Hearing
loss is not necessarily a sign of old age. Some people are born with a
hearing impairment,
but ear
infections or constant exposure to loud noise can also lead to a hearing
loss.
So, no
matter what your age or position in life, you may well be able to benefit
from hearing
amplification.
A hearing healthcare professional will be able ascertain if you would get
any useful
benefit
from a hearing instrument, and, if necessary, help you choose the particular
instrument which
best suits
your needs and lifestyle.
All hearing
instruments contain some fundamental components:
Microphone:to
pick up sounds
Amplifier:to
make sounds louder
Receiver
(loudspeaker):to make sounds louder
Behind
The Ear, or postaural, hearing aids are very reliable and offer
great
fitting flexibility. These instruments sit comfortably behind the
ear and
the amplified sound passes through a tube to a customised
earmould
which fits inside the ear. Because of their larger size, these
hearing
instruments can accomodate larger batteries for longer life
and larger
amplifiers for maximum amplification. Earmoulds of
various
sizes and styles are available, and are usually made of a clear
material
(acrylic or silicone) so as to be as unobtrusive as possible.
In The
Ear, or intra-aural, hearing aids, are very popular and are
smaller.
These instruments are custom-made and fit securely inside
the ear.
They range in size from full-shell models, which fill the
'concha',
or bowl of the ear, through half-shell, to In-The-Canal (ITC)
models
(distinct from CIC).
CIC stands
for Completely-In-the-Canal. These type of hearing aids
fit deep
inside the canal of the ear, and, depending on the size of the
ear, can
be made so small as to be virtually invisible.
All of
these instruments are also available with programmable systems, which means
you can adjust
your hearing
instrument to different listening situations very quickly and easily. They
offer versatile
performance
in both noisy and quiet listening situations.
Get
your own Free
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