Hearing loss can affect your ability to understand conversations, or to take in information about your surroundings through sound. Individuals with hearing loss often choose to use hearing devices to improve their ability to take in speech and other environmental sounds. These amplification devices can be tailored to you and your specific hearing needs.
Hearing aids are popular amplification devices for individuals with hearing loss. Hearing aids receive sound from the environment, amplify it, and project it directly into the ear. Hearing aids are specifically programmed, amplifying only the impaired frequencies for each individual. Several types of hearing aids are available:
Hearing aids vary in size and in features. Smaller hearing aids are usually more expensive, and are often only appropriate for mild to moderate hearing losses. More severe hearing losses may require a larger or more powerful hearing aid. Some hearing aids have volume control; others have only an on/off switch. Some hearing aids have a T-coil function, allowing the hearing aid to function with telephone use (without feedback), or to pick up signals from a closed-loop system. Choice of hearing aids depends on several factors, including:
Small batteries often supply the power for hearing aids. Hearing aid batteries can lose charge quickly, so you may want to keep extra batteries on hand. If you wear a hearing aid and it doesn't seem to be working, check the battery (or have your audiologist or speech therapist check it).
FM hearing systems can be used instead of, or in addition to, hearing aids to amplify sounds for people with hearing loss. An FM system consists of two components: a microphone, worn by the speaker, and a receiver/speaker, worn by the listener. Signal is transmitted from the microphone to the receiver using an FM frequency. FM systems work to increase the signal-to-noise ratio by increasing the volume and salience of the voice of the person wearing the microphone. This decreases interference of background noise.
Heard of Hearing Advocates (n.d.). Telecoils in hearing aids in the USA. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from Hard of Hearing Advocates Web site: http://hohadvocates.org/index.php?contenttype=Feature
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