Hearing Aids: An Introduction
What Do Hearing Aids Do?
A hearing aid amplifies sounds; in other words, it makes things louder. Many people find that a properly selected and fitted hearing aid helps them hear much better.
A hearing aid can:
- Allow you to hear and understand speech better in most situations
- Help you hear the high-pitched sounds of speech, including the consonants
- Increase your ability to participate more fully in group situations
- Make life more pleasant for you and those around you
A hearing aid may not:
- Allow you to hear speech clearly when there is a lot of background noise
- Restore normal hearing or the ability to hear a complete range of sound
- Let you hear only what you want to hear (all sound may be amplified, not just what you want)
- Make distorted sound clear and distinct
Adjusting to a New World of Sound
- In the first week with your new hearing aid, you’ll be listening to many sounds that you may have been missing for quite awhile. Some of these sounds, including your own voice, may seem loud or annoying. It is important to wear your hearing aids everyday so that you become accustomed to these new sounds.
- Hearing loss often occurs slowly. Adjusting to your new hearing aid also takes time. Your brain, which is involved with hearing, needs time to "relearn" how to identify these new sounds and ultimately figure out which ones to tune out.
- Feedback or "whistling" occurs when amplified sound is re-amplified by the microphone of the hearing aid. It is normal for this to occur while you are inserting or removing the hearing aids, putting anything near the hearing aids when they are in your ears, or cupping your hearing aids in your hand when they are on.
- Hearing aids may only be one part of an overall program to improve your hearing. Telephone and/or television devices may be helpful as well. A person may also need to practice being assertive in stating his or her listening needs.