A hearing aid is a small electronic component that amplifies sound. Hearing aids help tremendously to restore many of the sounds that people with a hearing defect miss. Although over 28 million Americans can improve their lives with a hearing aid, only about one in five do. In some cases, people do not wear a hearing aid because of the cost; others are concerned with the possible social stigma and embarrassment. The real truth is very different; hearing aids do not have to cost a great deal, and many of them are so small they are virtually impossible to notice.
A hearing aid is a simple device. It consists of only four basic components:
- The microphone which harvests the sounds and converts them into an electronic signal
- The amplifier which increases the sound picked up by the microphone
- The receiver or speaker changes the electrical impulses back into intelligible sound, which are processed in the brain
- The battery provides the portable power
For a hearing aid Naperville to work, the hard-of-hearing individual must have hair cells in the inner ear. It is these cells that sense the vibrations from the hearing aid and converts them into nerve signals.
There are several different hearing aids to choose from. As a rule of thumb, the smaller it is, the more it costs and the shorter the battery life is.
In the ear: This style fits in the bowl of the ear and does a good job for those with severe loss of hearing. It is large, so it is quite visible; however, the unit does have a longer battery life, and as it is larger, it can accommodate a directional microphone.
In the canal: This hearing aid is smaller but works only for moderate hearing loss. It is custom produced to fit snugly in the ear canal, but it can be challenging to adjust and change the battery as it is so small.
Completely in the canal: This is the smallest hearing aid. It, too, is only suitable for mild to moderate loss of hearing. This hearing aid is all but invisible; it is so tiny that it has to be removed by pulling on a small wire.
Hearing Specialists of DuPage carries all major brands of hearing aids allowing the professionals to give you precisely the care you need.
