About Hearing Aids
Hearing aids make sounds louder so you are able to hear more comfortably. They are battery-operated and you usually wear them in or around your ear. Wearing a hearing aid will make a real difference to your quality of life.
What is a hearing aid?
Hearing aids are available in different shapes, sizes and types. However, all hearing aids work in a similar way. They have a built-in microphone that picks up sound, which is processed electronically in the hearing aid. The resulting ’signals’ are then passed on to a receiver (like a tiny loudspeaker) where they are converted back into louder sounds that you can hear. The very latest in hearwear is able to provide a digital, rich sound whilst remaining so discreet only the user will known a hearing aid is being worn.
You are able to get hearing aids free from the NHS or buy them from a hearing aid dispenser who has to be registered with the hearing aid council. Confident Hearing strongly recommends against buying hearing aids via the internet as a consultation and fitting process is paramount in ensuring the right make, model, style and application meet an individuals needs.
Why wear a hearing aid?
A hearing aid cannot give you perfect hearing but wearing a hearing aid will make a real difference to your quality of life. It should help you hear everyday sounds like the telephone and make it much easier to follow conversations with other people. As a result, your confidence in talking to people should improve. If you have tinnitus, you may hear it less with a hearing aid.
If your hearing loss is similar in both ears you might benefit from two hearing aids. Many people find two aids help them to tell where sounds are coming from.
What does a hearing aid do?
A hearing aid can: Make sounds louder. Make conversations easier. Help you hear on the telephone.
However, it won’t necessarily make sounds perfectly clear and you may still find it difficult to follow what people are saying in noisy places. Some hearing aids reduce certain background noises.
A hearing aid will not make your hearing worse. If you have tinnitus – hissing, buzzing or other noise in your ears or head – you may hear it less with a hearing aid.
What else can you do to help yourself?
As well as listening, most people find it helpful to watch people’s faces and lipread when in conversation. Everybody lipreads to some extent, especially in noisy places. Gestures and expressions are an important part of communicating. When you are struggling with your hearing, you may rely more on noticing people’s body language and gestures. This can be helpful even once you have a hearing aid.
Further information available from the RNID
Find out more in their leaflet “All about hearing aids“
