Hearing aids are the answer for many types of hearing loss. These are tiny instruments worn in or behind the ear to amplify. Hearing aids do make things sound different, but hearing aid professionals at hearing aid centers can help you get used to it. These professionals can be found in Santa Clara County, including the major cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara.
Hearing loss is a problem no one wants to deal with; however, many people will have to face this devastating issue. One out of three people 60 and older have some hearing loss. Losing your hearing can make it difficult to understand your physician's advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear doorbells or alarms. This problem can also make it hard to enjoy talking with friends and family. This can be frustrating and possibly dangerous.
You may have to try more than one hearing aid to find one that works best for you. You can ask the hearing professional at the hearing aid center if you can have a trial period with one or two different hearing aids. This hearing health professional will work with you until you are comfortable.
The electronic components which make up hearing aids include: a microphone to pick up sound; batteries to power electronic parts; an amplifier circuitry to make sound louder; and a miniature loudspeaker to send the amplified sound into the ear canal.
Different Hearing Aid Types
Hearing aids come in many different types. Some of these types include
In-the-Ear (ITE), and In-the-Canal (ITC) and Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC), Behind-the-Ear (BTE), Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA), and disposable hearing aids.
- ITE's are for moderate hearing loss. They are worn in the ear. If the person has extremely small hears, this model won't be acceptable.
- ITC's and CIC's are placed inside the ear canal. CIC's are very small in size and nearly invisible. ITC's are larger. Some cannot wear these because of their canal shape and size..
- In the Canal (ITC) and Completely in the Canal (CIC) - With ITCs and CICs, the whole hearing aid is placed inside the ear canal. ITCs are often larger than CIC devices. CICs are extremely tiny in size and are almost invisible. Some people due to their canal shape or size are unable to wear these types of devices.
- BTE's benefit all types of hearing loss. This hearing aid fits behind the ear, and is connected inside the ear with tubing. The ear hook is custom made to fit each individual user.
- Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA) - BAHA's are a special bone conduction hearing aid. It will transfer the sound through the skull, not the ear canal. It does that through a surgically implanted post. The hearing aid attaches to this post. The vibrations go through the hearing aid, to the post, to the skull, to the cochlea to help in the hearing of sound. This is used for conductive loss.
- Disposable hearing aids Aei Disposable hearing aids have a built-in battery and, after a certain amount of time or use, the person will replace the whole hearing aid.
Important Questions to Ask When Selecting a Hearing Aid in Santa Clara County, Including Those in Mountain View, Milpitas, and Palo Alto
One important thing to know is your hearing loss type. That will help you to find the type hearing aid that works best with that particular kind of hearing loss. The selection of hearing aids is based on the type and severity of hearing loss, listening needs, and lifestyle.
Read a description of the symptoms, and then you can decide if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. If you are, you can move on to the next step. Below is list of some of the more common symptoms you might have that will tell you if you could have a hearing loss problem.
- Do you have a family history of hearing loss?
- Is dizziness common for you?
- Do you ask others to repeat what they said?
- Do you have a difficult time hearing or distinguishing sounds in noisy situations?
- Do you have a ringing in your ears when you are in quiet surroundings?
- Do you turn up the volume on the television because you can't hear it?
- Do you find it difficult to follow a conversation between more than two people?
- Do you have frequent ear infections?
- Do people sound like they are mumbling?
If you have any of these symptoms, then you must move on to the next step. The next step is to have a hearing test done by an audiologist. This is very important. You have to know the cause of your hearing loss in order to find the best treatment for it.
Expectations of Your New Hearing Aids
Hearing aids do amplify sounds, so you can hear them. The purpose is to make soft sounds audible, loud sounds loud (but not too loud), and the sounds of normal conversation comfortable. They improve a person's capacity to understand speech, like conversations, by amplifying the sounds the individual can't hear. The degree a hearing aid can improve speech understanding depends on the degree of the individual's hearing loss and how much noise is present in the situation.
Hearing loss cannot be completely corrected with hearing aids. No hearing aid can return your hearing to normal or give you a perfect substitute for normal hearing. The benefits gained from wearing hearing aids, even the most advanced hearing aids, will be different from person to person. Wearing hearing aids consistently will bring the greatest benefits.
In noisy situations, hearing aids can amplify the high-pitched consonant sounds more than the low-pitched vowel sounds to assist in better understanding. No hearing aids, however, can completely eliminate background noise that is troublesome. There are advanced hearing aids that use multiple microphone technology to enhance communication even more in noisy environments.
What You Cannot Expect from Hearing Aids
Hearing aids do not change the way our ears and auditory system work. Also hearing aids cannot stop your hearing loss from progressing. Thirdly, hearing aids cannot distinguish between the sounds you would like to hear and those you would not like to hear. The brain's role is to distinguish the desirable signals and suppress the other sounds.
