Hearing Aids
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About Hearing Aids
Many people experience hearing loss. Hearing loss—whether mild, moderate, or severe—can cause communication problems at home, at work, and with friends. Hearing aids can be helpful for some types of hearing loss. Your audiologist can test your hearing and help find the best hearing aid for you. Not every hearing aid will work for every person. You may need a hearing aid in one or both ears.
Not all hearing aids are the same. They come in different styles and sizes. A hearing aid may fit completely or partly in your ear canal, sit in the outer part of your ear, or rest behind your ear. Different features are available to improve your hearing with the hearing aid. Your audiologist will consider your specific needs and goals when helping you choose the right style and features for your situation.
All hearing aids have
- a microphone to pick up sound;
- a way to make sound louder, called an amplifier;
- a receiver that sends the louder sounds to your ear;
- an on/off switch; and
- batteries.
Additional hearing aid features that may be helpful to you include
- a directional microphone to pick up sounds from one specific direction;
- a telephone (or telecoil) switch to help you hear and understand speech when using the telephone;
- direct audio input to plug a microphone into your hearing aid for use with your TV, computer, or radio; and
- connection to personal Bluetooth devices like cellphones, tablets, and smart TVs.
Getting Used to Hearing Aids
It takes time to get used to hearing aids. Hearing aids can help you hear environmental sounds and communicate with others for a better quality of life. They do not cure hearing loss or return your hearing to normal.
Your audiologist can help you adjust to wearing your hearing aid and teach you what to expect. They can monitor your hearing aid on a regular basis, answer your questions, and make any adjustments that you need. They can recommend aural rehabilitation services to help you get the most out of your hearing aid. Some helpful hearing assistive technology options may also be available for use with your hearing aid.
Taking Care of Hearing Aids
Your audiologist can teach you how to care for your hearing aid and to check that it is working correctly. They can show you how to clean and store your hearing aid and how to check and change the batteries. You may receive some tools to care for your hearing aid, such as a battery tester, rechargeable batteries, a listening tube, and a drying container.
To keep your hearing aid working properly, it is important to
- check the batteries often and keep spare batteries on hand,
- clean your hearing aid according to your audiologist’s instructions,
- keep your hearing aid dry, and
- talk to your audiologist about how to do listening checks on your hearing aid.
Resources
This list does not include every website on this topic. ASHA does not endorse the information on these sites.
