Hearing Loss, Making Positive Steps For The Future

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A hearing aid may feel like a daunting prospect. The truth is however that millions of people worldwide wear them, of all ages. So whether you’re 25 or 75, you can be sure that you are not alone. Hearing aids improve our hearing function after a hearing loss diagnosis. A hearing aid is a small electronic device that you wear in or behind your ear. It will make some sounds louder so that you can listen, communicate, and participate much better than you could before. A hearing aid can help people hear more in both quiet and noisy situations and it will be of great benefit to you. The hearing tests are particularly easy and should not really take much longer than half an hour. You should book a test if you feel that you are struggling.

Hearing tests are simple. You will be asked to sit in a soundproof booth and you will be asked to wear a pair of headphones. Then small sounds will play. Your audiologist will send a series of tones of varied pitch and loudness to your ears, which should be simple and you will tap a little button when you hear them. Don’t force your ears but be aware. Thankfully you will be able to get the results instantly as they don’t take a lot of time to interpret and this way you can determine if you need a hearing aid.

There are four main types of hearing loss:

Mild Hearing Loss. The quietest sounds people with mild hearing loss can hear are between 25 and 40 dB.

Moderate Hearing Loss. On average, someone with moderate hearing loss cannot hear sounds that are less than 40-75 dB.

Severe Hearing Loss.

Profound Hearing Loss - this can be hereditary or congenital.

I need a hearing aid, now what?

If you do need a hearing aid, then you need to be aware that there are lots of hearing aid styles around. These depend on the type of hearing loss you have and how you want to wear them. There are three basic types which are: Receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids, Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids and in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids. Also your lifestyle factors are taken into consideration, as many of them are very discrete and also taken into consideration your anatomy and what is the most comfortable fit for you.

Results are not instant. You will need to learn to get to grips with your hearing aid. Often it can take anywhere from six weeks to six months so be patient and ask others around you to be patient too. It will take a little practice. Success comes from practice and commitment to wanting improved hearing. When you first begin to use hearing aids, your brain will be startled to receive signals it has been missing and you will find that it is quite mind blowing.

This is a positive for your health. Don’t let hearing loss hold you back anymore. It’s time to start enjoying those sounds again!

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