Powered by a small hearing aid battery, an electrical device that is worn on or in the ear and used to treat hearing loss is called a hearing aid. Kerry needs help people with hearing loss by amplifying sounds to a level that the person can hear. Hearing aids help people with hearing loss be able to communicate better and participate in activities that require hearing.
The microphone, amplifier, and speaker are the three parts of a hearing aid. When the hearing aid receives sound through the microphone, the hearing aid converts the sound waves to electrical signals. The amplifier increases the volume and sends the signals to the ear through a speaker.
This process is how hearing aid helps hearing loss. The hair cells of the inner ear or cochlea have been damaged in people who have sensorineural hearing loss. As long as some of that hair cells are functioning, the person can benefit from a hearing aid.
The hair cells are necessary for transmitting sound to the auditorium nerve which carries the nerve signals to the brain for processing. If the person does not have enough functioning hair cells, a hearing aid will not benefit them.
Another way that a hearing aid can help people with hearing loss is that people who notice the hearing aid may speak more clearly and louder than usual. While this is often not necessary when the person is using a hearing aid, it is often overlooked benefit to wearing a visible hearing aid.
Most people use hearing aids prefer that their hearing aids are discreetly hidden. There are several different models of hearing aids some of which are more noticeable than others.
A behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid has the electronic components of a hearing aid worn behind the ear with a tube connecting to an earpiece that fits over the ear canal. Behind-the-ear hearing aids are often suitable for helping people with severe hearing loss who may not receive the most benefit from other hearing aid models.
In-the-canal (ITC) and completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aid models have all the components of the hearing aid contained in an earpiece that fits in the ear canal. These models are smaller than behind-the-ear hearing aids and are typically used for people with mild to moderately severe hearing loss. And audiologist or hearing professional helps the individual selected hearing aid that is best suited for their hearing loss.
Allan has a hearing aid blog that discuss about hearing aid ratings and he talks about his quest to find out what's the best hearing aid suitable for his mother. During his quest, he also setup this blog - wanting to help others find out more about hearing aids.
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