HEARING AIDS- EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
How long more do you intend to endure the feeling of not being able to hear the sounds of the birds chirping, the lofty noise of crying babies, and every other rhythm nature has made available in abundance?
Hearing loss is not peculiar to the aged only, and in truth, hearing aids provide additional support to the elderly, who might have lost their ability to hear, unlike when they were younger.
Likewise, younger people who have hearing issues due to medical conditions; also have the option of using hearing aids to recover and connect with society.
People with hearing problems tend to seclude themselves, as this condition could also affect their self-esteem and make them feel disconnected in a gathering- be it with family, friends, or at work.
With that being said, here is a simple guide to everything you should know about hearing aids.
What Is A Hearing Aid?
Hearing Aids are sound amplifiers that help people suffering from hearing loss defects to hear sounds more clearly and understand speech easily.
Another great feature of a hearing aid is its design simplicity. It is a small, wearable electronic device worn in or behind the ear. And it poses no discomfort to the users and helps them improve all-around communication.
What Is Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss can occur at different stages of human life. For some individuals, this defect is present from birth, while for others, it shows its signs at any other time afterward.
Hearing loss means the partial or complete inability to hear.
It is mostly caused by aging, and some cases of hearing defects occur by hereditary conditions such as Usher's syndrome and Otosclerosis.
Likewise, when a person is constantly exposed to loud noise, it could cause the nerve cells or hair on the cochlea to wear and tear.
Thus, it becomes more difficult to transmit electrical signals effectively and results in hearing loss.
Here are some numbers to consider:
- In the United States alone, about 48million people have a significant case of hearing loss.
- About 600,000 people across all age brackets have hearing defects, and that is aside from the almost 6 million people who suddenly realize that they have some trouble hearing clearly.
- 5 out of 1000 newly born babies are very likely to have hearing defects.
- 14% of people between the ages of 45-64 have some form of hearing defects.
- In the U.S. about 1.3 million children below the ages of three are battling hearing loss.
- One of three individuals who are over 65 years of age has some measure of hearing loss.
- Children are never too little to have their hearing tested, as over 90% of deaf children are born to parents who hear properly.
Types of Hearing Loss
There are three main types of hearing loss. However, we usually advise that if you have any form of challenges in hearing, it is better to see an audiologist for a proper evaluation of your condition.
It is also ideal to schedule check-ups with your audiologist to monitor your overall hearing health.
A Conductive Hearing Loss: This type of condition occurs when there is an obstruction of the sound passing from the external auditory canal to the middle ear and through the inner ear.
In such a situation, the individual will need more sound or energy to hear more clearly. It almost seems like people around such patients have to talk much louder; before they can, pick the sounds.
However, conductive hearing loss can be corrected and managed through surgery or by using bone-conducting hearing aids and bone-anchored hearing devices.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss: this form of hearing loss occurs when there is a problem in an individual's organ or nerve of hearing.
At this point, it becomes difficult for the brain to receive nerve signals, thereby making it difficult for the victim to recognize the volume and clarity of sounds.
It could occur by aging, deafening noise, ear infections, etc and some patients have it from birth.
People suffering from this condition can experience relief from medical devices such as hearing aid and a cochlear implant.
Mixed Hearing Loss: When a patient begins to see signs of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, it's best to seek help from an audiologist; quickly.
In this case, the individual may be suffering from ear damage in the auditory nerve or auditory canal/middle/inner ear.
It is usually caused by an active ear infection and the combination of symptoms from conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
However, in this case, hearing aids are very effective recovery solutions.
How Do You Know What Hearing Aid Is Best for You?
Irrespective of your hearing loss problem, know that there is always a hearing aid to your rescue. But how do you identify the one that is best for you?
Hearing aids are available in various fittings, features, and styles. One of the first things you can do; is to seek advice from your audiologist. That way, they can easily recommend the type that suits your lifestyle and hearing loss needs.
It is also preferable to use a hearing aid device from: Caremart; a private provider because you can have confidence that it is of premium quality, targets your specific needs and is affordable.
For those in UK , if you use an NHS service, most likely you will be offered behind the ear aids, and it will still remain the property of the NHS because they loaned it to you anyway.
Technology keeps improving and private audiologist provider will be your best bet for an efficient , affordable hearing aid.
Types of Hearing Aid
Most people with hearing defects prefer the invisible type of hearing aids because it's very hard for others to notice and comfortable to move around with.
Here are the options of the hearing aid:
Behind the ear aids: This kind of hearing aid sits on top of the outer ear or behind it (as the name implies). It's then connected through a thin, clear tube that helps to route sound into your ear canal.
Invisible in the canal or completely in the canal: this is the most discreet form of hearing aid and the most preferred as such.
The distinct difference is that IIC sits more deeply in the ear than CIC, which makes for good sound quality.
In the ear/in the canal: This type of hearing aids is placed within the individual's outer ear or ear canal, respectively.
A receiver in the canal: it is smaller in size to behind-the-ear-aids but functions similarly. The hearing aid is connected to the receiver (resident in your ear canal), through an almost invisible wire.
Conclusion
Hearing aids have advanced so much in technology and made it possible for people with hearing defects to pick sounds much better and not feel left out of a conversation.
They are affordable, easy to get. And can help you build healthy conversations and enjoy life again.