subject: Quality Of Hearing Aids Goes Up With Advancing Technology [print this page] . This man would have to wear two hearing aids for the rest of his life, one allowed him to hear sounds and the other balanced the sounds he was hearing, and he eventually became president of the United States.
At the time of his accident, he became one of 24 million people living in the United States who have problems with hearing, speech or language. The number of hearing impaired is on the rise, as studies from the national hearing aid society show, the number of hearing impaired is expected to go up in the US through the years 1980 to 2050 because there are so many Baby Boomers who are reaching retirement age.
With there being such a rising number of users in the future, hearing aid manufacturers are attentively working on making their products better. Among the improvements are aids which are small enough to hide just inside the outer ear, and products that are able to differentiate between background noise and conversation. Unfortunately, as many hearing specialists point out, most people tend to place hearing aids at the wrong end of the need-to-have list, along with dentures, rather than at the top of the list with eyeglasses. Most patients lose their hearing gradually over time, so it can be quite overwhelming when they begin to use a hearing aid for the first time.
The three most common styles of hearing aid are the traditional over the ear type, the model that fits into the ear canal, and the type that is made to fit in the bowl of the ear. Even though the model that fits into the ear canal is the most expensive kind, it is quickly becoming the choice for most, including the previous United States president, according to industry spokesmen.
Including the testing, the consultation, and the fitting, as well as the cost of the hearing aid itself, the average price overall is anywhere from $400 to $1,000. Most people who have hearing loss are older, but a fifth of the people with this condition are young children who are still in school - debunking the myth that you have to be old to need a hearing aid.
For many people, hearing aids carry a certain notoriety, and are often thought of as large, clunky devices, so those in need often refuse to find help, but with the new devices, that's one belief that's changing, as one local hearing aid specialist points out. Nowadays, people are far more in the way of seeking help if you are dealing with a hearing condition. Many people don't see hearing loss coming.
In fact, additional information from the Better Business Bureau shows that just some of the indications that a person may be suffering from hearing loss include common symptoms such as being easily startled, inattentiveness, asking to have things repeated frequently, responses to sound that are inconsistent, a delayed speech development or problem speaking, increased volume on televisions and radios but then complaints that the volume is too loud, frequent ear infections, a ringing in the ears, dizziness, as well as excessive withdrawal or frustration.
Many specialists believe that there are a lot of people who could get help for their hearing loss that don't try to get help because doctors in the past have stated that nothing could be done to help them. This is usually a case of misunderstanding, as the doctors aren't trying to say there is nothing that can help, there is simply nothing medically that can be done to help. For the most part, hearing aids can help people hear.
There are long standing stigmas against hearing aids. Today you can usually try out a hearing aid on a 30-day trial basis that allows you to return the device for a full or partial refund if the patient is not fully satisfied. Some stores will keep a portion of the refund to cover the cost of the fitting or the consultation, but you will be getting most of your money back.
If you believe that you may have a hearing loss, pay a visit to your family physician or an otolaryngologist. If the doctor is unable to treat the hearing problem with surgery or medicine, the patient will be sent to a specialist so the hearing can be tested, the device can be chosen and fitted, and the patient can be helped in getting used to the hearing aid. As a rule, an expert will also offer upkeep services for their hearing aid.
A clinical audiologist has a master's degree in audiology and has been certified by the state to be allowed to dispense hearing aids. There are hearing aids audiologists who may not have went to school for the same thing, but were required by the state to receive specialized training from the national hearing aid society in order to distribute hearing aids. You can make the same comparison of these two as you would an optician and an ophthalmologist.
It really doesn't matter what route you choose to take, as long as you know the person you are getting the hearing aid from is a licensed dispenser. Some people don't want to wear a hearing aid and won't admit they are really lip reading, but you can tell they don't understand what is being said unless they are looking at you. It just takes some time for these people's families to convince them to get help. Then they will be on the road to better hearing.
