Hearing Aid Questions

How will I know if I need hearing aids?    Try to notice if your are asking people to repeat themselves often.  Do you have trouble in background noise situations such as receptions or restaurants?   Do  you have trouble hearing the TV when other people have set the volume and they seem to be following the activity?   Ask a family member if they feel you are missing things they are saying.   All of these are indicators of a hearing loss.   A good quality hearing test is the single best way to know exactly how well you hear.   This is a highly calibrated and standardized test that can tell you whether you hear in the normal range, or if it is time to consider amplification such as hearing aids.  A complete hearing assessment can be scheduled  through The ENT Group, at any of our office locations.   Hearing aids are fit in the  Anderson ,  Christ,  and Kenwood offices,  and will soon be available in Western Hills also.

Can I just amplify voices and not all the background noise?   Background noise is always a problem with hearing aids.  However, the combination of digital processing and open fit technology has allowed for screening out of a good part of the background noise.  This helps the listener to hear voices more clearly.  There are new technologies that link the hearing aid to the cell phone or TV for  a more direct placement of sound into the ear.   

Will they be noticeable?   The continued miniaturization of the devices has virtually allowed them to disappear down the ear canal.  The newer open fit technologies have a thin tubing that hides along the crease of the ear and blends  naturally with the hair.   In any case,  being able to hear and communicate and be part of the enjoyment of your surroundings is more important than the minor appearance issues of a hearing aid.

How long do batteries last?  You will need to change the batteries about once per week.  This varies with how many hours each day the hearing aid is used.  The hearing aid will tell you when the batteries are getting low.

Can I wear them with sports and recreation?   Hearing aids cannot get wet, so when swimming and performing heavy sweating exercise they have to be removed.   Contact sports such as soccer can cause them to be displaced and lost.   Generally, people find they can comfortably wear hearing aids with golf and social tennis activities.