Modern technologies help to restore hearing to people with different degrees of hearing loss and thereby return them to normal high-grade life. To solve this problem, you need to consult a surdologist. The specialist will be able to choose the optimal variant of the hearing aid depending on the characteristics and wishes of the patient.
Hearing aid
The doctor must decide whether to use the hearing aid. The specialist will determine whether hearing loss is a persistent disease and whether conservative treatments will be effective.
If the pathology is amenable to therapy, hearing aids are not prescribed. Most often this refers to chronic diseases of the middle ear, which have a purulent character. In this case, conservative and operational methods give good results.
Also determine the need for a hearing aid will help pre-treatment. This is especially true in chronic catarrhs of the middle ear. Such therapy is often used in neuritis.
This study also helps in part to determine the effectiveness of the device with hearing loss. In the first application of the device it is rather difficult to establish its suitability for the patient.
This device enhances not only speech, but also other sounds. Therefore, a person needs time to adapt to such a regime. In any case, it is possible to make a final decision on the necessity of prosthetics with this device only after an appropriate training.
How to choose yourself
To select this device, you need to take into account a lot of important parameters. The correctness of the choice of the device depends on its type. Modern devices are analog and digital.
The main advantage of analog devices is low cost. The principle of the device is very simple. Thanks to its use, all sounds, including noises, are amplified. Without the device, extraneous sounds are almost not audible, whereas an analog signal significantly increases their volume.
As a result of the use of such devices, the noise load increases significantly, which leads to illegibility of speech. As a result, the irritability of a person increases, and he can completely abandon the use of the device.
At the heart of the digital apparatus is the selectivity of the amplification of sounds. In fact, such devices are mini-computers. All incoming sounds are divided into speech and noise. As a result of filtering, the speech becomes intelligible and intelligible, while the noise level decreases.
In addition to the device type, there are other parameters that allow you to make the right choice. Thus, the use of a hearing aid for two ears has many advantages:
- is much easier to localize the source of sound;
- both ears are subjected to the same load;
- increases the intelligibility of speech;
- eliminates the effect of the shadow of the head - the use of one device leads to the fact that the high-frequency sounds on the other hand seem deaf.
However, such devices can not be used by far not all. It is not convenient for each person to use such devices. In addition, they are more expensive.
When choosing a hearing aid, the localization of this device must be taken into account:
- BTE devices are located behind the ear. A tube with an earmold is sent inside the ear canal. Such devices have different shapes and sizes, including rather miniature ones.
- Intrachannel - are considered the smallest devices that are located in the auditory canal. They are almost invisible, but they have low power and need special care.
- In-the-ear - placed directly into the auricle. They are slightly larger than the in-channel ones, but they have more power.
The choice of a hearing aid is carried out individually. Each type has very specific contraindications, which must be taken into account.
Types of hearing aids
Of no small importance is sufficient capacity of the device especially for the elderly. Hearing impairments can constantly progress, so the reserve of power is so important. In this case, the hearing aid itself does not lead to deterioration of hearing.
In addition, when selecting a device, the following characteristics are taken into account:
- Number of channels. Thanks to this, it is possible to properly configure the device.
- Compression system. Due to its presence, you can amplify sounds in different ways. This preserves the naturalness of quiet and loud sounds.
- Noise reduction. With this function, you can hear the speech more legibly even in conditions of increased noise. Some devices suppress noise and at the same time make speech more intelligible.
- Microphones. These elements can be directional and non-directional. In this case, the direction is adaptive. In this case, it varies depending on the situation. Modern devices allow the user to select the direction of the microphone.
Of great importance is the availability of additional features. So, digital devices can automatically adjust to the acoustic environment. They can be adjusted by switching programs. You can control the device using the remote control or the buttons on the case.
Operating and care instructions
Hearing aids require very accurate handling. Thanks to this device will serve every day for many years. Such devices are highly reliable, but if used incorrectly, there is a risk of damaging them. To avoid this, it is important to adhere to a number of rules:
- Avoid contamination of the device. It is recommended to take the hearing aid with clean and dry hands. It is important to remember that the microphone opening is very small. With careless handling, it can quickly clog.
- Do not expose the unit to moisture. Before taking a shower or a bath, the device must be removed. Do not leave the device in the bathroom, because high humidity will negatively affect its operation. Before installing the device, you should clean your ears. Under the influence of moisture and condensation, electronic components can be damaged. Before going to bed, experts advise you to remove the battery, and leave the compartment containing the power sources open.
- Keep the device out of the reach of children and pets. It should be taken into account that the extracted but not switched off device emits high frequency sounds. They can be irritating to dogs.
- Avoid contact with cosmetics or hairspray. Small particles can clog small holes in the device. Therefore, before using cosmetics, the device needs to be removed.
- Clean the device. To ensure reliable operation of the device, you need to keep it clean. To do this, wipe the machine with a soft, dry cloth. Alcohol, cleaning agents or solvents should not be used. The surdologist can advise special formulations for the care of the hearing instrument.
- Keep the device in a safe place. If the device is not used at home, it should be stored in a special drying box. If you do not plan to carry the device for a long time, you need to remove the power source from it.
- You do not need to try to fix the problems yourself. As a result, you can damage the electronic components of the device.
It is available on the principles of the hearing aid in our video:
To successfully compensate for hearing loss with the aid of the device, you must pay close attention to the choice of this device. It is important to consult a doctor-audiologist at the polyclinic. He will appoint the device depending on the characteristics of the body.