The hearing aids that your grandparents previously used can’t hold a candle, so to speak, to modern hearing aids! The former was large, chunky and clunky with more breakdowns than necessary while the latter has a streamlined design and sophisticated features. Here’s a look at the advanced features that modern hearing aids offer their users.
Rechargeable Hearing Aids
Old-fashioned hearing aids rely on small batteries for power, a feature that can become unwieldy and inconvenient. Think about the batteries conking out when you’re travelling or changing the batteries with arthritic hands.
These battery-reliant models are mostly a thing of the past! Nowadays, there are rechargeable options with portable charging stations instead of batteries. For as long as you are in a place with electricity, you can recharge your hearing aids quickly.
Near-invisible Hearing Aids
Remember how large the hearing aids used by your grandparents seemed to look on their ears? You can practically see them from a few feet away! You were probably hesitant about wearing hearing aids yourself because of it.
Fortunately, many modern hearing aids are so small that these can’t be seen by others unless with a close inspection. These devices fit comfortably yet snugly inside your ear canal – yes, you read it right – instead of being fitted outside of your ear. You can then go about your daily business, even wear headphones, without attracting attention to your hearing aids.
Water-resistant Hearing Aids
Emphasis must be made that water-resistant isn’t the same as waterproof. Water-resistant hearing aids shouldn’t be worn while you’re going swimming in the pool, lake or sea, not even to the shower or bathtub. But these devices can be worn in humid environments since these are designed to withstand low moisture levels.
Take note that there are no waterproof hearing aids in the market yet.
Telecoil Hearing Aids
Have you ever been bothered by phantom noises, such as ringing, buzzing and hissing? These are known as phantom noises because there isn’t an external source for them. If so, then you may have tinnitus, a condition that isn’t an illness in itself but a symptom of an underlying health issue.
Ask your audiologist about telecoil hearing aids, which can minimize the phantom noises and other distracting background noises in the environment. These hearing aids have a telecoil, a small part that allows connection of audio sources to the hearing aids. These are usually used alongside phones, FM systems and induction loop systems.
Smartphone-compatible Hearing Aids
Many people with hearing loss issues use smartphones in communicating with others. It then makes sense to use smartphones in conjunction with hearing aids.
These smartphone-compatible hearing aids have features that allow for volume control, among others, from your smartphone, known as synching the two devices. You can even stream music and videos as well as take calls and video calls from your smartphone and hear the sounds on your hearing aids.
Are you intrigued? Ask your audiologist today and see how your life can improve with these features!
If you think you need a hearing aid, make sure that you get a hearing aid prescription. For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid services, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
The use of hearing aids for tinnitus relief seems counterintuitive. Hearing aids, after all, increase the clarity and volume of the environmental sounds possibly resulting in worsening tinnitus. But this isn’t the case, surprisingly so, and here’s why.
Tinnitus as a Symptom
Before you think that you have tinnitus, you should first know what it is and what it isn’t. According to the American Tinnitus Association, tinnitus is a condition wherein the affected person hears sounds inside his ears or head without an external source.
These are phantom sounds that seem real, as well as annoying and frustrating as these adversely impact daily life. These can take the form of hissing, buzzing, ringing and clicking with varying duration and intensity.
If it’s any consolation, tinnitus affects an estimated 50 million Americans albeit in varying degrees and duration. Also, it isn’t a disease or a disorder in itself – instead, it’s a symptom of an underlying health issue. It can be caused by prolonged exposure to loud noises, extreme stress, and head colds, as well as sinus or ear infections and hearing loss.
In fact, people who have hearing loss are more likely to experience tinnitus more frequently. This is because their world, in a manner of speaking, is quieter with little environmental sounds penetrating it.
Hearing Aids for Relief
How then does hearing aids provide relief against tinnitus? Hearing aids amplify and clarify external sounds that, in turn, makes it easier for the wearer to make distinctions between several sounds. When a person with tinnitus wears hearing aids, the amplification of the external sounds will mask the buzzing, clicking or ringing sounds.
The hearing aids allows for better hearing ability of the desired external sounds, such as voices of other people, music and birds chirping. This means the phantom sounds brought by tinnitus are relegated to the background and, thus, become less annoying.
There’s also the matter of brain training. By wearing hearing aids, you’re basically retraining your brain so that it can ignore the phantom sounds in your ear. The longer you wear hearing aids, the better you can manage your tinnitus symptoms.
Of course, the assumption here is that the hearing aids are properly fitted and customized according to your specific hearing issues. You are well-advised to buy customized hearing aids despite their more expensive price because these can be customized. You will be able to hear well while also minimizing the side effects of wearing these devices.
Even if you don’t have hearing loss, hearing aids can be used in the management of tinnitus symptoms. Ask your audiologist about hearing aids that produce white noise and other sounds that provide relief, such as ocean waves. You won’t have to suffer from hearing phantom noises after a while of using them.
If you think your family or you need a hearing aid, make sure to get a hearing aid prescription. For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid services, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
http://www.hkhearingspeech.com
Hearing aids are supposed to make their users hear better and, thus, communicate better. But many people, usually newbies, report that they can’t hear as well as they did before they used hearing aids. They seemed to hear less environmental sounds even with their hearing aids turned on at nearly full volume.
So, do hearing aids actually cause a worsening of hearing loss? The short answer: No. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons why it seems to be so and why it isn’t so actually.
It’s a Matter of Perception
The human brain can play tricks and it’s something that psychologists, magicians and con men know all too well. This is the reason why some users of hearing aids express concern that their hearing ability decreased after wearing these devices for a few weeks. They further assert that they were better off without hearing aids.
In reality, their brains are tricking them into thinking so! On average, persons with progressive hearing loss will live with their condition for 7-10 years before seeking professional intervention. Their hearing ability gradually worsened through the years, perhaps aggravated by improper ear care like poking the ear canal with cotton buds.
As the years pass without proper medical intervention, their brains become more and more accustomed to their decreased hearing ability. They then start thinking that their current hearing ability is normal – well, at least, normal according to their own perception.
What happens when they start wearing hearing aids? Well, if you’re new to these devices, you will be unaccustomed to the sound clarity and volume of the environmental sounds. Your brain starts to readjust to the better sound quality and consider it as the new normal.
When that happens, the severity of your hearing loss becomes significantly noticeable without your hearing aids on. You will then think that the hearing aids worsened your hearing loss!
But wear your hearing aids again and your ability to hear environmental sounds increases.
It’s a Matter of Customization
But improperly fitted hearing aids can make it seem like, indeed, your hearing loss is worsening. You may experience feedback from these devices, perhaps even suffer from headaches and tinnitus caused by the feedback. You won’t want to wear your hearing aids anymore because their side effects seem to be outweighed by their benefits.
You should then consult with your audiologist about making adjustments to address the issues of poor physical fit and poor customization to your specific hearing issues. Hearing aids are effective because these amplify and process sounds in a way that makes them sound better in your ears.
But their efficacy only works when they are customized to your specific hearing loss. So if you think that your new hearing aids are aggravating your hearing loss, you have to consult with your audiologist.
Hearing aids may be expensive, partly because of the customization costs, but they are well worth their cost. If you think you need a hearing aid, make sure to get a hearing aid prescription. For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid services, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
http://www.hkhearingspeech.com
While people with hearing loss will benefit from the use of hearing aids, these devices have their side effects, too. These side effects have significant adverse impact on the quality of life of their users, from headaches and tinnitus to feedback. Fortunately, there are certain measures that can be done to minimize these side effects.
The Side Effects in Brief
Keep in mind that every individual will experience these side effects in a unique manner. You may, for example, suffer from intermittent headaches and tinnitus but not from itchiness in your ears. Your headaches, furthermore, may be mild in contrast with other hearing aid users with moderate severity.
Newbies are more likely to experience headaches and tinnitus because the volume of their hearing aids aren’t properly set yet. There’s also the matter of getting accustomed to the hearing aids so much so that ordinary sounds seem abnormally loud or annoying.
Since hearing aids are placed inside the ear canal, these can cause discomfort for a week or so. Your ears are still adjusting to the foreign object, and it can be worsened when the hearing aids are too tight or too loose. Too tight and the hearing aids rub on the skin; too loose and these can slip and slide.
The itching in your ear canal can be caused by dry skin and you will be tempted to take out your hearing aids to scratch the itch. But we strongly advise otherwise because sticking a finger or a cotton but into your ear canal can worsen the damage in your ears.
Hearing aids are highly sensitive instruments that can be affected by environmental noise and mishandling. This can result in feedback, such as crackling and whistling sounds, even heightened sounds from ordinary activities. This can also be caused by the improper sound quality and level.
If you experience these side effects even when it’s your second set of hearing aids, you shouldn’t worry about it. Every pair of hearing aids is unique so adjustments will likely be necessary.
The Countermeasures Against These Side Effects
Your first step is to discuss your concerns and complaints about your hearing aids with your audiologist. Every side effect has a countermeasure to minimize or prevent it so there’s hope.
A few of these countermeasures are discussed below.
Hearing aids are tools and just like any other tool, it’s your responsibility to know its proper use and maintenance.
If you think you need a hearing aid, make sure that you get a hearing aid prescription. For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid services, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
http://www.hkhearingspeech.com
Basic hearing aids and cochlear implants are, of course, still useful in better hearing for hearing-impaired individuals. But modern hearing aid technology provides them with more features that give them more control over what they hear, when they hear it, and how loud they hear it! Yes, these features may initially seem like bells and whistles, especially since these add to the cost, but these are crucial in better hearing.
Directional Microphones
Background noise is among the biggest hurdles that hearing-impaired people deal with on a daily basis, said noise of which can include crackles, hisses and buzz resembling tinnitus. While it’s harmless, it can drown out the sounds that you want to hear like your family and friends’ conversations, music, and incoming traffic.
The problem, fortunately, can be solved with directional microphones that work in two
complementary ways. First, these pick up and amplify sound from a single direction; and second, these filter out background noise. You will then hear more of the primary sounds you want to hear and less of the ambient noise.
Most modern hearing aids have built-in directional microphones. Many of these have an automatic feature, too, that allows them to pick up sound from one direction (e.g., conversations) or from several directions (e.g., music).
Personal Sound Amplifiers
These are popular because of their cheaper prices and non-regulated status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Think of them as the auditory counterpart of over-the-counter reading glasses – you don’t need hearing aids prescription to buy them!
Basically, personal sound amplifiers are like hearing aids except that these can be quite powerful and loud. While these can improve hearing for hearing-impaired people, these can also be quite harmful because of the potential damage to the ears.
If you have hearing difficulties, you should go to your doctor or consult with an audiologist first so that the treatment can be customized to your needs.
Hearing Loops and Telecoils
While conventional hearing aids are useful in face-to-face conversations, these can be less useful in larger settings like airports, theaters and stadiums. This is where hearing loops and telecoils come in. In a loop system, one or more microphones are connected to an amplifier and a wire loop, the latter of which sends sounds via electromagnetic waves. The sound signals are picked up by your hearing aid – or in some cases, by a telecoil, a cochlear implant – that allows amplification of sound. You can hear the sounds clearly that you will forget you ever have hearing issues!
With the connected society we have now, even hearing aids are connected to smartphones, tablets and computers. The connection typically comes via Bluetooth technology that links your hearing aids to your devices so you can hear music, make phone calls, and listen to Waze directions, among others.
We are specialist of hearing test & assessment, hearing aid prescription, and subsequent professional hearing aid services. Please contact us at 3100 0555 for free consulation.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription