Hearing loss is common

Many people wear hearing aids

 Have you noticed them?

Hearing aids have changed significantly over the last few years and continue to change at a great rate.  Like phones, computers and tablets, hearing aids are mini computers that are processing more and more information.  Every year or two each of the larger manufacturers bring out new and improved products.

Often manufacturers release the higher end products first, then gradually they release the mid-range and value products.  This means that there are very good hearing aids in every technology range and they are constantly improving.  What great news this is for people with hearing loss, because hearing aids are not only effective at helping you hear in your everyday life, they look good too!

Simply - hearing aids provide audibility for the sounds that have been missing

Hearing the sentence correctly the first time means that you will (most likely)* say good-bye to:

• auditory fatigue (less mental gymnastics to work out what was said)
• asking for repeats
• embarrassment from get something wrong

After wearing hearing aids for a while you may notice you are more relaxed and confident in social situations and in general conversation:

• more confidence - in yourself as you are sure you are responding correctly
• more interest - in being involved in social events, as you are confident to join in
• more relaxed - as you will no longer need to be on hyper-alert; you know you will hear things around you - like the doorbell, the phone ring or people walking up from behind

*Most likely - because this is hearing loss dependent.  People with severe / profound hearing losses or very poor speech perception may not receive all of these improvements.  This will be discussed in relation to your situation before choosing hearing aids. The biggest changes happen for people who wear their hearing aids all the time.

Hearing aids have a lot of technology and features working together to bring about the outcome of "simply" hearing.  Below is a brief description for some of this functionality.  There are 9 hearing aid brands that are approved by the Ministry of Health in New Zealand. Each brand has "speciality features" and often they use different terms for some of these:

•  programmed for you - all hearing aids (supplied by a qualified professional) are programmed and then fine-tuned specifically for you. Your hearing test (Audiogram) is used to calculate the right amount of sound specifically for your hearing levels. 
• adjust to your listening environment - hearing aids do not amplify all sounds equally, they amplify quiet sounds more than loud sounds; this allows as many sounds as possible to be both audible and comfortable.  Hearing aids are not just a volume control.
• directional microphones - help you to focus on the sounds in front of you and give less emphasis to sounds behind, these are helpful in background noise environments and are a standard feature in most hearing aids.
• feedback cancellation - makes sure that the hearing aids do not feedback (make a loud high frequency sound).  This can happen if the sound from the "loud speaker" reaches the microphone.
• noise reduction - is a feature in most hearing aids, the way it works varies between brands.  Most hearing aids are able to focus more on speech sounds and reduce the loudness on non speech sounds.  Noise reduction also helps you to have a more comfortable listening experience.
• physical comfort - the newer technology hearing aids are light and comfortable in your ears.
• cosmetics - hearing aids no longer look like a medical device.  Now they are a piece of technology like a computer or smart phone.
• Hearing aids style - Below are examples of the receiver in the canal type technology for some of the brands.  There are many other styles of hearing aid as well.  The choice of style will depend on preference and degree of hearing loss
• connectivity - hearing aids can connect to other devices like a phone, TV or remote microphone to take the sound from these devices directly to your hearing aids.

There are many other hearing aid features available from various suppliers, for example waterproof hearing aids, personalisation, stereo sound and more.

Here are examples of the receiver in the canal type technology from some of the brands.  As you can see, the terminology used to describe this style varies between manufacturers.

The picture below shows the different styles of hearing aids that are available.  The choice of style will depend on your preference and degree of hearing loss.

There are many technologies available now that connect up with your hearing aids.  They connect to your phone (land line or mobile), TV, computer, MP3 player and stereo.  You can also get remote microphone technology, where you can give the speaker a microphone or place it on the other end of the table, then hear the conversation directly into your hearing aids.

Watch this video for example of how technology can work with hearing aids.  These are new binex hearing aids recently released by Siemens.

Once you have made the decision to improve your hearing we will look in depth at your personal situation to make sure we get the best solution for you.  The best solution for you may not be hearing aids. We will let you know all the options then you can choose what you think will work best. We will ask you questions about your lifestyle and listening needs, then match the best technology (or other option) for your situation. 

Auckland Hearing is an independent hearing aid and audiology clinic set up by Maree O'Sullivan.  Maree has worked in Audiology for 20 years and started Auckland Hearing so she could focus on the needs of each client (rather than corporate profits).  

We provide a full range of hearing services and work with all of the Ministry of Health approved hearing aid brands in New Zealand. This means we can fit the hearing aids that best suit your needs.

Your family might think you need hearing aids

Your audiogram might suggest hearing aids would help you

 But are you ready to get hearing aids - for yourself?

Please read on the the next article that discusses the importance of you making the decision to get hearing aids for yourself. 

Or do you have more questions about hearing loss and hearing aids?  Please add your questions in the comments section below.