Hearing Aids and How to Choose Them

In response to a recent hearing aid question on the Beyond-Hearing email list, Steve Barber (jsbarbe@attglobal.net) provided one of the clearest and most concise explanations of hearing aid functionality that I've seen. I asked him if I could share it with you, and he was happy to allow me to do so.

BTW, for those who don't know, Beyond-Hearing (bhLIST) is a GREAT email list for anyone interested in hearing loss. So is the companion bhNEWS. As you may have noticed, those names come up quite often in this newsletter. If you're interested in subscribing (and I encourage you to do so), point your browser to http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/4727/bhframe.htm

Now, Steve's words of wisdom.

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Don't confuse digital with programmable ...

It's confusing, but here are some facts:

1) The processing of the sound by the aid may be either digital or analog.

2) Some aids (whose sound processing may be either digital or analog) can store and switch among multiple "programs" ... or sets of settings.

3) Since the programmable functions are digital, some people may refer to the aid as a digital aid (even if it processes sound via analog).

4) So, aids may be -- completely analog (sound processed by analog circuits and adjustments made by a couple of tiny screw settings) -- "hybrid" (sound processed by analog circuits, but digital used for programming) -- fully digital (both sound processing and programming via digital).

5) Programmable aids (either digital or analog sound processing) can be a big advantage for most people ... at least those people capable of understanding which program they should put the aid into in various situations.

6) Digital aids do have many benefits, and may be right for you, but they are not, by default, better than analog aids ... analog sound processing can be just as good as digital, depending on the type of loss. Having a more severe hearing loss doesn't imply that digital would be better than analog.

As for advice on choosing an aid

1) Expect that a hearing aid (or better yet, two hearing aids assuming both ears have a loss) will improve your hearing ... but, remember that you won't hear perfectly ... it's not like glasses.

2) Expect that hearing aids will require a period of adjustment ... and some learned skills on your part on how to get the most out of them.

3) Do NOT choose an aid based on its small size or on how inconspicuous it is ... use only one criteria ... how much does it improve your hearing in the situations you normally deal with. For most people, that means "how well do I hear what people say in various conditions like quiet rooms, noisy restaurants, cars, at work, listening to TV, on the phone etc). Use your trial period to explore all these situations.

4) Do consider an aid with a built in telecoil ... (except for mild losses, I think it's crazy to not have a telecoil).

5) Do consider an aid with a Direct Audio Input (DAI) capability, because it offers much flexibility with assistive listening devices. Even if you only use it to hardwire to a TV it may be well worth having the feature. If you can benefit from assistive listening devices, then a DAI can be a very important feature.

6) Do expect an use the trial period to your advantage ... keep a notebook of what you hear well and don't hear well ... be able to describe what you hear to the fitter so adjustments can be made or other more appropriate aids can be tried.

7) Know that there are alternatives that range from simple to complex ... consider your personality when determining what's best for you ... if you're a technophile and like technical things (programs, remotes, volume controls, FMs etc) then there are aids that have all of those things ... if you abhor devices with more than an on-off switch then there are aids for the technophobe.

8) If you're not happy with the first aids you try or with the first settings, try some other aids or settings.

9) Choose the aids based on what works best for you ... nobody, not even the best audiologist, can hear what you're hearing ... so you've got to make the decision. Listen to what the experts say and use that to help with your decision ... but it's your decision.