Hearing Aids
How do I know if I have hearing loss?
Of course, the most obvious symptom is the inability to hear. However, hearing loss sneaks up on people. Often family members and friends are aware of hearing problems before the person with hearing impairment. Many people in the early stages of hearing loss of this sort will find themselves:
- Asking people to repeat themselves more frequently
- Offering inappropriate answers because they have misheard a conversation or question
- Experiencing increased levels of frustration and irritability
- Thinking that other people often whisper or mumble
- Withdrawing from family and friends and socializing less
Approximately 28 million Americans have a hearing impairment. Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent chronic health conditions in the United States, affecting people of all ages, in all segments of the population, and across all socioeconomic levels. There are three different types of hearing loss: conductive, mixed, and sensorineural hearing loss. An otolaryngologist and/or audiologist will identify and measure your hearing loss and determine the appropriate treatment (medical/surgical intervention or hearing aids).
How do hearing aids work and why do they help?
Hearing aids make sounds louder (amplify). While they may amplify some types of sounds more than others, at this time they cannot be made or programmed to amplify only one type of sound, such as a voice. Hearing aids do not restore normal hearing, but they do help people with hearing loss function and communicate.
Hearing aids differ in how they look, their size, where they are placed in the ear, and how much they can amplify sounds. All hearing aids consist of:
- A microphone, to detect sound.
- An amplifier, to make the sound louder.
- A speaker, to deliver the sound into the ear.
- Batteries, to power the hearing aid.
Hearing aids may be worn behind the ear, in the outer ear, or in the ear canal. The size of a hearing aid is not a good indicator of the devices sound quality. The majority of hearing aids utilize digital technology to process and deliver sounds to the listener. This is the most current level of technology available. The modern digital hearing aid can provide an improved and more pleasant sound picture for a person with hearing impairment, but it cannot bring back normal hearing. There are two types of digital hearing aids:
Digital adjustable hearing aids provide digital sound quality but have few adjustments that can be made by the audiologist. They are manufactured to a frequency (pitch) based on your hearing tests. The audiologist has some flexibility in adjusting the hearing aid to fit your hearing, and you generally control volume.
Digital programmable hearing aids can analyze the listening environment and adjust to the sound. They allow more flexibility in programming and may be fully automatic or allow the wearer to control volume and the listening program. One of the advantages of these hearing aids is the capability to reduce or eliminate feedback or whistling. Most digital programmable hearing aids contain sensors that allow the hearing aid to detect sounds exceeding a certain loudness level, and then self-adjust to reduce the gain for those sounds. Unfortunately, because noise is comprised of many of the same frequencies as speech, it is virtually impossible to shut out noise without also adversely affecting the quality of the speech signal. New techniques using multi-band compression and multiple microphones within the same hearing aid are improving the listeners ability to function in noisy environments.
The Hearing Aid Evaluation
After your audiogram and medical evaluation, it may be suggested that you proceed with scheduling a hearing aid evaluation. This is an appointment with one of our licensed audiologists who are specialized in the fitting of hearing aids. The appointment is free of charge and you are under no obligation to purchase a hearing aid. You may want to proceed with the appointment as an educational process. The appointment involves meeting with the audiologist who will evaluate your hearing needs, audiogram, lifestyle and the environments in which you are having difficulty hearing. Recommendations for hearing aids and assistive listening devices are then made based on your price range. A few options are usually recommended, and the pricing of each option reviewed. If you decide to proceed with a purchase, an ear mold will be made so the hearing aid is custom fit to your ear and the hearing aid is ordered. It generally takes approximately 2 weeks to receive your hearing aid, and a fitting appointment will then be scheduled. One to three fitting appointments are made to fine-tune your hearing loss and make the adjustments required as you get used to hearing the world again. You will likely be amazed at what youve been missing!
For your convenience, a hearing aid evaluation can be scheduled on the same day as your appointment with the doctor and your audiogram. Just let us know and we will accommodate your needs.
Why purchase your hearing aid here?
Let us help you achieve a better quality of life.
Dr. Jennifer Maw and her staff are committed to the care and satisfaction of our patients. Both hearing aid and medical services of the ear are available in one office. This offers not only convenience to our patients, but also a quality of care that may be difficult to find at other hearing aid facilities.
All members of our audiology staff are highly trained with Masters level degrees or more and have extensive experience in fitting the most suitable hearing aid for our patients. They take time to counsel and assist the patient with their new hearing aids and are available to answer any questions or concerns our patients and their families might have.
Dr. Maw and her staff are also involved in the surgical treatment of some types of hearing loss. Dr. Maw implants all FDA approved devices for hearing loss. Her staff keeps abreast of all current technology available and will advise you if you are or become a candidate for this state of the art technology.
