Hearing Aids
May 15, 2009
Hearing Aids
A hearing aid is a small electronic device placed behind the ear. It magnifies sound so that persons with hearing impairment can listen, communicate and participate fully in their daily activities. It enables the person to hear in both quiet and noisy surroundings.
It has three basic components: a microphone, amplifier and speaker. The microphone receives sound signals which are converted into electrical signals and the amplifier increases the power of those signals and dispatches them through a speaker to the ears. The sound vibration entering the ear is magnified. The hearing aid application can be increased to a certain extent but there are practical limits to its usage.
Use of such devices is practically ineffective for those suffering from severe hearing loss or with damaged inner ear. There are three basic styles of hearing aids. The styles differ by size, placement and the degree to which they amplify sound. The behind the ear hearing aid consists of a hard plastic case which is connected to a plastic ear mould that fits inside the outer ear.
There are devices which are fitted completely inside the outer ear. They have some added features which allow telephonic conversations to be heard easily. These are generally used by elderly people. Such devices function digitally or are analog. Hearing aids do not restore normal hearing but increases the user’s awareness of sound and its source.
The hearing impaired people can now feel a sense of relief when hearing is aided by hearing loop which magnifies sound emission and delivers clear, sharp and customized sound right into the interior of the ear. This is possible through the induction of hearing loop that transmit sound directly to hearing aids equipped with T-coils.
Loop systems with T-coils do not require pickup. They also require less maintenance, operate on universal frequency, are inconspicuous and offer easy and invisible solution for those with hearing problem. They work in transient situations such as ticket counters, teller windows, drive-through stations, airport gate areas, train and subway station venues where other assistive hearing systems are impractical. They preclude other sounds from leaking through the head-set and are customized by one’s own hearing aids to address the hearing loss.
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