Hearing Healthcare the way you "Prefer" it to be!
Selecting the Appropriate Hearing Aid System
Several factors must be considered in selecting appropriate hearings aids for a particular individual. These include:
- Degree of hearing loss
- Hearing loss configuration
- Progressive nature of hearing loss
- Tolerance issues
- Background noise issues
- Specific needs of the individual
One of the first factors to be considered is the degree of hearing loss. Greater hearing loss requires more powerful hearing aids. But modern technology facilitates the construction of hearing aids that will benefit virtually everyone with hearing loss. People with severe or profound losses may find digital feedback managers particularly beneficial, because they allow the hearing aid to provide increased power without producing feedback. In general, more severe hearing losses require more power, which means larger aids.
A second important factor in selecting a hearing aid is the configuration of the hearing loss. A flat hearing loss (one with the same loss at all frequencies) is the easiest to treat, requiring only a basic amplifier. Such a hearing loss does NOT call for advanced technologies, although other factors may.
Complex and oddly-shaped audiograms generally require more advanced technology. Such audiograms require different amounts of amplification at different frequencies, so multi-channel instruments are appropriate choices. In general the more complex the audiogram, the more channels are required to adequately correct the hearing loss. These more problematic losses include steeply-sloped losses, reverse slope losses, "cookie bite" losses, and "reverse cookie bite" losses.
A third consideration in the selection of a hearing aid is the progressive nature of the hearing loss. If a person's hearing loss is progressive, she should select an aid that provides enough adjustment to ensure that the aid will meet her needs for several years.
Note that choosing an aid that facilitates adjustments doesn't mean you'll be able to use it forever. Wear and tear will eventually require its replacement; smaller aids generally wear out sooner. The life expectancy of a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) aid is about three to five years, while a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid should last five to seven years.
The fourth consideration in selecting a hearing aid is the importance of tolerance issues. Some people may have reduced tolerance for loud sounds, while others may need sound to be quite loud for them to understand anything. Tolerance issues can be dealt with by using compression and/or multi-channel technology. Compression reduces the variation in the output sound volume, so that soft sounds can be amplified and loud sounds reduced. Multi-channel technology allows the sound spectrum to be divided into multiple parts that can be processed separately, so that sounds in a certain frequency won't be overwhelmed by other sounds in other channels.
The fifth selection consideration concerns background noise and how it's dealt with. The most effective technology for improving understanding in background noise is a directional microphone, which provides an improvement in signal to noise ratio (SNR) between 3.5 and 12 dB. Directional microphones are not available on the smallest aids, and may not be available on all hearing aid models.
So how do you know how much of a problem background noise is for you? You probably have some idea based on how well you hear in noisy situations, but your hearing specialist can give you a test to provide a more objective measure
The final consideration in aid selection is specific individual needs, including:
- How active is the person's lifestyle?
- How often is he in a noisy environment?
- What hearing aid style does he prefer?
- Are there hearing issues in the workplace?
- What is the frequency and nature of the person's telephone use?
