People who suffer from some form of hearing loss have a number of different types and styles of Hearing Aid to choose from. Depending on the amount of hearing loss, could affect the type of Aid most suitable.A number of hearing impaired people are put off wearing a Hearing Aid because of vanity, thinking only what it will look like having a bulky Aid in full view behind the ear. However, there have been vast improvements in Hearing Aids over the last few years including many that can hardly be seen.Because of development of Digital, hearing aids are now being made much smaller and more effective than the Analogue Hearing Aids of the past.

There are a number of different configurations of Digital Aids designed to meet the needs of nearly all hearing loss sufferers. Behind the ear (BTE) are the most common type and have been around almost since the first Hearing Aids were developed. The main part of the Aid fits behind the outer ear and contains the microphone, amplifier and speaker. A thin clear tube is connected from this to an ear mould that fits into the ear channel and delivers sound into the ear.

This type is generally more powerful than other types of Hearing Aid because of its size and is most useful for sufferers with severe or profound losses. It is also most suitable for children as the ear mould can be easily changed as the child grows up instead of having to renew the complete Hearing Aid.

In the Ear (ITE) Hearing Aids sit in the outer ear and contain all the working parts within the ear mould. They can fit a wide range of patients including mild to profound hearing losses. It fills the entire centre of the ear and therefore it is not possible to hide this type of Hearing Aid. The microphone is much closer to the ear drum, than the BTE type, giving increased sound reception. It is usually less expensive and has a longer battery life.

In the Channel (ITC) Hearing Aids are specifically moulded to fit within the ear channel and are suitable for sufferers with mild hearing loss. They are still visible but much less so than the (ITE) type. They are found to be much more costly than the ITE type as they are smaller therefore more difficult to build. The battery life is also shorter than the ITE type as it has to be much smaller.

The Completely in the Channel (CIC) Hearing Aids are similar to the ITC type and is only effective for people with mild to moderate hearing. It is very much smaller than any other type of Hearing Aid as it has to completely fit inside the ear channel. They are almost invisible when worn and need to be very carefully inserted and removed. The CIC Hearing Aid has many advantages especially if you do not want others to know you are wearing it. It is usually much more costly and the batteries do not last very long due to its very small size.

The Body worn Hearing Aid is ideal for sufferers of profound hearing loss. It is made up of an earpiece, the loudspeaker, which is placed on the ear and connected by an electrical wire to a small box attached to the clothing or placed in a pocket. Because of its size it can be very powerful and usually easy to control. This type of Aid is not very expensive as the components do not have to be made very small.

Choosing the right type of hearing aid for your particular hearing loss and comfort should not be made quickly. The amount of hearing loss and if you want it to be unseen are just two of the major considerations.

 

Many people suffer from hearing loss without realising it. The most common hearing loss occurs As a person gets older and the small hairs inside the ear become less receptive to sounds entering the outer ear channel causing a gradual hearing loss. Sufferers will often accept that they can no longer hear the television or radio without the volume being turned up, making it unacceptable to others in the room who will find it too loud. If the volume is kept lower to suit others in the room it would make it very difficult for the hearing impaired to hear and therefore they would suffer in silence and miss out what was going on.
Sufferers of hearing loss could also find great difficulty in joining in conversations especially if there were a group of people as they would not be able to pick out an individual voice above the background noise. They would then tend to stand back and not take part in the discussions.
There is no need to `suffer in silence` as there are ways of overcoming these problems. Initially the sufferer must accept that there is a problem with their hearing and they are prepared to do something about it. There can be many reasons for hearing loss and the first stop must always be to visit their local G.P. so he can examine their ears. In some cases it is as simple as having a build up wax in the ear channel or a slight blockage or swelling caused by an infection which is closing up the ear channel slightly. This can easily be overcome either by removing the wax or medication to cure the infection.
If after examination, it is found that this is not the case he will ask you to take a hearing test which would be carried out by an Audiologist. An Audiologist is a qualified hearing aid specialist that will test your hearing responses over a wide range of audio frequencies. He will sit you in a very quiet room and place a pair of earphones over your ears. He will then connect these to an audiometer which is an instrument which will produce a sound at a particular audio frequency. The audiologist will gradually reduce the volume of the sound until you can no longer hear it, he will then record this. He will the repeat this test over the whole range of audio frequencies until he has a graph of your responses and where a hearing loss is indicated.
If it is found that you have some hearing loss at particular frequencies he will most likely advise you that you should have a hearing aid to overcome this hearing loss.
A Digital hearing aids can be programmed to amplify these particular frequencies where there is a hearing loss and not amplify those frequencies that your hearing is satisfactory. It is also possible to have the Digital Hearing Aid set up to your own requirements and environmental conditions. Some sufferers may not want to hear background noise which could interfere when listening to conversations, whereas others may want to continue to hear background noises as this makes the sounds being heard much more natural especially when in the garden or on the street. Sufferers should no longer `suffer in silence` as the modern  Digital hearing aid can overcome most hearing loss so that you can lead as normal a life as possible and enjoy being involved completely with everything and everybody again.

 

Buying a Hearing Aid can be very expensive, especially if you get it wrong.. therefore it is vitally important that you consider all the factors associated with your hearing loss before making the final commitment.
One of the first steps to be taken is to have a hearing test. This is most important as it will determine what level of hearing loss you have and at what audio frequencies it is most apparent. The hearing test is usually carried out by an Audiologist and he will produce a graph of your hearing responses. This will tell you if you have mild or severe hearing loss and if you have low or high frequency problems.
The second question that you should consider is what type of lifestyle you have. This is most important as an elderly person who wants to hear talking and listen to the radio or television has a very different lifestyle to a young executive type or somebody who loves music. Although the hearing loss measured by the Audiologist may be exactly the same for these different people, the Hearing Aid would have to be programmed quite differently
. Next you have to question what type of hearing aid will suit you best. There are a number of styles including ‘Behind the Ear‘ ‘In the Ear‘, ‘In the Ear Channel` an `Completely in the Channel.` Factors that could decide which type of Hearing Aid is most suitable are the degree of hearing loss the sufferer has. Do they mind if it can be seen, are they able to manage the very tiny Completely in the Channel type. If a person has arthritis if would be very difficult to insert the very tiny Hearing Aid into the ear channel so they would have to have a Behind the Ear Hearing Aid, whereas a young executive may want the Aid to be as inconspicuous as possible so a Behind the Ear type would not be suitable. However modern Behind the Ear Hearing Aids are now being made much smaller and therefore less conspicuous.
Another major factor must be the cost of the Hearing Aid. Generally speaking the higher the cost the more advanced is the Hearing Aid. Hearing Aids are available for just a few pounds, these are called Analogue Hearing Aids. Analogue Aids generally amplify all sounds they receive equally although if you are willing to pay extra they can be made with volume controls to help differentiate between high frequency and low frequency sounds.
Digital hearing aids are much more expensive as they have much more complicated electronics in them. This allows the Digital Hearing Aid to be programmed in greater detail, so that every specific hearing loss can be rectified. The cost of these Hearing Aids is usually in the hundreds of pounds
Depending on what you can afford will also determine the type of Hearing Aid that is most suitable. Another factor is if the Hearing Aid is for a child the most suitable is usually a `Behind the Ear ` type as this will continue to be useful even as the child grows and their ears get bigger. `In the Channel ` type would have to be replaced as the ear channel grows and the Aid does no longer fit properly.
Before you buy any Hearing Aid make sure that you are satisfied it meets all your particular individual requirements.

 

Hearing Aids have been used by sufferers of hearing loss for a great many years. There are basically two types called Analogue and Digital. The difference between them is the way they amplify the sound being received before transmitting it to the eardrum within the ear.Digital hearing aids. have been a great improvement over Analogue because it is possible to programme them to meet the specific requirements of the sufferer. This is especially important for sufferers with hearing loss at the lower frequencies, such as voices. As it can be difficult to understand voices within a crowded environment because of the background noise, Digital Hearing Aids are able to reduce this by configuring the Aid to eliminate this noise and hence allowing you to hear the person you are talking to without interference.

Although Digital Hearing Aids have been a major leap forward in improving a sufferers hearing response there has always been one problem that causes annoyance. The modern Hearing Aid is designed to have an ear mould within the ear channel. This has the advantage of transferring the amplified sound from the Hearing Aid directly into the ear channel allowing the Hearing Aids to be made much smaller as there is very little loss of sound between the Aid and the eardrum within the ear.

Although this has been a major improvement in helping sufferers with hearing loss it has created its own problem. Because the ear channel is completely blocked by the ear mould it gives a sensation of the ear being plugged up. This can create hollow sounds especially when eating or when the hearing loss sufferer has a cold.

This problem could not be overcome before because of feedback. This is when the resulting sounds that have been amplified can be picked up by the microphone in the Hearing Aid creating a very high pitched whistle. By completely blocking the ear channel, with the ear mould, stopped this feedback from happening. However, because of the latest developments Hearing Aids now have built in circuits to eliminate this feedback, thus allowing the ear mould to be open fit. This is simply where the ear mould has small apertures in it allowing the passage of air through it. This has therefore, overcome the problem of the ear feeling blocked up and the hollow sounds associated with eating etc.

Other major advantages of Open fit hearing aids are that they do not have to have an individual ear mould made and therefore can be fitted almost immediately saving both time and money.

Although Open Fit Hearing Aids can give greatly improved hearing, no Hearing Aid can ever restore hearing to its original level – but it is getting close.

 .Fact – Although hearing loss is most common in the elderly due to the receptors in the inner ear becoming less responsive, there are many younger children and middle aged people who suffer some hearing loss which can be due to damage to the ear through trauma to the ear or listening to loud sounds. Hearing loss can also be due to a person being born with a slight deformity in the ear.

Myth – I have been told that my hearing loss cannot be helped as it is permanent.

Fact – All forms of hearing loss can be helped unless the sufferer is completely deaf.

Myth – If I suffered from hearing loss wouldn’t I know about it.

Fact – Most hearing loss in the elderly develops over a number of years and therefore as it is a very slow change it is not immediately recognised by the sufferer. It is more likely to be noticed by family and friends in such things as asking for the TV or radio to be turned up.

Myth – I will be able to hear perfectly when I wear a Hearing Aid.

Fact – Hearing Aids can never return your hearing to normal. Depending on the severity of your hearing loss, the environment and your own particular needs, such as taking part in conversations etc, will determine how the Hearing Aid is programmed to overcome your particular hearing loss.

Myth – I wont be able to hear all the natural sounds such as birds singing if I fit a Hearing Aid.

Fact – Digital Hearing Aids can now be programmed according to sufferer’s personal requirements. Some may want to cut out background noises so they can hear a conversation in a crowded restaurant. Whereas others still want to hear what is going on around them and just want to have improved hearing.

Myth – If I wear a Hearing Aid everyone will know about it.

Fact – There are now Hearing Aids that are almost undetectable. These are called `Completely in the Channel` and as the name suggests they fit completely in the ear channel and are almost invisible. Other Hearing Aids such as the ` Behind the Ear` types are now being made must smaller especially the BTE Open Fit type.

Myth – I don’t know anybody with a Hearing Aid so it can`t be much of a problem.

Fact – It is estimated that there are over 2 million people who wear a Hearing Aid and it is believed that another 6 million would benefit from one, especially people over the age of 65 years. It has been long accepted that people with defective eyesight will quite readily wear spectacles but those with defective hearing fight shy of doing the same with Hearing Aids.

Myth – If I wear a Hearing Aid my ears will be blocked up.

Fact – Most Hearing Aids do have an ear mould that completely seals the ear channel, there are now new Digital Hearing Aids which do not use an ear mould, these are called ` Open Fit hearing Aids` These allows the ear channel to be left open but still receive the amplified sounds from the Hearing Aid.

Myth – I have head that you get a lot of problems when you wear a Hearing Aid.

Fact – When you first wear a Hearing Aid it will take a lot of getting used to. The initial setup may not have been suitable or the type of Aid was not right for you. It is always worth persevering with the new Aid as your hearing will very quickly attune to it.

Myth – I have been told that I will have to keep returning to my Hearing Specialist to have my Aid programmed.

Fact – If you buy your Hearing Aid from an Audiologist it is generally the case that you will have to return to him to have the Aid reprogrammed. There are programmers on the market that allow you to programme your own Hearing Aid

 

Hearing aids have been around for a long time and have always been designed to improve the hearing of people with some form of hearing loss.
Currently there are just two types of Aid, Analogue and Digital. The main difference is how the sounds that are received by the Aid are amplified and sent to the ear drum via the ear channel.
Analogue Hearing Aids work very simply in that the sounds received by a very small microphone in the Aid converting them into electrical pulses which are simply amplified before sending them to a speaker which converts the electrical impulses back into sound waves in a minute loudspeaker. This amplified sound is then transmitted down the ear channel to impact on the ear drum.
Digital hearing aids differ in one major part of this process. The sounds are still picked up by the microphone and converted into electrical impulses. These electrical impulses are now converted into `bits` of Data by a very minute computer chip inside the Hearing Aid. Each frequency is amplified separately and manipulated by a process called Digital Signal Processing.
The software has the ability to carry out precise changes to these `bits` of information before sending it to the minute loudspeaker to again be converted back into sound waves.
At first there doesn’t appear to be much difference in these Hearing Aids, they both collect sounds, amplifying them and send the amplified sound through the ear channel to the ear drum.
The major advantage of the Digital Hearing Aids is that it has the ability to be adjusted to vary the amplification at different frequencies. That is if the sufferer from hearing loss cannot hear high notes but can hear low notes then the Digital Aid can be adjusted to increase the high frequency sounds but not the lower frequency sounds, unlike an Analogue Aid which will amplify all the sounds equally.
As hearing loss is very different in the hearing impaired it is therefore extremely important to be able to adjust a Hearing Aid to the exact requirements of the sufferer. To find out the type of hearing loss a person may suffer from a hearing test is very important. This is usually carried out by an Audiologist who will ask you to respond to various sounds and frequencies over the full audio range.. As a result of this test it will easily be seen which areas the hearing is not as it should be. The Digital Aid can then be set up using a computer to compensate where there is some hearing loss and by how much.
Another ability of the Digital Aid is to adjust the Aid to reduce the sounds of very loud noises whilst still keeping other sounds at the required level. One of the biggest advantages is that background noise can be greatly reduced; this has a big advantage when talking to someone in a crowded room.
Although Digital Aids can give greatly improved hearing specifically adjusted to an individuals needs, it can never give a person back their normal hearing.

Hearing loss is most common in people over the age of 65 years. This is because the very small hair cells within the inner ear become less receptive to the vibrations of the sound waves reaching them. There is now, more recently, a greater number of much younger people suffering from hearing loss which in many cases could have been avoided.

1. Avoid loud noises. In this modern age many young people have personal stereo systems plugged into their ears. The volume is usually turned up to high. By reducing the volume it will protect the delicate parts of the ear.

2. Wear some form of ear protection when attending discos or pop concerts where music is usually played at a very high sound level. Very small ear plugs are available that fit into the ear channel and are hardly noticeable avoiding the embarrassment of wearing highly visible ear protectors.

3. Avoid working next to machinery that is very noisy without ear protection. These have to be provided by the Company who must check that they are being used.

4. Wear ear protectors when using power tools, lawn mowers or other DIY equipment especially if they are being used very often over long periods of time.

5 Wear a head protector if playing physical sports where head contact may occur. This includes sports such as Rugby, cycling, boxing etc. Damage to the head may result in damage to the ears which can result in hearing loss.

6 Do not remove ear wax by putting any instrument into the ear. Wax should only be removed by a GP or by a product that will dissolve the wax.

7 Avoid getting an infection in the ears by keeping them clean. If infection in the ears occurs, early treatment is very important in order that permanent damage is avoided. Consult your GP at the earliest possible time to prevent the infection spreading and doing permanent damage.

8 Do not put objects in the ear including cotton tipped swabs. These can very easily damage the ear drum or introduce infection causing some hearing loss.

9 Make sure that any medication that has been prescribed does not affect the ears. Consult your doctor if these symptoms occur so he can offer an alternative medicine.

10 Treat any sudden deafness immediately by consulting your GP. It could be caused by infection, stroke, and trauma to the head. If it is not treated quickly it could result in permanent hearing loss. Hearing loss can affect a person life in a number of ways and therefore the quicker the reasons for the loss are established the sooner appropriate action can be taken.