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Hearing Aid Tips
- Clean your hearing aid daily. It
only takes a small amount of wax or
debris to clog a receiver.
- If your battery life has decreased,
see your audiologist. Your aid
may need to be serviced.
- Keep your hearing aid in a case
when not in use. It will be less
likely to get lost.
- Protect your aid from heat, moisture,
and hairspray.
- If you are unhappy with your hearing
aid, call your audiologist.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) “If
people would speak up and not mumble, I
wouldn’t need hearing aids. How do I know
if I really need a hearing aid, anyway?”
The place to start is with an audiogram
or hearing test. This is an objective
measure which will clearly show if your
hearing is within normal range; if you have
a mild hearing loss; or a more significant
loss. Before your hearing test, the
audiologist will examine your ears with
an otoscope. In many cases, there
may be cerumen (wax) blocking your eardrum,
creating a hearing loss and possibily the
only cause of your hearing loss. If
this is the case, the wax should be removed
prior to the hearing test.
If the hearing test does show some hearing
loss, we will then go into detail to determine
in what situations you are having difficulty,
and help you determine the best solutions.
Hearing loss is gradual and sneaks
up on us as we age into our 50s and 60s.
Onset of hearing loss varies by age,
usually due to family history and noise
exposure.
Hearing aids are always sold on a trial
basis to give you a true experience on which
to base a decision. Colorado state
law requires we allow a 30 day trial period;
we offer a 45 day trial, so you will not
feel rushed into a decision. In individual
cases, we can extend that time as well.
Our goal is for you to feel comfortable
in your decision, whether you are a first
time hearing aid wearer or a current hearing
aid user.
2) “I have heard
that hearing aids emit a high pitched whistling
sound. Can that be avoided?”
Whistling or feedback in hearing
aids can be one of the most annoying problems
in hearing aid use. If your hearing
aid whistles when you first get your hearing
aid, there is a problem with the fit of
the aid. The greater your hearing
loss, the greater the chances are for the
whistling. Sound is leaking out past
the earpiece and being reamplifies creating
this high pitched whistle.
There are a variety of adjustments the
audiologist can make to eliminate this feedback.
Digital technology has also greatly
increased our ability to manage feedback.
If you have had your hearing aid,
without feedback and now your aid is whistling
a year later, you may have a wax buildup
over time (use of a hearing aid can increase
wax buildup). Also over a number of
years, the hearing aid or earmold may not
fit as well as it initially did, and a recase
or new instrument may be required.
It is important to note that most hearing
aids will feedback or whistle when your
hand is cupped over the ear. This
is a normal and expected occurance. In
fact many people check to see if their hearing
aid is working by doing this. In the
case of a mild gain hearing aid, the power
may not be enough to create this feedback
loop.
3) Do
I need to buy one hearing aid or two?
This will depend on your audiogram results.
If your hearing loss exists in both
ears, it will give you better hearing and
better localization of sounds to wear a
hearing aid in each ear. Wearing one
hearing aid will make you a one earred listener,
unable to understand conversation in many
situations. There are exceptions to
this rule. For those who have absolutely
no recordable hearing, an aid will not be
beneficial. Or if one ear is considerably
worse than the other, one aid may be indicated.
4) How
do hearing aids work with telephones?
It is best to have a telephone switch
or programming button on your hearing aid
to achieve the best hearing. This
will be exclusive to telephone use and optimize
your hearing on the telephone. Otherwise,
the phone creates that feedback loop causing
your hearing aid to whistle. It is
possible to avoid needing a telephone button
with the smallest hearing aids, which
are recessed in your ear. As well,
some people learn to hold the telephone
so it does not create this whistle.
5) How are digital
hearing aids better than conventional hearing
aids?
Digital aids allow us much more control
over the signal, affording one clearer,
less distorted sound. Digital technology
has helped the hearing aid manufacturers
to develop sophisticated noise suppression
circuits, as well as enhancement of the
speech signal. It has helped in the
management of feedback as well.
6) How long
will the batteries last?
Hearing aid batteries provide the aid
with its power, consequently, the life of
a hearing aid battery is short compared
with batteries that power watches, clocks
and other battery powered instruments. The
greater your hearing loss; the greater drain
on the battery life. There are generally
five sizes of hearing aid batteries used.
AA batteries power body aids and generally
last 2 to 3 weeks with full time use. 675
batteries power larger behind the ear instruments
and also last 2 to 3 weeks. 13 batteries
power smaller behind the ear instruments
and full size in the ear instruments and
also last 2 to 3 weeks. 10A batteries,
which are half the size of the 13, power
smaller in the ear instruments, and may
last 1 to 2 weeks. Digital aids may
require more power from the battery. Some
people have tiny aids that require a 5A
battery, but the life on this is so short
(3 to 5 days) that many audiologists have
stopped selling aids that use a 5A battery.
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