Many people that have nerve hearing loss, hearing loss in one ear, and/or high frequency hearing loss have been told by doctors and others that hearing aids would not help them. With the advanced technology available today, there are VERY few people who cannot be helped with amplification. Hearing aid technology has advanced greatly in the past few years. Call for an appointment today and schedule a hearing test to see if you can be helped with your hearing loss.

I’ve been told that hearing aids don’t really help. What do you think?

It is unusual in this day and age that a hearing aid would not improve someone’s ability to hear. With the advancement in technology and the improvement in hearing aid programming software, we can usually provide improved sound quality for most people. You do need to keep in mind though that a hearing aid is only an aid – not a cure. Realistic expectations are important. You may never hear perfectly again due to damage in the ears.

What do I do if someone is denying their hearing problem?

Denial of a hearing loss occurs for several reasons and can be very frustrating to friends and family members. Hearing loss often occurs very slowly over many years, and the individual is not aware of the sounds and words that they are missing. Some people are apprehensive about how to learn to use and take care of hearing aids. Others may be embarrassed.  Do not give up on you hearing impaired loved one or friend. Use these suggestions to help in your communication with them.

• Speak face to face. Do not talk to someone with your back turned or from another room. Visual cues from you lip movements and facial expressions give valuable information to someone who is hearing impaired.
• Before speaking, attract the listener's attention by calling their name, tapping them lightly on the arm or shoulder, or catching their line of vision.
• Make sure your face is in the light and not in a shadow.
• Do not speak while smoking or chewing. This makes it more difficult to understand and impossible to read your lips.
• Do not cover your face with a newspaper or your hand.
• Try to reduce background noise when conversing.
• Move closer to the person when speaking in a noisy environment.
• Speak at a natural pace. It may be difficult for someone to put all the information together if the speech is too quick.
• Rather than repeating a misunderstood word over and over, try rephrasing the word. Some words are just too difficult to lip read or be heard.
• Let the person know you are changing topics, so they will know what subject is being discussed.
• Remember hearing aids have limits. Do not expect the hearing impaired to hear as good or even better than you may in adverse listening environments.
• Suggest to go with this person to our office for a hearing test.

What do hearing aids look like?

Hearing aids come in my different styles. The size will depend upon your hand dexterity, vision, hearing loss, options you may need, cost, and cosmetic concerns you may have. All the various technology types are available in these different models.

CIC (Completely-In-The-Canal) hearing aids are the tiniest ones available. They have a removal string on them to help you get them in and out of your ears. These devices require daily cleaning due to the hearing aid being deep in your ear canal where there is moisture and ear wax.

Canal devices are slightly larger than the CIC models.

Half shell hearing aids fill up about ½ of the bowl of the ear.

ITE (In-The-Ear) devices fill up the bowl of the ear.

BTE (Behind-The-Ear) hearing aids sit on top of your ear by where a pair of glass temples would be. They have become much smaller over the past few years and come in various shades of hair color to blend in. The aid is attached to a skin colored custom-made earmold the directs the sound into your hear and helps keep the hearing aid from falling off.

Do I really need two hearing aids?

There are times due to either a completely deaf ear or a normal hearing ear that we would only recommend one hearing aid. Most people hear better with two hearing aids than only one. We were made with two ears for a reason. The right ear sends most of its information to the left side of the brain and visa versa. People with two hearing aids usually hear better in noisy environments, can tell where sounds are coming from, hear more clearly, and experience the “stereo” effect of hearing. Click on this link for more information about  why using two hearing aids is important.   Still not convinced?  Try this little experiment. Watch television for 10 minutes while you plug up one of your ears. Then listen with both ears again. Most will agree that hearing from two ears is better than hearing from one.

What is it like to use hearing aids?

It will take time for you to learn to listen to new sounds and interpret the voice sounds you will hear again. It will also take time for your brain to learn to focus on the sounds that are important to you and learn to ignore the other sounds. At first, all the sounds in your environment will seem important to your brain. Daily use of the devices will facilitate this adjustment. Focus on all the new, wonderful sounds in your environment and don’t worry about the extraneous sounds you hear.

During the first few days you will physically feel the hearing aids in your ears, but they should not hurt. After awhile, you should forget that the devices are in your ears.

If you purchase programmable or digital hearing aids, you should expect to return to the office several times during the first month or so for fine tuning adjustments for the listening situations you encounter. After the hearing aids are adjusted properly, you should return to the office every 4-6 months for a free cleaning of the hearing aids.

Do not hesitate to ask questions or clarify needs during the important first few months. Sometimes a minor adjustment can make a world of difference. The State of Illinois mandates that hearing aids may be returned within 30 days with a minimal restocking fee. This will give you and our office sufficient time to make sure that the hearing aids you selected are appropriate for you. If not, you may return them or try a different style or technology that may be more suitable