems as if it is
too close to you. The dispenser may then focus the hearing aids more
accurately, making them work better.
Wearing hearing aids for the first time is also a psychological process. It
is a good idea to talk to the staff at the hearing clinic about your
expectations and your experience.
Set a personal objective and a plan of action: What you have to be aware
of and the different expectations in certain periods, etc. This will be of
great help to you while you get used to your hearing aids - both
physically and mentally.
Talk to other people who suffer from hearing problems and who use
hearing aids. They will most likely have a lot of experience for you to
draw on.
Communication Guidelines
When you communicate with a hard of hearing person, you have to follow a few
simple rules to maximise the communication.
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Get the person's attention. It is very important that the hard of hearing
person knows that somebody is talking to him or her.
The hard of hearing person must be able to see you. Look at each other.
Do not over emphasise your facial expressions or lip movements as this
can reduce communication.
Talk face to face ensuring that your face is easy to see. Facial expressions
and lip movements are very important for the hard of hearing person.
Do not chew food or chewing gum, or smoke. It makes it more difficult
to understand what you are saying.
Speak clearly and at a moderate pace. Do not shout or mumble.
Do not cover your mouth.
Speak one person at a time.
Avoid noisy background situations.
Rephrase to avoid misunderstandings and situations where you are
misunderstood. Certain words are easier to hear or lip-read than others.
Be patient and relaxed.
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If you are in doubt, ask the hard of hearing person for ways to improve
communication
Talk to a hard of hearing person - not about him or her.
Good Advice
Here is some good advice for relatives and colleagues of a hearing-impaired
person.
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Always keep in mind that he or she is hearing-impaired
Do not repeat what has just been said
Never patronise a hearing-impaired person
Use humour, it helps
Show consideration, but do not overdo it
Speak up a little, but do not shout
Keep eye contact
Do not turn your back on the hearing-impaired person while talking
Check whether the hearing-impaired person has understood what you
have been saying
Let the hearing-impaired person tell you how to communicate in the best
possible way
Show respect for the hearing-impaired person
Misconceptions
Today, most hearing aids are sophisticated and well-designed instruments with
good wearing comfort. Many people still have the impression that hearing aids
do not function well, are unsightly and uncomfortable to wear.
But:
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Today, most hearing aids are small, discrete and well-designed.
Modern hearing aids are sophisticated electronic instruments. The help
you get from a modern hearing aid always depends on your hearing loss,
but hearing aids are adapted individually by audiologists, and almost
everyone who gets hearing aids and gets used to using them finds them
very useful. Hearing aids will not restore your hearing to normal, but they
almost always result in better hearing and in an improved quality of life.
It is more comfortable not to have anything in your ears, and your
hearing will be different with hearing aids. So you have to get used to
hearing aids - i.e. both the sound and the fact that you have something in
your ears. When you have become used to wearing them, your overall
comfort is improved.
Prejudices
There are many prejudices on hearing-impaired people and hearing impairment.
The following examples include some of the most common:
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Almost all hearing-impaired people are old people. Not true. About half
of all hearing-impaired people are in their working age or younger.
Hearing-impaired people are less intelligent than people with normal
hearing. Not true. There is no connection between hearing impairment
and intelligence. Hearing-impaired people are just as intelligent as all
other people.
Hearing-impaired people are almost always mentally ill. Not true. You
are not mentally ill if you suffer from hearing loss. But, psychologically,
it is a hard job to be hard of hearing!
Hard of hearing people hear what they want to hear. Not true. Hearing
impairment is not equal to selective hearing. The ability to hear depends
on the degree and kind of hearing loss and the conditions and
surroundings for the hearing situation. Using hearing aids helps, but they
do not restore the hearing to normal.
If hearing-impaired people cannot hear, they just have to wear hearing
aids or turn up the volume. Not true. It is not that simple and even though
hearing aids do help, they do not make your hearing normal.
The Functioning of the Hearing Aid
Hearing aids improves constantly, and the technology still becomes more and
more advanced. Today hearing aids are small high-tech computers, that becomes
better and better at mimicking the function of the human ear.
Today, modern hearing aids use digital technology. They transform the sound,
convert it into bits, and manipulate it before amplifying the signal.
A digital hearing aid can be programmed. This means that digital hearing aids
can be individually adjusted to suit the specific user by means of a small
computer.
Besides the small computer all hearing aids consist of three major components.
They are all held together in a protective case which is often made of plastic.
Microphone
The microphone picks up sounds from the air and converts them into electrical
signals.
Amplifier
The amplifier increases the intensity of the signals from the microphone. Filters
modify the sounds so that only sounds which are relevant for the person are
amplified.
'Loudspeaker'
The third basic component is the 'loudspeaker' (receiver). It converts electrical
signals into acoustic signals, which the person then hears.
Lighter, Smaller and Better
100 years with hearing aids
Modern hearing aids are small and digital and can be hidden inside the ear. They
have an almost perfect sound reproduction. However, the first hearing aids were
large unwieldy boxes which took up as much room as a small suitcase.
An early hearing aid typically consisted of a separate microphone, an amplifier,
headphones and a bulky battery. As the device worked best when placed on a
table and used with a pair of headphones, it was troublesome to use.
First portable hearing aids
As early as 1902, three years after the first hearing aids were available, the
hearing aid became lighter. Although the design was smaller, the amplifier and
batteries had to be hung around the neck and the microphone had to be held in
the hand in order to hear properly.
The large table models were used by many people quite a few years after the first
portable hearing aids were introduced.
The revolutionising transistor
Portable, unwieldy hearing aids were used, after various improvements, well into
the 1950s. However, the invention of the transistor in 1947 revolutionised
hearing aid technology.
The amplifying ability of the transistor was superior to that of valves, and as a
consequence the batteries allowed the new hearing aids to be used for longer
periods of time.
From the 1960s onwards, small, in-the-canal hearing aids were developed.
Digital technology
Common to all hearing aids was the analogue technology used for the treatment
of sound. The development of digital sound treatment led to considerable
improvements in the effectiveness of hearing aids.
During the mid-1980s the first digital hearing aids were launched, but it was not
until some ten years later that digital hearing aids really became successful, with
small digital devices placed either inside or discreetly behind the ear.
In many cases, the new digital hearing aids improve the hearing ability of
hearing-impaired people to such an extent that even people with a profound
hearing loss can live an almost normal life. Today, digital hearing aids make a
decisive difference to the quality of life of hearing-impaired people.