What Can You Expect From a Hearing Aid?

Do you feel like you’re not hearing anything anymore, but are you struggling to get through and wear a hearing aid? Discover now what a hearing aid can bring you.

How do hearing aids work?

Hearing devices often have three main components: the microphone, the processor and the speaker. The microphone picks up the sounds of our environment, ie the sound signals, and transmits them to the processor.
The latter amplifies the noises and converts the sound into electrical signals. Finally, the speaker, also called earpiece, transmits the signals to the ear of the wearer. The sound reaches the ear and can be clearly perceived by the wearer again.

Why can hearing aids do more than just increase volume?

A hearing loss does not only mean that the person hears less loudly, it primarily reflects an indistinct listening and understanding. The noises are then often perceived differently from their tone, piercing or buzzing. Some sounds may even cause discomfort or pain. In some cases, it is not enough to “increase the volume” for the people concerned to hear better.

Determine the right sound volume
The technique for amplifying sound signals is however essential. Individuals with hearing loss can perceive sounds only from a certain volume of sound, these sounds must be stronger than those perceived by individuals with good hearing. But if everything is amplified, a police siren would be absolutely unbearable to hear. This is why the threshold of discomfort of the user of a hearing aid is determined during the adjustment of the hearing aid. This threshold refers to the noise level from which noises are perceived as unpleasant. In most individuals with normal hearing, this value is set at about 100 decibels.

Amplify precise frequencies
In addition to the general sound volume, a hearing system must specifically amplify the frequencies that the patient does not hear very well. True state-of-the-art technologies, hearing aids can now accurately and precisely compensate for each hearing loss in different frequency ranges.

Eliminate spurious noise
Filtration of parasitic noise is a real challenge. For example, distinguishing the voice of a friend during a conversation in a busy restaurant requires extremely complex treatment mechanisms, even in people with normal hearing. Current device technologies offer certain features that significantly improve speech intelligibility in such challenging situations.

In order to overcome these difficult conditions, hearing aids have different hearing programs for a variety of hearing situations, for example when you are in a restaurant or listening to music. Hearing instruments also have several frequency channels, so that the amplification of sounds can be adapted to the needs of each wearer.

What functions do modern hearing aids possess?

Rechargeable hearing aids
Hearing aids make life easier for the hearing impaired in many ways. Patients are often inconvenienced by constantly having to change batteries and take extra batteries on longer journeys. But thanks to the latest generation of hearing aids that work with accumulators, these worries are a thing of the past.
It is enough to charge the accumulators once to enjoy peaceful listening for 24 hours. Thanks to this new technology, lithium-ion batteries also hold 40% longer than conventional models. And, like your mobile phone, you can easily charge your hearing aid with the charger.

Streaming
Today, it is possible to connect modern hearing aids to a smartphone or smartwatch via a wireless Bluetooth connection. If the hearing aid is paired, it is possible to simply and directly call the device using Android, iOS or any other operating system.
Some models can also be connected wirelessly to audio devices or TVs. As a result, the sound is directed directly into the ear, so you can fully enjoy it.
Often, the hearing instrument can also be controlled via the smartphone, by means of associated applications. With the intelligent remote control, each hearing program can be adapted wirelessly to ambient noise, and the sound volume of the hearing aid can be adjusted separately on each ear. For example, in high-impact restaurants, the hubbub is smothered so that you can focus on the other person. Ambient noises such as traffic noise can be attenuated and natural noises such as chirping birds can be amplified.

What are the most common prejudices about hearing aids?

Until a few years ago, hearing aids were a kind of coarse hook that was trapped behind the ear and resulted in only a small improvement in hearing ability. In addition, these old devices caused hugs, for example. This problem is solved today. Modern hearing aids are virtually invisible, can bu use completely in the ear canal. These in ear hearing aids are real small wonders of technology that can connect wirelessly to many other electronic devices.
The conventional wisdom that one just has to continue to “train” one’s ears is also hard. Many people think that they will develop their hearing through a hearing aid, their hearing then dependent on a technical tool. Hearing, however, does not regenerate itself. If a hearing disorder is present, it is almost impossible to cancel its progression. A hearing aid is often the only help possible.