When looking for a hearing aid provider, choose one that offers a variety of products from major manufacturers. “There are a few well-known companies promoting hearing aids with their names on them, but they aren’t the actual manufacturers,” explains Gregory Free, owner of Center For Better Hearing Aids in El Cerrito. “Those companies buy from a single manufacturer, put their names on the products and then market them aggressively. Consequently, they don’t offer consumers much of a selection. It’s much wiser to choose a provider that carries a wide selection of products from top manufacturers. Hearing aid manufacturers with research and development departments are the ones creating new technologies. Everyone else is either buying from them or part of a second-tier manufacturer system.”
With every passing year, hearing aids are built to work better and last longer, but they still require proper care and maintenance. As a rule, anyone who has a hearing aid should be seen by their practitioner two to three times a year to have the delicate diaphragms and microphone receivers cleaned. In addition to cleaning, the filters and tubes should be routinely changed and adjusted to ensure the hearing aids are working properly.
All hearing aids use the same basic parts to carry sound from the environment into your ear. However, hearing aids come in a number of styles that differ in size and ear placement. Some are small enough to fit inside the ear canal, making them almost invisible. Generally, the smaller a hearing aid, the less powerful it is, the shorter its battery life and the more it’ll cost. The following are common hearing aid styles:
Completely-in-the-canal
Completely-in-the-canal hearing aids are molded to fit inside your ear canal and can improve mild to moderate hearing loss in adults. A completely-in-the-canal hearing aid:
• Is the least noticeable in the ear
• Is less likely to pick up wind noise, because the ear protects the instrument
• Is easy to use with the telephone
• Uses smaller batteries, which typically don’t last as long as larger batteries
• Doesn’t contain extra features, such as volume control or directional microphones
In-the-canal
An in-the-canal hearing aid is custom molded and fits partly in the ear canal, but not as deeply as the completely-in-the-canal aid. This hearing aid can improve mild to moderate hearing loss in adults. An in-the-canal hearing aid:
• Is less visible in the ear
• Is easy to use with the telephone
• Includes features that won’t fit on completely-in-the-canal aids, but the small size can make the features difficult to adjust
• May not fit well in smaller ears
Half-shell
A smaller version of the in-the-canal hearing aid, the half-shell is custom molded and fills the lower portion of the bowl-shaped area of your outer ear. This style is appropriate for mild to moderately severe hearing loss. A half-shell hearing aid:
• Is bigger than an in-the-canal hearing aid
• Is a little easier to handle than smaller hearing aids
• Includes additional features, such as directional microphones and volume control
• Fits most ears
In-the-ear (full shell)
An in-the-ear hearing aid is custom made and fills most of the bowl-shaped area of your outer ear. This style is helpful for people with mild to severe hearing loss. An in-the-ear hearing aid:
• Is more visible to others
• May pick up wind noise
• Contains adjustable features such as volume control
• Is generally easier to insert into the ear
• Uses larger batteries, which typically last longer and are easier to handle
Behind-the-ear
Behind-the-ear hearing aids hook over the top of your ear and rest behind it. The hearing aid picks up sound, amplifies it and carries it to an ear mold that fits inside your ear canal. This type of aid is appropriate for almost all types of hearing loss and people of all ages. A behind-the-ear hearing aid:
• Is the largest, most visible type of hearing aid, though some new versions are smaller, streamlined and barely visible
• Is capable of more amplification than other hearing aid styles
Open fit
These are very small, behind-the-ear-style devices. Sound travels from the instrument through a small tube or wire to a tiny dome or speaker in the ear canal. These aids leave the ear canal open, so they’re best for mild to moderate high-frequency losses where low-frequency hearing is still relatively normal. An open fit hearing aid:
• Is less visible
• Doesn’t plug the ear like in-the-canal hearing aids
• Uses very small batteries
• Lacks manual adjustments due to the small size
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