Hearing Aids – The Digital Age Has Arrived
In October 2022, a final ruling from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)made it legal to sell hearing aids over the counter without requiring a medical or audiologist exam, prescription, or professional fitting.
What is a Hearing Aid?
Older adult hearing aids are small electronic devices you wear inside or outside your ear. Some are so small they can fit comfortably within your ear canal and are completely invisible. Others can be molded around and then inside your ear.
The new generation of hearing aids makes sounds clearer and more audible so that a person with hearing loss can listen, communicate, and fully participate in life. Today’s hearing aids can also help people hear more in both quiet and noisy situations.
Hearing Loss From Aging
Hearing aids are primarily helpful in improving the hearing and speech comprehension of people with hearing loss resulting from aging.
The medical term for this form of hearing loss is sensorineural hearing loss. It is usually the result of normal aging. But sensorineural loss can also result from disease or trauma.
Trauma-Induced Loss
If there has been an inner ear trauma, even significant sound vibrations may not be able to be received and converted into distinguishable sounds.
In most trauma-induced hearing loss cases, a hearing aid will likely be unable to assist the person. Notwithstanding, you should check with your audiologist or physician.
How Hearing Aids Works
Without getting into the complexity of the technology, a hearing aid essentially has three major components: a microphone (receiver), an amplifier, and a conducting medium that transmits the sound directly to the inner ear.
Sadly, even the best digital hearing aids will not restore your hearing to its original capacity. Instead, hearing aids can maximize your current hearing potential, especially in busy and challenging listening environments.
Adjustable Features
The scope of features varies depending on the technology and the price of the hearing aid. For example, adjustable features can include noise reduction, directional-based microphones, and features that help you hear in busy public places such as large and noisy family celebrations.
The more recent versions allow longer-lasting and smaller batteries and blue tooth functionality.
Hearing Aids Technology Has Made Major Advances
Like most medical devices, different hearing aids work differently depending on their technology.
The two types of technologies being used are analog and digital.
Digital Hearing Aids
Digital allows for significant noise reduction by a selective sound program in busy and noisy environments. They filter out select forms of background noise, thereby increasing auditory comprehension.
Digital aids can also distinguish between pitch and loudness, allowing the program to selectively amplify some vibratory frequencies (sounds) more than others.
Perhaps the most valuable benefit of digital aids is that they can increase the effective capacity for audiologists to be more accurate in adjusting the sound and pitch levels depending on the listener’s specific listening environments.
These types of hearing aids can distinguish between sounds coming from different directions.
Analog Hearing Aids
Analog aids function by converting convert sounds into electrical signals, which are then amplified into the inner ear. The benefit of these types of aids is cost and durability.
According to the National Council on Aging, a review of the best hearing aids for 2023 include Jabra Enhance, Lexie, Eargo, Audicus, Phonak, and Audien.
Locating An Audiologist
If you have additional questions or are unsure what type of hearing aid will be best for you, consult an Audiologist nearby.
Other Helpful Resources
Hearing Loss Association of America
Hearing-loss support and advocacy groups provide valuable links to hearing professionals.
An online support group of late-deafened, hard-of-hearing, and deaf senior adults.
