One size doesn’t fit all

Innovations in hearing aids in the last few years have aimed to eliminate one of the biggest complaints hearing aid wearers have about their instruments, the annoying whistling called feedback. It can be caused by a number of things, such as hugging a loved one, having the hearing aid brushed by hair or simply being outside on a windy day. Newer technology has virtually eliminated buzzing and whistling caused by feedback in hearing aids without compromising performance.

While a traditional hearing aid simply amplified all sounds, technology now allows a hearing aid to perform differently in many specific environments. For instance, one memory will remember the settings you prefer in social settings, while another will be reserved for driving in the car or being outside. By having multiple memories, hearing aids offer a more optimal performance for an active lifestyle.

This feature improves a users ability to talk on the telephone. Telecoil settings amplify sound from your phone without picking up background noise and helping to prevent feedback. Besides the phone, T-coil settings can be used at venues that have a hearing loop installed. A hearing loop can be connected to a public address system or television in settings like churches, auditoriums or even your own living room. When the telecoil is turned out the sound others hear from a loudspeaker is streamed directly into the hearing aid.

The microphone component of a hearing aid amplifies incoming sounds for greater audibility. New technology gives the microphone the power to focus on targeted sounds. A directional microphone will help a wearer hear speech in a noisy environment because it will target the speech and reduce the background noise.

Allows the user to connect directly – and wirelessly – to most media devices. TV, radio, cell phone and computers can be heard in stereo-quality sound directly through the hearing aid.

Allows an audiologist to see what a history of the user’s hearing environments have been for better programming as time goes on.

These features refer to the ability to adjust hearing aid settings to best-fit individual hearing loss needs. The more bands and channels a hearing aid has, the better it can be programmed to perform for the wearer in different environments. However, be careful here because at some point excessive bands and channels become just a marketing ploy and don’t actually mean much when it comes down to adjusting the hearing aid for better sound quality.