AboutMark Anderson Expertise I can answer most questions regarding Faults,Problems and Programming Hearing Aids , FM Systems , Assistive Listening Devices , Hearing Loops , Specifically Siemens , Bernafon & Phonak models , But experienced in other brands.
Experience In-Clinic Technician repairing hearing Aids and associated devices as well as Audiology testing equipment for Australia's largest and oldest Hearing Aid provider.
Education/Credentials 28 Years Electronics experience , Trade Qualified Techician ,Qualified Senior Technical Officer , Advanced Diploma in Telecommunications , Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
Expert: Mark Anderson Date: 5/14/2008 Subject: Hearing Aid
Question Hi
My 6 month old daughter was diagnoised with hearing loss on leftside(like she cant hear below 50 decibels at low pitch).My docs are planning for a hearing aid.I have no idea of how the hearing aid will be and how it works.Her right ear is affected with atresia.
Can you please explain me about hearing aids.
Thanks
Answer A hearing instrument is basically a miniature amplification system. Each hearing instrument is individually designed and fitted for one person’s particular hearing situation. This is because each person is an individual with different acoustic needs
Every hearing instrument has the following components:
A microphone
An amplifier (Most have digital signal processing)
A miniature loudspeaker called a receiver
Either an ear mould (a piece of acrylic or silicon material individually formed that fits in the ear.) or individual shell for custom instruments.
A battery
Hearing instruments can be classified in many ways. Perhaps, the simplest way is to categorise them by where they are worn.
There are basically two kinds:
ITE is the abbreviation for in-the-ear. Another word for ITE is "custom" hearing instrument.
BTE is the abbreviation for behind-the-ear.
Life is an open fitting for BTE instruments in place of an ear mould
BTE hearing instruments sit behind the ear and are attached to custom ear moulds. They fit all types of hearing loss from mild to profound and come in a variety of styles from Miniature-BTEs to SuperPower instruments. Many BTEs offer two or three directional microphone systems for improved understanding of speech in noisy situations.
ITE hearing instruments consist of several styles that sit entirely within the ear. They are fitted to each individual, based on an impression of the wearer's ear. Styles range from the smallest Micro-CIC, "Completely in the canal" instrument to the full-shell IT, also called Concha.
Life (Open fitting) - advantages with sound quality and comfort
Behind the ear systems can be open or closed. Closed means that the fitted ear mould more or less completely occludes the outer ear and ear channel. Life fittings are more comfortable and an open system ventilates and avoids the collection of moisture in the ear.
BTE and ITE types have different benefits concerning cosmetics, wearing comfort, hearing loss and user needs.
The advantage of wearing an ITE is that it is custom made for the individual's ear and tailored to his/her preferences.
It is small and fits directly into the ear canal. For some, this is cosmetically more attractive than a BTE. For some styles, the ITE is practically invisible.
An advantage of a BTE is it can offer more power and in certain applications be more inconspicuous.
Depending on the dexterity of the user, BTEs may offer a handling advantage because they are larger in size.
Life products are only suitable for certain hearing losses, but they can often be the most comfortable hearing instruments to wear
In the past, "volume controls" were always needed to control the instrument. Today, learning controls handle volume control, automatically. More advanced instruments have directional microphones that focus microphones in noisy environments like at a restaurant or a party. Newer hearing instrument-families offer a "remote control" to provide bi-directional remote control to volume, program and battery status.
Features of Modern Hearing Instruments
Like everything else in the world, digital technology is revolutionising hearing instruments. It used to be that non-digital, analogue instruments needed manual volume controls and firm program settings. Today, even though manual controls are still an option, digital instruments can collect and save information about different hearing situations making it possible to automatically adjust to these different hearing situations.
Digital Features of Modern Hearing Instruments:
Automatic sound processing
Directional microphone systems
Speech & Noise management technology
Feedback Cancellation
Multiple Listening programs
Wireless technology
Intelligent features and accessories:
Remote control
Telecoil
Audio input
There are lots of possibilities to wearing a hearing instrument. It can enhance the way you look. You can match the colour of your instrument to your eye or to your hair colour. This way it looks like a natural part of your body and does not look like a foreign object but a fashion object.
Sometimes, a custom instrument may look better than a behind-the-ear instrument. The cosmetics, however, depend on your taste and your particular type of hearing loss. For custom instruments, you may not be able to wear the smallest instrument because generally the greater your hearing loss, the larger the custom instrument must be. Keep in mind that all types of hearing loss are individual and some must be handled differently than others. If you have a "High Frequency" hearing loss, for example, in most cases you will not be able to wear a custom instrument because of the "occlusion effect," but your acoustician will precisely determine this for you.
As you see, finding the right hearing instrument that is cosmetically pleasing in appearance and that fits your hearing needs can get complicated. Working out exactly the right choice will have to be done together with your hearing health care provider.
A silver BTE-hearing instrument and silver chain look as though they were meant to be worn together. Matching your new BTE's colour with the colour of your hair, skin or perhaps your favourite jewellery is easy.
Custom instruments have a look-and-feel of their own for a completely discreet look. The following pictures show different instrument constructions. Custom instruments have different sizes: CIC, CS; CT and IT. The smallest is the CIC and the IT is the largest.
Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC). The smallest of the hearing instruments, these are custom-made to fit deeply inside your ear canal so that they are practically invisible.
CS instruments are also custom-made and small enough to fit almost entirely in your ear canal. They can be hardly noticeable.
CT instruments are also custom-made and small enough to fit almost entirely in your ear canal. They are hardly noticeable.
IT instruments are a full-shell. They are also known as the Concha because it completely fills the deepest concavity of the external ear.
The ear mould is an important component of your BTE instrument. It connects the hearing instrument to your ear.
The ear mould is shaped for each customer individually. The particular form of the ear mould depends on the anatomy of its wearer.
Besides the hearing instrument itself, it is important because it fulfils multiple functions for acoustics and better hearing.
One of the most important tasks of the ear mould is to amplify the transmitted acoustic sound and noise to the eardrum. It also improves the positioning and hold of the hearing instrument behind the ear.
An important aspect of the ear mould is to seal the auditory canal. This acts as a gasket and prevents acoustic feedback.
Feedback occurs because some of the sound amplified by the hearing aid is sent outwards from the hearing aid receiver, "loudspeaker" then picked up again by the hearing aid microphone. The sound is then re-amplified and sent outward and once again picked up by the microphone. This becomes an infinite loop, creating the tonal squeal that can also be heard by other people.
Getting the right fit for your ear mould is one way to prevent feedback. There are different forms and types of ear moulds. You and your hearing health care provider will have to determine exactly which ear mould is best for you.
Power-on-delay
Multichannel directional adaptive microphone
Microphone noise reduction
AutoPhone
Feedback cancellation
Wind noise reduction
Digital noise reduction
Dedicated hearing program e.g. for music
Power-on-delay
After getting up in the morning, The User puts in hearing instruments. They are easily turned on by using the battery door switch and do not produce any whistling sound when inserting them into the ears.
Microphone noise reduction
The Users instruments fit very comfortably, and no annoying background noise is disturbing the peace.
Feedback cancellation
Putting on a hat, The User is not bothered by any irritating feedback.
Digital noise reduction
The Users friend is vacuuming.
The Users hearing instruments are picking up both the sound of the vacuum cleaner and her friend's voice. The User can clearly hear her friend and enjoy the conversation without difficulties.
Multichannel directional adaptive microphone
The User and a friend walk to a nearby coffee shop, the automatic adaptive microphone of her hearing instruments allows a relaxed conversation in spite of all the traffic noise that surrounds them.
AutoPhone
The User receives a phone call. The voice on the phone is easy to understand. The listening situation is so natural during the call that The User forgets that they are wearing hearing instruments.
Wind noise reduction
The User’s favourite exercise is cycling. The User needs to wear hearing instruments during the ride so that they can hear the traffic. During the evening ride it became rather windy, but thanks to the wind noise reduction feature, the hearing instruments do not produce any annoying sounds.
Dedicated hearing program e.g. for music
The User goes to the opera house. As they are very keen on classical music, they are glad when the dispenser suggested a dedicated listening program for music.
Getting Hearing Aids
Seeing a Professional
Good health practice requires that a person with a hearing loss has a medical evaluation by a licensed physician before purchasing a hearing instrument. This physician can refer you to a Hearing Care Professional for a hearing instrument evaluation.
If you suspect a hearing loss, you can consult the following Hearing Care Professionals:
Audiologists
Hearing aid practitioners
Otolaryngologists
The Hearing Evaluation
A hearing evaluation will help to determine if you have a hearing loss and the degree and type of your loss. Only then can an appropriate treatment be recommended. The Hearing Care Professional will examine your ears for possible physical defects like excessive wax build-up, infection, or growth. A hearing evaluation also includes an audiogram. An audiogram will measure your ability to detect sounds at various frequencies or pitches. It takes about an hour. It doesn't hurt and will help a Hearing Care Professional find a solution to suit your particular hearing needs.
The Ear Impression
Many hearing instruments are custom-made to fit your ears. Your Hearing Care Professional custom fits hearing instruments or ear moulds by making an impression of your ear(s), which is an exact duplicate of the contours of your ears. The Hearing Care Professional sends the impression to a hearing aid manufacturer, to make your hearing aid. Impressions of your ears are carefully replicated for the best fit possible.
Your audiogram and your own comments about how well you can hear in a variety of listening environments help determine the optimum setting for your hearing aids. Your Hearing Care Professional adjusts hearing instruments by taking measurements to check how well you can hear. They teach you to operate the hearing instruments, and how to hear best in different environments. They may also offer tips for communicating while wearing hearing instruments, encourage you to practice inserting and removing the hearing instruments, and instruct you in cleaning and caring for your hearing instruments as well as proper battery use.
Typically, you will return for a follow up visit some days later. Your part is to wear your new hearing instruments for a few days in your regular surroundings. You may even want to keep a diary to record your impressions of the sounds you hear. Based upon how well you can hear in your everyday surroundings, your Hearing Health Care Professional may make additional adjustments to your hearing instruments if necessary.
The maintenance of a hearing instrument is very simple.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that your hearing instrument should not get wet. A hearing instrument just like any other electrical appliance can become damaged by moisture.
Since hearing instruments are worn on your body, moisture can not be completely avoided. To perspire or to cry is only human. Nature is also unpredictable; you never know when you will be stranded in a downpour.
To prevent damage to your hearing instrument, special cleaning and drying systems have been developed like the drying container, drying capsules, drying cushion and cleansing wipes.
It is recommended that you keep your hearing instrument in its drying container before retiring to bed. You should open the battery door on your instruments before placing in the drying container so that moisture will be able to escape more easily. This is true both for BTE and custom instruments.
If your instrument is not clean on the outside, you can clean it with a cleaning wipe.
Ear mould
Special cleaning systems are also available for your ear mould.
Since there are no mechanical parts to your ear mould, you can care for it separately from the rest of your instrument.
The drying container or cleansing capsules are used to maintain your ear mould.
After filling your cleansing container with water and a cleansing capsule, you place your ear mould for about 15-20 minutes in the liquid. You can leave it in the liquid overnight if it is really dirty.
Afterwards, you remove the ear mould, rinse it thoroughly with water and dry it with a clean towel to remove moisture. Finally, use the air blower to blow through the drillings. The remain cleansing liquid must be completely removed from the tube and the drillings.
You can now attach the clean ear mould to your hearing instrument.
Repeat the same process every week or as needed. Additionally, Your acoustician will clean your ear mould from time to time with an ultrasound bath.
