Hearing Devices

By Stacey Samuels-Cole, AuD

You are not alone, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Barbra Streisand, singing icon, movie star and political activist, and actor, William Shatner are among the millions of “baby boomers” in the United States who have acknowledged and sought audiological treatment for hearing loss. The acceptance of auditory rehabilitation by these “baby-boomers” and so many others is largely due to the progress that has been made over the past several years in hearing aid technology.
Forget your grandfathers old, clunky, behind-the-ear hearing aids that squealed all the time, advances in digital technology have dramatically improved hearing devices; making them smaller than ever before with far better sound quality. In addition, top-of-the-line hearing aid models feature “directional” and “high definition” hearing. These devices house microphones, which can function in an omni-directional, directional, or adaptive directional mode for greater enhancement of speech, multiple listening memories, and 4D noise cancellation for better listening in less than optimal environments.
In addition, the creation of devices using Bluetooth communication technology can turn select hearing aids into wireless, hands-free headsets which are compatible with the newer lines of cell phones and even that Blackberry that you are expecting for Fathers Day.
Middle-aged or early onset hearing loss often starts with a gradually decreased ability to hear high-pitched voices and soft consonants like p, s and t and growing difficulty hearing what is being said in a restaurant, bar or other place with lots of background noise. Other symptoms to look out for include tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing in the ears immediately after exposure to noise; a slight muffling of sounds after noise exposure making it difficult to understand people when you leave a noisy area; and hearing the words, yet, having difficulty understanding speech. Additional signs of early-onset hearing loss may include
Others say you turn your television too loud;
Others accuse you of not paying attention;
You have a constant ringing or buzzing sound in one or both ears;
You hear better with one ear than the other on the phone;
You have trouble understanding someone speaking to you from another room or when there is background noise;
You mistake spoken words or numbers for similarly sounding words or numbers;
You miss the punch line of jokes;
If you think you or a loved one suffers from hearing loss, dont delay another day. Visit a hearing healthcare professional and take the first step toward a world of better hearing.