ABC Medical Notes.com

Types of hearing aids

• Behind the ear hearing aids
  • Most common type. A small plastic device that sits behind your ear
  • This is attached with a tube to a piece of plastic that fits in your ear (an earmould) or a soft tip that goes into the opening of your ear (an open fitting).
  • Easiest types to use and are suitable for most people with hearing loss. They're available in a range of colours.
• Receiver in the ear hearing aids: similar to BTE hearing aids.
  • The part of the hearing aid that sits behind the ear is smaller and is connected by a thin wire to a speaker placed inside the opening of the ear.
  • RITE hearing aids are less visible than BTE hearing aids and are suitable for most people with hearing loss, but they can be more fiddly to use than BTE hearing aids.
• In the ear hearing aids
  • Fill the area just outside the opening of your ear.
  • They cannot be seen from behind, unlike BTE or RITE hearing aids, but they are visible from the side.
  • Suitable for most people with hearing loss, although they can be trickier to use than BTE or RITE hearing aids.
• In the canal hearing aids
  • In the canal (ITC) hearing aids are similar to ITE aids, but are a bit smaller and just fill the opening of the ear.
  • They're less visible than many other types of hearing aid but can be trickier to use
  • Not usually powerful enough for people with severe hearing loss.
• Completely in the canal and invisible in the canal hearing aids
  • Completely in the canal (CIC) and invisible in the canal (IIC) hearing aids are the smallest types available.
  • They fit further into the opening of your ear than ITC hearing aids and are barely visible.
  • Not usually powerful enough for people with severe hearing loss.
  • They're also quite fiddly and some can only be put in and taken out by a hearing aid specialist.
• Body worn hearing aids
  • Body worn hearing aids are made up of a small box connected to earphones. The box can be clipped to your clothes or put inside a pocket.
  • This type of hearing aid may be best if you have severe hearing loss and need a powerful hearing aid, or if you find the controls on smaller hearing aids tricky to use.

General

• If you have an NHS hearing aid, you can get free batteries and repairs from any NHS hearing aid service.
• Ask your audiologist about services in your area.
• You may need to come in for an appointment, or you may be able to send off for a battery or repair in the post.
• Your local hearing aid service can also replace hearing aids that have been lost or damaged, although there may be a charge for this.

Usage

• Hearing aid controls vary a great deal and you should refer to the instructions that came with your model. However, most hearing aids have some common features.
• Your hearing aid needs to be switched off when you are not using it. On most models, you use the battery compartment to turn the hearing aid off. Your audiologist will show you how. If you have a switch marked O-T-M
• O stands for Off and is used when the hearing aid is not being used
• M stands for microphone and is a general setting that you should place it to before usage
• T stands for "telecoil". This allows you to use special listening equipment, such as an induction loop or a telephone described as ‘hearing aid compatible. if you put your hearing aid on the T setting by mistake you will probably hear a buzzing or humming noise, but you will not pick up anything else.
• Volume control: ring aids have volume control. Usually, this is a wheel, but it can be a little lever. All volume controls need to be pushed up to make the hearing aid louder and down to make it quieter. Some hearing aids adjust their own volume automatically depending on how loud sounds are. You do not need to adjust these.
• Hearing aids with directional microphones help you to focus on sounds in front of you more than sounds coming from the side or behind. They can be particularly helpful when there is a lot of background noise. It's best if you switch between directional and all-round sound in different situations.
• Some hearing aids have other features, such as a button to change to different settings (or programmes) for different listening situations. Please refer to your own hearing aids instruction manual for details of any special features.

Notes

• Should turn off hearing aid before put it into the ear
• Whistling sound if forget to turn off hearing aid
• Hearing aid batteries last 5-15 days
• Motoring sound when the battery starts to run out
• Plastic tube soft and bendy = good
• If your hearing aid whistles when in place and switched on, try to:
  • Clean the ear mold and put the mold and hearing aid back on
  • Have the ear canal examined by your doctor
  • Have a new earmold made
  • Turn down the volume (this will only help temporarily)

References

• Hearing aid controls