One out of three people aged 60 and older have experienced some hearing loss. Losing your hearing can be embarrassing, frustrating, and could even be dangerous. That's because hearing loss can make it difficult to understand a doctor's advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear alarms or doorbells. This problem can also make it hard to enjoy visiting with loved ones and friends if it's hard to hear voices.
A solution for many types of hearing loss is the use of hearing aids. These tiny instruments are worn in or behind the ear to make sounds louder. Hearing health professionals at hearing aid centers in Solano County can help you adjust your new hearing aids so sounds aren't distorted, too loud or too quiet. Good Solano County hearing aid professionals can be found throughout the area, including in the major cities of Vallejo, Fairfield and Vacaville.
When visiting hearing aid centers in Solano County, you should try more than one hearing aid to find the one that works best for you. You can ask the hearing aid center staff if you can have a trial period with one or two different hearing aids. The hearing aid dispenser should be willing to work with you until you are comfortable.
Most hearing aids have similar electronic components. These includes 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 Types of Hearing Aids Available in Solano County
There are different types of hearing aids available at Solano County hearing aid centers. Some of these types include Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids,
In-the-Ear (ITE) hearing aids, In-the-Canal (ITC) and Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) hearing aids, Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA), and disposable hearing aids.
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.
ITE's are for moderate hearing loss. They are worn in the ear. If the person has extremely small ears, 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 hearing loss patients cannot wear these because of their canal shape and size.
In the Canal (ITC) and Completely in the Canal (CIC) hearing aids. 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.
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. You can choose a disposable hearing aid from a Solano County hearing aid provider. Disposable hearing aids have built-in hearing aid batteries and the entire unit needs to be replaced after a specific amount of time.
Questions to Ask When Choosing New Hearing Aids in Solano County, Including at Hearing Aid Centers in the Larger Cities of Vacaville, Vallejo, Fairfield, Suisun City, Benicia, Dixon and Rio Vista
You need to know the type of hearing loss you or a loved one has. That will help you to find the type hearing aid that works best with that type of hearing loss. The right way to choose new hearing aids is based on the type and severity of hearing loss, lifestyle, and listening needs.
First, describe your hearing loss symptoms to your doctor or hearing aid provider. He or she will help you decide what assistive listening device or hearing aid is best for you.
Below is list of some of the more common hearing loss symptoms.
- 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?
- Does it sound like everyone is mumbling?
- Do you have a family history of hearing loss?
- Do you frequently turn up the volume on the television or radio because you can't hear it?
- Do you find it difficult to follow a conversation between more than two people?
- Do you ask others to repeat what they said?
- Is dizziness common for you?
- Do you have frequent ear infections?
If you have any of these symptoms, have a complete hearing test done by an audiologist or hearing aid professional.
What to Expect from Your New Hearing Aids
Hearing aids cannot completely correct hearing loss. No hearing aid can return a person's hearing to normal or be 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. However, consistently wearing your new hearing aids will bring the greatest benefits.
Hearing aids amplify sounds so you can more easily hear them. The purpose of hearing aids 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, including conversations, by amplifying the sounds an individual with hearing loss is having a hard time hearing. 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.
In noisy situations, good 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.
Things Hearing Aids Cannot Do
Hearing aids cannot change the way your ears and auditory system work. Hearing aids also cannot restore your hearing to a normal level. Also hearing aids cannot stop 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.
However, a good hearing aid provider in Solano County can help you maximize the benefits from your new hearing aids to help you hear better.
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