Download Hearing Aids- Not Your Mother`s Hearing

Volume 1 | Issue 1
May, 2016
Modern hearing aids
are not at all like the
hearing aids your
mother complained
about!
Hearing Aids- Not
Your Mother’s Hearing
Aid!
By Gail Hubbard, Aud. Doctor of Audiology
As everyone knows, hearing aids are any devices that help you to hear
more than you do without them! They may be over the counter
amplifiers that make everything a little louder, electronic earphones
that attach to your Smart Phone with adjustable volume and tone
control and can even tell you where they were the last time they were
functioning, attachments to make it easier to hear television or on the
phone, or sophisticated devices that can focus the microphones on
sounds coming from where you are facing. Oticon’s newest devices,
the receiver in the ear style OPN hearing aids are so advanced they
can even send an email to a caregiver to let them know when your
hearing aid battery needs changing! No, modern hearing aids are not
at all like the hearing aids your mother complained about!
Hearing aids have come a long way!
When I was growing up, my grandmother wore a hearing aid that was
housed in a box the size of a flip top cell phone with a heavy wire
extending from the case to a button receiver attached to a large
molded ear piece worn in her ear. She wore the device in a pocket in
her bra with the wire running under her clothing up to the receiver.
Although the device was very powerful, it amplified all sounds, even
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the scratching sound of her clothing rubbing against the microphone.
The only adjustments on the hearing aid were a large rotary volume
control and an on-off switch, which my grandmother would use to
turn off the noise of our shouting when it became too much for her.
Later hearing aids became smaller and were worn in cases behind the
ear reducing clothing noise, but still amplifying all environmental
noise. While smaller than the larger body-worn hearing aids, they
were still fairly bulky and noticeable.
In the late1970’s custom molded hearing aids with nothing behind the
ear were developed for people whose hearing loss was less severe. To
help reduce background noise, some hearing aids had a switch to
reduce low pitched sounds. To make hearing aids more discrete,
some devices were built into the back of the heavy temples in
eyeglasses.
Each advancement provided an improvement over prior styles, but
with each advancement, some benefits were lost. As instruments
became smaller, the controls became more difficult for stiff fingers to
adjust and batteries became smaller requiring more frequent
replacements.
Computer technology was applied to hearing aids in the middle to late
1980s, providing the hearing aid fitter with greater control for finer
adjustments of the tone quality. In addition, as computer chips
became smaller, so did hearing aids, with instruments molded small
enough to fit inside the ear canal. Unfortunately, the technology
required more power to operate with even shorter battery life.
Miniaturizing the hearing aids required ever smaller batteries.
Today the hearing aid user has a myriad of choices in hearing aid
styles and technological capabilities! There are one size fits all
devices that can be ordered directly from television or computer
retailers. There are instruments designed to be worn 24 hours a day
for two or three months before being replaced with new ones. There
are discrete instruments molded to fit inside your ear or hidden behind
your ear. There are devices sold by licensed dispensers in big box
stores, from manufacturer owned retail outlets ( Accuquest, Connect
Hearing, Sonus, among others), private practitioners, and ENT
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physician offices. There are telephone amplifiers, television
amplifiers with earphones, special listening systems for theaters and
churches. Each vendor and each device has its own assets and
liabilities. So, how in the world does the consumer determine what is
BEST for them?
How in the world does
the consumer Seek Professional Advice
determine what is Although it is common to lose hearing as you age or from exposure to
BEST for them? loud sound, there are many other causes of hearing loss and many are
medically treatable. It stands to reason that having your hearing
professionally evaluated to determine the degree and nature of your
hearing loss is the best first step to finding a solution to decreased
hearing.
Licensed audiologists are trained to evaluate how you hear and to
refer you to a physician when medical treatment is necessary.
Hearing aid dispensers are trained to test you for the purpose of fitting
and selling a hearing aid. While some of the same tests are performed
by both professionals, the analysis of the results may be different.
After you are medically cleared for hearing aid use, your test results
serve as a starting point for determining which style and power of
hearing instrument is best for you. Physical concerns such as visual
acuity and manual dexterity and lifestyle preferences such as whether
you spend most of your time enjoying quiet activities or are actively
involved in social activities must also be explored. Your audiologist
may further evaluate your ability to understand speech in noise and
how well you tolerate loud sound. You may be asked to complete
questionnaires exploring your listening preferences and needs.
Finally, measurements to verify that the hearing instruments are
adjusted to your needs will be taken.
Because your audiologist must understand your needs, it is important
that you feel comfortable with her as your professional advisor and
can be forthright in sharing your listening experiences. Only when the
two of you work together can the audiologist recommend the best
hearing aid style, features, and level of technology to meet your needs.
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