A Guide To Hearing Aids

Hearing loss is a widespread problem, although in our visually oriented society, it may not appear as that noticeable. The truth, however, is completely different. Struggling with hearing loss has a significant impact on daily activities, lifestyle, communication and emotional and physical health. In order to know that hearing impairment can be alleviated we have prepared a short guide to let you know how to better cope with a hearing problem. Do I need a hearing aid? The first symptoms that suggest you may need to undergo an ear examination are problems with understanding conversations, hearing muffled speech, buzzing and ringing in the ear, listening to louder TV and radio, problems with hearing different voices especially in a noisy environment, etc. If you suspect that you have a hearing problem or experience some of the symptoms above, the most important step to take is to turn to an audiologist or an ENT specialist. They will determine the cause, degree and type of the hearing loss, whether it is treatable, how it can be alleviated and the most suitable hearing aid for your specific condition. How can a hearing aid help me? With the progression of hearing loss, you can have trouble with the different sound frequencies. Usually hearing impairment occurs firstly for the higher frequencies. The benefit of the hearing aid is that it amplifies the frequency that is hard to hear with the degree that is suitable and reduces background noise to help optimise speech understanding as much as possible.. What types of hearing aids are there? There are many types of hearing aids available. The main types are behind the ear (including receiver in the ear and open fit) and in the ear (including in the canal and completely in the ear). Other hearing aid types are body worn, bone conduction, implants and disposable. The right hearing aid can be chosen depending on the type and severity of the hearing loss, age or personal taste. How can I get a hearing aid? You can obtain a hearing aid in two ways. One is to purchase it privately from an independent dispenser. You can buy it from a shop or online and choose the model that you like. Another way is to obtain one from the NHS which is free of charge. However, the second option may offer limitations in terms of choice of hearing aids and will usually take a longer time to obtain. Batteries and Accessories Besides paying for the hearing aid, you should consider some other expenditure connected to the maintenance and care of the device. Usually, the hearing aids are equipped with batteries that have different durability (mostly depending on the size of the hearing aid). Behind the ear hearing aids batteries can last up to 12-14 days, while smaller models, such as in the ear ones have a shorter battery life. Accessories that you need may include cases, additional tubes, domes and cleaning supplies. We supply all of these for most types of hearing aids at very competitive prices when compared to the high street alternative.