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Hearing Aid Resources
If you're on the market for a hearing aid but you're not exactly sure how to pick the best one, and you're apprehensive about whether or not it will work effectively - you're not alone. A hearing aid is a financial investment and depending on your medical plan, cost coverage will vary. Either way, it is likely you'll be required to foot at least part of the bill so it's a good idea to take your time with the decision to figure out what works best for your needs.
Conventional hearing aids take sounds from outside the ear, and then amplify this sound and play it back to the inner ear. There are hearing aids known as bone conduction hearing aids, these work very differently to the conventional hearing aids.
Different Styles
The bone conduction hearing aids collect sounds from the outside world, however these hearing aids transmit the signal to an oscillator, rather than playing the sound back to the inner ear. This oscillator vibrates against the skull, the inner ear is able to pick up the vibrations and interpret them as sound.
Hearing aid technology has rapidly advanced over the years and there are many different styles, shapes and sizes available today:
- Completely in the canal (molded to fit inside the ear canal - best for mild to moderate hearing loss)
- In the canal (fits partly in the canal but not fully - best for mild to moderate hearing loss)
- Half-shell (smaller hearing aid that fills the lower portion of the outer ear - for mild to moderately severe hearing loss)
- In the ear "full shell" (fills most of the bowl shaped area of your outer ear - helpful for mild to severe hearing loss)
- Behind the ear (hooks over the top and around to the back of the ear, amplifying sound and carrying it to the mold which fits inside the ear canal - suitable for all levels of hearing loss)
- Open fit (very small device which rests behind the ear in which sound travels through a small tube to a tiny part inside the ear canal. The full canal is left open, making this style best for mild to moderate high-frequency hearing loss, where low-frequency hearing is still good)
Conventional hearing aids are much more effective than the bone conduction hearing aids. However bone conduction hearing aids are designed for people that are unable to use the traditional forms of hearing aid. If the ear canal is blocked like in Atresia, then a regular hearing aid is next to useless, a bone conduction hearing aid however is much more useful.
If you have ear infections or eczema then you may be unable to wear conventional hearing aids, and so might need to look at using bone conduction hearing aids.
Each style will offer a different look and feel. Ultimately, it comes down to what you are most comfortable with and which one delivers the best quality sound. Your doctor or audiologist will be able to make recommendations which suit your individual case.
Bone conduction aids are perfectly suitable for children, and they are also great for people that suffer from temporary hearing loss.
Options
Less than 1% of hearing aid wearers use bone conduction hearing aids, and so they can be difficult to track down.
Telephone adapters improve the quality of sound you receive when you're on the phone. Sometimes the switch in the setting happens automatically when you hold the phone to your ear, whereas other hearing aids will require the flip of a switch.
Bluetooth technology has been created to pick up sounds coming from a Bluetooth device (such as a cell phone). With this technology you do not need to hold the phone to your ear or the hearing aid to the phone, allowing for the effortless transmission of sound.
Some hearing aids also come with remote controls that make it easy to change the volume and the settings without touching the hearing aid itself.
If you felt inspired by this information you might also like reading about Cordless Phones For Hard Of Hearing and also Telephones For Hard Of Hearing.
Open Fit Hearing Aids with Dr. Gwen Kandula
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