If you answer “Yes” to two or more of the following questions, you should make an appointment to have your hearing evaluated:
- Are you having trouble hearing the television?
- Are you having difficulty on the telephone?
- Are you having difficulty hearing the doorbell, telephone, clock or other devices?
- Do you feel that people “mumble” and don’t speak clearly?
- Do you frequently ask other people to repeat themselves?
- Do you feel like your hearing is “cloudy” or “not clear”
- Do other people ask you if you have problems hearing?
- Do you hear people, but just don’t quite make out what they are saying?
- Do you find yourself avoiding situations because you are not able to hear other people properly?
- Do you find that your hearing is not what it used to be?
According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, “Anyone regularly exposed to hazardous noise should have an annual hearing test. Also, anyone who notices a change in his hearing (or who develops tinnitus) should have his ears checked. People who have healthy ears and who are not exposed to hazardous noise should get a hearing test every three years.”
- Daily maintenance can keep hearing aids working properly for as long as five to seven years. Experts recommend taking the hearing aids off each day and wiping them with a soft cloth or tissue. Many devices come with a brush or wire pick to remove earwax from the hearing aid. Or with Jodi Consumer Vac (www.jodivac.com), you can get the same kind of hearing aid vacuum cleaning the professionals use to remove wax. It's also a good idea to remove the batteries and leave the battery compartment door open, both to prolong battery life and to allow moisture to dissipate.
- Next, store hearing aids in an electronic dry-aid kit like those manufactured by TransEar (www.eartech.com). These kits normally feature a germicidal light that kills bacteria and other germs. And the kits' fans circulate air around the hearing aid, while desiccants absorb moisture to ensure that the device stays dry.
- It helps to keep the ears clean too. Was is productive for ears, but too much is problematic for both hearing and keeping a hearing aid working properly. Health Enterprises Ear Irrigator (www.healthenterprises.com) features a saline solution and clinically tested "tri-stream" tip with a pressure-control bottle. It can be used up to three times a week to clean ears and prevent damaging earwax buildup. Consult a physician before cleaning your own ears for the first time.
- According to Brendan Leonard, president of Health Enterprises, "Research indicates that 75 percent of all hearing aid repairs are due to earwax and moisture and almost 100 percent of these repairs are preventable with proper maintenance." For repairs that can't be prevented, there's the protection of a hearing aid warranty, which can be purchased separately from companies like SoundAid (www.soundaid.com).
| Hearing Aid Styles |
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| Behind-The-Ear (BTE) |
Receiver-in-the-Ear (RITE) |
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| Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) |
In-the-Canal (ITC) |
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| In-the-Ear (ITE) |
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| Technology Types |
| Digital |
Digital hearing aids convert sound waves into numerical codes before amplifying them for the ear. Digital hearing aids give the wearer more flexibility because they can be programmed to pick up specialized sounds and reproduce a higher quality of audio. |
| Analogue |
Analog hearing aids operate similarly to a loudspeaker and a standard microphone by picking up sound and converting it to electrical waves that are amplified for the ear. Analog hearing aids operate on an older technology. |
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