Hearing aids
Hearing aid technology has improved dramatically over the last few years creating new options, features and benefits.
These new developments provide better solutions for those suffering from hearing loss. The first hearing aids invented were large amplifiers with headphones. Today, hearing aids range from a variety of styles, colors, and technology. You are no longer asking yourself, “Do I want to hear better?” you get to ask, “How do I want to hear better?” or “How do I want it to look?” and, “What else can the hearing aids help me hear?”
Wireless Hearing Aids
These are not your father’s hearing aids! With wireless technology, your devices can connect to your TV, iPod, and your cell phone. Wireless technology also allows your hearing aids to communicate to each other. Working together, your hearing aids make automatic adjustments that eliminate the need for you to manually adjust each device separately.
Invisible Hearing Aids
Hearing aids are very inconspicuous today. With advancements in micro-technology, you don’t have to hide your hearing instruments; your hearing instruments hide themselves. We have hearing aids so small that they are actually invisible. An excuse of vanity is longer a reason to put off taking control of your hearing loss.
Digital Hearing Aids
By digitizing sound, we can use additional technologies to manipulate and refine sounds before it reaches your brain. Digital hearing aids can now: filter down background noise, separate speech from noise, eliminate buzzing and whistling, automatically adjust for music and television, and soften impulse sounds like ruffling paper or breaking glass.
CROS
CROS hearing aids are specifically for people with a unilateral hearing loss, or hearing loss in one ear. Some individuals have a damaged ear on one side and are completely deaf on the other. Traditionally we would only fit the ear that is damaged with a hearing aids. Now we can put hearing aids in both ears. Using wireless technology, a CROS technology takes sounds from the side of your head with the deaf ear and send them wirelessly over to the better ear. Now it does not matter where someone sits in relation to your better ear.
Hearing Aid Styles
In-the-Ear (ITE)
In-the-ear hearing aids sit in the shell of the ear, with all parts contained in one component. There are many different kinds of ITE hearing aids, including in-the-canal and completely-in-canal.
Custom-In-the-Canal/Completely-In-Canal (ITC/CIC)
In-the-canal and completely-in-canal hearing aids fit partly or completely in the ear canal. As the smallest hearing aids, they provide discreetness, but they may be difficult to remove for less dexterous wearers.
Receiver-in-Canal (RIC)
Receiver-in-canal hearing aids are similar to BTE in appearance, but differ in that the speaker of the hearing aid is placed inside the ear canal. The plastic tubing in RIC hearing aids contain electrical wires. These also treat many different degrees of hearing loss.
Behind-the-Ear (BTE)
Behind-the-ear hearing aids are made of several different parts. The electronic components are housed in a component that rests behind the ear, while a thin, plastic tubing feeds sound into the ear canal. BTE hearing aids treat mild to moderate hearing loss and are discreet in style.
How Long Do Hearing Aids Last?
A Sound Investment
If you have been prescribed hearing aids, there is no question that they are an essential purchase. Hearing aids bring countless medical and socio-emotional benefits to people who are experiencing hearing loss. They support brain function and help ensure your safety and security. Hearing aids have the power to reconnect people to their loved ones and their passions.
Though hearing loss may at first be a disorienting experience, hearing aids are equipped with advanced technology to improve your hearing. As with all big purchases, it is important to take the time to select hearing aids that meet your specific hearing needs and lifestyle. You will find that with the use of hearing aids, not only are sounds richer – but your life too. And that is a sound investment!
A General Lifespan of Hearing Aids
Hearing aids have undergone something of a revolution in the past decade. With trends parallel to advancements in digital technology, hearing aids are packed with extraordinary features to treat a range of hearing loss.
On average, hearing aids have an estimated lifespan of three to seven years. Depending on the style, some may last longer. In-the-ear hearing aids tend to last four to five years, while behind-the-ear hearing aids have a five to six year lifespan. This is due to the construction of the hearing aid, and the way they are worn. In-the-hear hearing aids are exposed to more moisture and higher temperatures due to the way they are worn. As a result, they may experience more exposure to sweat and earwax. Behind-the-ear hearing aids are housed in a compartment that sits on your ear, keeping it away from the moisture of everyday wear.
At the same time, the lifespan of hearing aids is also dependent on how they fit into your life. If your hearing has changed, the performance of the hearing aid may not have the power to accommodate your changing hearing abilities.
Hearing Aid Construction and Manufacturing
If, when you think of hearing aids, you see those bulky, flesh-toned devices – think again! Hearing aids these days are miniature computers with powerful processing platforms, designed with discretion and ergonomics in mind. They are small, discreet, and are made of durable materials that protect the sensitive electronics inside. Hearing aids may be constructed with silicon, plastic, metal, and are covered in nano-coating, which fights moisture and debris. They withstand higher levels of impact as well, but, nothing is impenetrable. Contemporary hearing aids are certainly hardier than their predecessors, but over time, and with daily wear, hearing aids may experience structural issues.
Hearing Aid Maintenance
Hearing aids are a workhorse of a device: for their small size, they are incredibly powerful and provide consistent power day in and out. Because they are worn daily, they are exposed regularly to sweat, skin oil, moisture, dust, and the elements of all kinds. When you first receive your hearing aids, we will instruct you on how to provide daily maintenance to ensure the longevity of your hearing aids. The best practice is to clean your hearing aids daily.
When you are not wearing your hearing aids, you should make sure that they are in a secure, dry space. Consider using a dehumidifying unit over night to dry out any moisture accumulated during the day inside the different chambers of the hearing aid.
It is also important to bring your hearing aids in for a professional cleaning, every three to four months. Even if you follow the daily maintenance steps provided by your hearing professional, there are small and intricate bits of the hearing aid that are difficult to clean on your own. Bring your hearing aids in for a professional cleaning to ensure that they continue to serve you well.
Individual Hearing Needs
Like hearing aid technology, your hearing abilities will continue to change. When you are fitted for your hearing aids, we work to ensure that the best combination of features available will meet your specific hearing needs, tailored to meet your lifestyle and activities. In the meantime, hearing aid manufacturers continue to develop innovative solutions. Hearing specialists recommend an annual hearing test to stay abreast of any changes in your hearing. If you have found that your hearing or lifestyle has changed, we will work with you to find a new hearing aid to fit your needs.
Why Two Hearing Aids Are Better Than One
Natural Binaural Hearing
After years of evolution, hearing has remained one of the major senses to keep us humans in touch with the world around us. We have ears on both sides of our heads, giving us a 360-degree picture of the sounds around us. Our early ancestors relied on the sense of hearing to survive. Back before there was electricity or fire even, when they went into a dark wood, they had to rely on sound.
These days, binaural hearing keeps us well-connected to the world. By sound, we are able to identify our distance from something – a speeding car, let’s say. Or a roll of thunder might tell us to seek shelter. With hearing loss, both ears are usually affected. However, some people prefer to just get one hearing aid for the ear with a higher degree of hearing loss. Using two hearing aids, rather than one, provides us with a better picture of our sonic landscape and keeps us better connected.
Better Understanding of Speech
People who experience hearing loss find speech recognition to be one of the biggest challenges. With inhibited speech recognition, people may find it difficult to differentiate between words; they may mishear or mistake meaning or intention. Conversations with multiple speakers may prove difficult, while having a conversation may be challenging with a lot of background noise.
Difficulty with speech recognition leads to social withdrawal and isolation for people with hearing loss. With two hearing aids, discerning speech assists against background noise and also helps people locate the direction from which speech comes.
Better Localization of Sound
Because all sounds we hear are processed into neural signals that are registered in the brain as sound, hearing loss in only one ear has the potential to hinder the signals. For a full spectrum of sound, hearing specialists recommend using two hearing aids. With two hearing aids, you will have a better sense of your environment, and you will have a fuller sense of the location from which sounds come. This is especially important for reasons of personal safety, such as being in busy traffic or not hearing an alarm from a different part of the home. Two hearing aids improve both our awareness of our surroundings and our security.
All The Better to Hear With
Increasing the clear signals of sound from all directions keeps both your brain and your ears active. Wearing one hearing aid has been compared to having a 180-degree view: it’s only half of the picture. Or, it would be like wearing a monocle, rather than eyeglasses with two lenses. Our hearing is a system that fully utilizes both ears to function properly. With two hearing aids, you receive a full spectrum of sound. Additionally, when you choose to wear just one hearing aid, the other ear struggles to match the hearing ability you experience with the ear with a hearing aid. With two hearing aids, sounds will be much richer.