| What is a hearing aid? Simply put, it is any device | | | | hearing loss. With this type of loss there generally is |
| used for aural rehabilitation of partially deaf people. | | | | damage to the hair cells or nerve fibers in the inner |
| Some smaller aids are compact enough to fit in the | | | | ear which will distort and reduce the perceived |
| ear or be hidden in the frame of eyeglasses. Hearing | | | | loudness of sound. This is usually accompanied with a |
| aids assist in making soft sounds louder. Before | | | | difficulty in understanding speech, especially in noisy |
| choosing and buying a hearing aid it is important to | | | | situations. A person with this type of hearing loss |
| understand that a hearing aid does not restore your | | | | may also have trouble telling the difference between |
| hearing. Hearing aids help make soft sounds louder. | | | | consonant sounds (higher frequencies). |
| In the U.S., more than 1,000 different models of | | | | Some of the causes of sensorineural hearing loss |
| hearing aids are available. All of them include a | | | | include birth defects, head injuries, infection, some |
| microphone (to receive sound), amplifier (to increase | | | | medications, illnesses accompanied by a high fever, |
| sound strength), a receiver or speaker (to send | | | | exposure to loud noises, or long-term exposure to |
| sound to the ear), and are powered by a battery. | | | | noise. As a general rule, this form of hearing loss |
| Hearing aids are divided into several different types: | | | | cannot be treated medically or surgically. The best |
| (1) digital, (2) in-the-ear, (3) in-the-canal, (4) | | | | method of treatment for individuals with nerve |
| behind-the-ear and (5) on-the-body. They are either | | | | deafness is the use of a hearing aid. |
| "monaural" (a single hearing aid), or "binaural" (for both | | | | The fist step in getting a hearing device is to have a |
| ears); more than 65% of all hearing aid users have | | | | hearing evaluation and a medical exam. After |
| binaural aids. | | | | conducting a hearing evaluation, an qualified hearing |
| There are two primary types of hearing loss. The | | | | specialist, (audiologist) will be able to decide whether |
| first is commonly called conductive hearing loss. This | | | | a hearing aid will help, and which one will do the most |
| type involves the outer or middle ear sounds may | | | | good. This is especially important because aids can be |
| seem dull and the loudness of certain sounds may be | | | | very expensive (between $500 and $4,000), and are |
| affected. This form of hearing loss affects a person's | | | | often not covered by health insurance. |
| ability to hear lower frequencies, especially vowel | | | | There are no "one size fits all" type of hearing aids. |
| sounds. The possible causes of conductive hearing | | | | Every hearing loss is individual and different. The type |
| loss include wax obstructing the ear canal; infection in | | | | and style of hearing aid that will be best for you |
| the middle ear; or a puncture of the eardrum. The | | | | depends on the nature and level of your hearing loss. |
| treatment for this type of hearing loss is typically | | | | Your audiologist or hearing aid dispenser will help you |
| medical or surgical intervention. | | | | decide on the best hearing aid for you, based on |
| The second and most common type of hearing loss | | | | your level of hearing loss, budget and lifestyle. |
| is referred to as "nerve deafness" or sensorineural | | | | |