7 Tips On Buying Hearing Aids

Do you need a hearing aid but don't know where to start? With so many features, styles, brands and prices to choose from, it's no wonder why shopping for a hearing aid can be a daunting task for a new user.
Here are 7 tips to guide you on buying a hearing aid.

1. Hearing Test

The first step is to get tested by a hearing professional or audiologist. The type of hearing aid that is best suited for you will be determined in part by the type and level of hearing loss you have. The professional will be able to assess your hearing needs so you can choose the correct hearing aid.

2. Analog vs. Digital Hearing Aids

Years ago hearing aids were all analog. Today, most hearing aids are digital. Digital hearing aids provide high quality sound amplification, advanced features and fine-tuning that was not possible with analog aids. Some companies still make analog hearing aids, however, be sure to compare these with the digital ones before making your final decision.

3. Styles Of Hearing Aids

There are 4 main styles of hearing aids available. The style you are best suited for depends on the type of hearing loss you have as well as your comfort.

- Behind The Ear (BTE): Fits over the ear and rests behind it. Typically the least expensive style.

- In The Ear (ITE): The most common type, this sits in the ear

- In The Ear Canal (ITC): This type fits slightly lower into the ear and is not very noticeable.

- Completely In The Ear Canal (CIC): Fits down into the ear canal. This style requires the most fitting and is the least visible to others.

4. Features

Hearing aids today come with a myriad of features. These range from the necessary, such as noise canceling, to the more luxurious, such as remote control. Digital hearing aids offer state-of-the-art technology that helps to reduce feedback and allows for clearer hearing even in situations where there is background noise. Digital hearing aids offer more options for adjustments than analog hearing aids, making it easier to adapt to a new hearing aid.

5. Budget

Once you know the style of hearing aid that suits you best, compare prices across various brands as they vary greatly. The prices are most expensive for hearing aids with latest technology and advanced features. Even if you don't have a lot to spend you will still be able to find a quality hearing aid with enough features to fulfill your needs.

6. Warranties

When choosing a hearing aid it is important to ask about the warranty. Find out the warranty period and what is covered. Ask if any fitting problems are covered because this could get expensive if multiple trips are needed.

7. Choose One Or Two Hearing Aids

If you have hearing loss in only one ear, you will do well with only one hearing aid. However, as both ears tend to be affected by age and noise related hearing loss, wearing two hearing aids will actually help you to differentiate and determine where sounds are coming from. Most digital hearing aids require two to be worn to achieve maximum benefits.

Troubleshooting Guide For Common Hearing Aids Problems

Persons who use hearing aid devices, can sometimes find themselves stuck with progressively depreciating performance of these useful tools due to a variety of causes. This article offers useful guidelines for diagnosing/resolving hearing aids problems. It ends by offering download access to a one-page (Acrobat PDF) "Troubleshooting Chart For Common Hearing Aids Problems" that makes the process of finding your needed hearing aid solution more straightforward.

The following are common hearing aids problems that users encounter. I suggest possible causes and solutions to each of them using a bullet point approach.

1. If Hearing Aid makes "Whistling" sound, this could be caused by:

a. The earmold being wrongly inserted. Action: Check and re-insert the earmold if necessary.
b. Or it may not be a good fit. Action: In this case, you would need to have the mould replaced.
c. The tube may be cracked. Action: Check the tubing carefully, and if you find any cracks, replace it.
d. Volume setting may be too high. Action: Check volume setting and turn down if necessary.

2. If it makes "scratchy, hissing or frying" sound or keeps going on and off, that could be due to:

a. Dust collected in switch contact/controls. Action: Repeatedly move switch forward/backwards to remove any collected dust etc
b. Poor battery contact. Action: Check that battery contacts.
c. Exposure to humidity, or excessive perspiration causing moisture to clog hearing aid and distort sounds. Action: Use a drying container or hearing aid dehumidifier (e.g. kit using a desiccant like silica which absorbs moisture from the aid).

3. If the hearing aid produces weaker sound than normal, possible causes include:

a. Battery may be weak. Action: Replace battery and check sound again.
b. The earmold may be wrongly inserted. Action: Re-insert the earmold.
c. Wax may be built up in the ear canal; or partially clogging the earmold. Action: Go to doctor for ear check (with ear speculum). Have ear &/or ear mold cleaned if necessary.
d. Tubing may be cracked or with moisture. Action: Check for cracks or condensation. Have tubing cleaned of moisture if possible. If cracked, replace tubing.

4. If the aid produces no sound:

a. Maybe it is not turned ON. Action:Check switch and turn ON if necessary.
b. Battery not correctly inserted - or wrong size. Action:Check battery position/size. Adjust/replace if needed. If it does not go in readily, adjust entry approach or get correct size.
c. The ear mould may be clogged. Action: Have ear mold cleaned.
d. The battery may be dead or its contacts corroded. Action: Replace with new battery. Clean corroded contacts - a pencil eraser can be used. Replace contacts if worn.
e. The tubing may be blocked or bent. Action: Check tubing. Clean or replace if necessary.

5. And if it produces a buzzing, humming, or whining noise, that could be due to:

Mobile phone interference. This is because mobile phones/PCs emit radio frequency and electromagnetic radiation which can cause a "buzzing, humming, or whining" noise.

You will check that the phone is hearing aid compatible by looking for the icon imprinted on it.

In the USA, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) reportedly requires cell phones to be rated as to how much interference they are likely to cause to hearing aids.

The rating scale ranges from 1 to 4. The four possibilities are: M1 or T1 (poor), M2 or T2 (fair), M3 or T3 (good) and M4 or T4 (excellent). Only phones rated 3 or 4 are allowed to be sold as hearing aid compatible (HAC).

Phones that would have only been rated 1 or 2 are deemed unacceptable.

How to Get a Correct Hearing Aid

Hearing aids come in a variety of styles and designs and each has its own set of technological and structural benefits. The "correct" hearing aid for you depends both on your tastes and the severity of your hearing loss.

- Visit your regular physician if you think you have hearing loss. He will administer basic hearing tests and look in your ear for other explanations such as ear wax accumulation. If he suspects hearing loss, he will you refer you to a otolaryngologist (ENT doctor). She will diagnose the extent of your hearing loss. Not all hearing loss will benefit from hearing aids. Hearing aids are best for people who have experienced sensor neural hearing loss.

- Discuss the current available hearing aid options with your ENT. The right hearing aid is a combination of preference and the seriousness of your hearing loss. For instance, you may want a barely visibly "complete in-the-ear" hearing aid. Although the moldable in-the-ear options are great due to their lack of ambient noise feedback and their inconspicuous nature, they may not help as much with severe hearing loss.

- Consider some of the more noticeable hearing aids if your doctor notes more severe hearing loss. People with severe hearing loss may benefit from full shell and behind the ear models. While these types of hearing aids may provide better amplification for serious hearing loss, they are chunkier and clearly visible.

- Get any appropriate ear molds. A hearing specialist (known as an audiologist) will take an ear mold and fit you with your hearing aid. Follow your audiologist's instructions and note what you like or don't like about the hearing aid. If your aid doesn't improve your hearing, produces too much feedback or displeases you aesthetically, your audiologist will find a more suitable model.

Tips & Warnings

- If you have a lot of earwax but also have genuine hearing loss, consider an open fit "behind-the-ear" model. The open fit will prevent any damage that ear wax may cause to the devise. In addition, it's less visible than the traditional behind-the-ear model. Once you have a hearing aid you want to try, look into the details about the aid's trial periods. Since it's sometimes hard to get the perfect aid on the first try, most aids will have warranties and adjustment period pricing plans.

- Many health insurance companies do not cover the cost of hearing aids. Read through your plan before you make a financial commitment. Watch out for any audiologist that seems to represent a particular type or brand of hearing aid. Scams are always possible. Try to find referrals from a reputable source such as your ENT doctor.

Hearing aids: How to choose the right one

Hearing aid options

Some hearing aid options improve your ability to hear in specific situations:

* Directional microphones. These microphones pick up sounds coming from in front of you better than coming from behind or beside you. This technology improves your ability to hear when you're in an environment with a lot of background noise. Typically you'll have both a regular microphone and a directional microphone, so you can switch between the two types. Some hearing aids automatically switch between the regular and directional modes.
* Telephone adapters. This technology, also referred to as telecoil T switches, makes it easier to hear when talking on the telephone. The telecoil eliminates the sounds from your environment and only picks up the sounds from the telephone. Some hearing aids switch automatically when the phone is held up to the hearing aid, while others require flipping a switch. Keep in mind that this technology works only with telephones that are compatible with hearing aids — most cell phones aren't.
* Bluetooth technology. New hearing aids can transmit sound from Bluetooth devices, such as Bluetooth cell phones. These hearing aids require an interface that wirelessly picks up the Bluetooth signal from Bluetooth compatible devices and transmits the signal to the hearing aid. You don't have to hold the phone to your ear or hearing aid to hear the sounds.
* Remote controls. Some hearing aids use a remote control that makes volume control adjustments or other changes without touching the hearing aid. The remote may also make other adjustments, such as activating the directional microphone or increasing the noise reduction.

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Types Of Hearing Problems - Hearing aids Doctor

Usually it is noticed that when a person feels problem in his ear then at the first he feels pain in inner part of his ear. It depends upon the type of hearing problem, which a user face, so in this situation one should consult audiologist for curing of hearing pain. Because a patient cannot diagnose his problem fully as compared to a specialist one otherwise ignoring such problem may cause serious position of the patient. Moreover if there is a hearing difficulties there is likelihood of recommendation of hearing aid devices by the doctor.

Types Of Hearing Problems

There are different types of hearing difficulties depending upon the different situation, these problems are mentioned one by one:

Conductive Hearing

It is characterized by time being hearing loss and pain in outer or middle of the year. Person also undergoes mild hearing loss and he might be having some loss of sight.

Sensory Hearing Loss
Sensory hearing loss is occurred due to malfunctioning of cochlea in the ear. In this case special tiny hear cells become damaged and it effects on hearing capability of person very badly as compared to conductive hearing difficulties. The person with this problem cannot distinguish among the sounds around himself.

Neural Type Of Hearing Problem:

Neural type of hearing difficulties is occurred because of problem in connection of cochlea to brain. Since it is also regarded as nerve problem as it is only the nerve which takes important sensory information from cochlea to brain so in neural type of hearing difficulties nerve is mostly effected. Sometimes this problem also occurs due to hereditary traits, which comes into light along the growth of a person.

There are also other hearing loses due to different reasons but these are very temporarily. For example when a person is habitual of listening high-pitched voices then after sometime it is observed that it becomes very difficult for him to listen comparatively lower voices.

Working Of Hearing Aid:

To get rid from different hearing loss problem one can use different hearing aids, which depend upon type of hearing loss. Different hearing devices can be different in structure but they perform same function.

Structure Of Hearing Aid

Mostly hearing devices are composed of microphone amplifier speaker and battery. Each part performs its own role for getting best quality performance. These devices are very much sensitive and only ones careless attitude can lead to loss.

Hearing Aids Doctor Advice - Basic Components and Functions of Hearing Aids

The basic components of a contemporary hearing aid include a microphone, an amplifier, a receiver, and a power supply.

A microphone is a transducer that converts the sound signal into electrical energy. The amplifier is a transformer that increases the amplitude of the electrical signal that is sent to the receiver. The receiver then changes the modified electrical signal back into sound energy that is directed into the ear.

A variety of microphones, amplifiers, and receivers are used, depending on the type and degree of hearing loss. The American National Standard Specification of Hearing Aid Characteristics specifies the electroacoustic tests that a manufacturer must perform and publish for each hearing aid before the instrument is shipped.1 The standard states the tolerance allowed so that the audiologist can perform the same tests to verify the performance of an instrument against specifications.

Currently used hearing aid microphones are primarily electrical devices that have good linear behavior over a frequency range of 50-6000 Hz. This range can be modified to be more appropriate for specific hearing losses.

Directional microphones have been developed that can vary with both the amplitude and the direction of the sound source relative to the microphone. They can reduce the sounds coming from the back of a hearing aid wearer compared with the sounds coming from the front by as much as 15 dB. This change can greatly improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the listener and thus the understanding of speech in the presence of noise.

Hearing aid amplifiers are transformers primarily composed of transistors that are built into an integrated circuit. These transistors provide a current source and serve a variety of functions. In these transistors, the primary function of the amplifier is to increase the power of the electrical signal received from the microphone.

Typically, hearing aids have 2 or more stages of amplification. The first stage is the preamplifier, which is at the level of the microphone. The preamplifier helps to amplify the initial input signal. At this level, the gain is relatively low.

Most amplification is supplied by the power amplifier. These amplifiers are typed in a particular class. The most common are referred to as class A, class B, and class D. They are distinguished by their power consumption, gain, and output abilities.

Each amplifier can be modified to limit the maximum output of the hearing aid. For linear amplification, the amplifier may be limited by peak clipping. This occurs when the electrical signal exceeds the maximum output of some component of the hearing aid circuit. This type of limiting causes various forms of distortion that have been found to reduce the intelligibility and the subjective quality of speech.

A hearing aid that has some type of level-dependent signal processing is termed a nonlinear hearing aid. Most nonlinear hearing aids reduce gain as input or output levels increase.

Nonlinear hearing aids are designed to amplify a wide range of sounds so that they are audible to the hearing-impaired listener without becoming uncomfortably loud. These aids usually use some form of compression circuit that reduces the gain of the instrument when either the input to the device or the output of the device exceeds a predetermined level. This process results in a comfortable amplification for the wearer and prevents the hearing aid from saturating.

Compression hearing aids can provide amplification of the speech components that are essential for intelligibility and can reduce impulsive or high-level sounds that normally cause discomfort.

The hearing aid receiver is an output transducer and handles more power than a microphone. Receivers in hearing aids are very small because of cosmetic considerations.

In general, larger receivers can supply larger output signals. Therefore, the small receivers on hearing aids may be taxed to their output capabilities.

The receiver must also be chosen to match its amplifier. A mismatch in design produces limited output and increases distortion.

Because of the receiver's open position in the external ear canal, it is vulnerable to damage from debris in the ear canal and from the aid being dropped. Manufacturers state that approximately 40% of hearing aids returned for service have damage or blockage to the receiver.

Hearing aids doctor - Which Hearing Aid Batteries Are Right For You

Which battery do I need?

Hearing aid batteries have been standardised across the board now, and as such are fairly easy to identify. There are four sizes available, size 10, size 312, size 13 and size 675.

They are colour coded for ease of recognition. Size 10 batteries are coded with yellow labels and packaging, size 312 are coded brown, size 13 are orange and size 675 are blue.

Most of the smaller hearing devices from Phonak, Resound or Oticon will use a size 312 (brown) or a size 10 (yellow) battery. Some of the larger digital hearing instruments will use the size 13, and a few power aids such as the Oticon Sumo or the Phonak Naida will use the size 675.

As a rule, the larger the battery, the more life you will get from it and the longer you will be able to listen to your hearing instruments without needing to change the battery. Newer hearing devices, do generally tend to be smaller which is clearly desireable from a cosmetics perspective. These smaller hearing instruments tend to use 10 or 312 batteries. Try to find a quality battery brand such as Rayovac, whihc are specifically designed and manufactured for hearing aid wearers. These will most likely provide better performance with your hearing devices than other brands. You may find that some brands of hearing aid batteries will provide a recycling facility where you can send them back and these can be reused.

Hearing Aids doctor Advice - Didn't Hear You, Can You Repeat That

It doesn’t matter how you say it, they all mean the same thing: you didn’t hear what was just said.

I’ve been thinking recently about how often I don’t hear what someone has said and how often I ask them to repeat themselves. In some situations I will ask repeatedly, no matter how many time it takes, until I hear. In others, I will only ask once or twice. And, in others, I will not ask at all.

With family and close friends I am happy to ask repeatedly; most, if not all, of them know I am partially deaf and they are usually happy to repeat themselves until the cows come home. Sometimes, and I guess it depends on their mood, they don’t want to repeat themselves - this annoys me quite a bit, if what they just said is not worth repeating why was it worth saying in the first place?

The people I really struggle with are the quietly and soft spoken ones. Some people just refuse to speak up and it will not matter how many times I ask them to repeat it, I will never hear them properly! I find myself avoiding speaking to people who I know speak really quietly, just to avoid the hassle - I wish I didn’t do this because I’m sure it looks rude to them and I’m no doubt missing out on some good conversation. The obvious answer here is to tell them that I have trouble hearing what they say; I really don’t feel comfortable doing that and I can’t remember a time when I ever have done. I really should make the effort to start in future.

In the opening paragraph I said that in some cases I will never ask the person to repeat themselves. I used to do this a lot - I used to be too embarrassed about my hearing loss, I tried to hide it as much as possible - I would either try and guess what they said based on the odd word I’d heard or the context of the conversation or simply nod, laugh or give a short answer like “yes” or “no”. I realised some years ago that this was a stupid thing to do, I cringe at the amount of times I must have given stupid and meaningless answers. I’m sure a lot of people do this exact thing all the time, it’s an easy way out.

It’s rarely uncomfortable to ask someone to repeat themselves in a one-to-one conversation; a group conversation can, on the other hand, be very difficult. It is a good idea to position yourself somewhere where you will have the best chance of hearing; this is something you can do when you know that one person in the group is going to be doing most of the talking: the teacher at school/college, someone giving a presentation to a group, and so on. It’s not so easy when you don’t have a single person to concentrate on: when you are chatting with friends or in an office meeting, it is particularly difficult if there is also background noise such as background chatter or office air-conditioning. It is too easy to loose the conversation when you are having to listen for voices coming from all directions.