Tag Archives: hearing aid

What Is a Cochlear Implant?

For people with severe or total hearing loss, a cochlear implant can help make it possible to hear! If regular hearing aids don’t help you at all, you may be a good candidate for a cochlear implant. A small device is placed under the skin, with electrodes that connect to the cochlea. This is the cochlear implant. You’ll also wear a microphone behind the ear, to pick up sound, and a speech processor that may be worn behind the ear or elsewhere on the body. Here’s how it works: the microphone picks up sound and sends it to the speech … Continue reading →

Dealing With Friends and Family Who Have Hearing Loss

It can sometimes be frustrating to deal with a friend or loved one who has hearing loss. You may feel like they aren’t paying attention to what you say, or just get tired of repeating yourself all the time. Talking to a person with hearing loss can be tiring and stressful! Here are some tips for better communication with a person with hearing loss. Use the person’s name so they know you are speaking to them. Face the person directly so they can see your mouth, your whole face, and the gestures you make. Even if they don’t catch every … Continue reading →

Make Life With Hearing Loss Easier

Living with hearing loss can be challenging. Some situations are easier than others — it will be far easier to talk to one friend or family member in the quiet of your home than to try to have a conversation in a busy restaurant! It takes a lot of effort to hear, sometimes, and that can be very stressful. You may be tempted to avoid certain social situations and/or worry about your safety — if you can’t hear a fire alarm or police car’s siren, for example. Hearing aids may be an obvious choice for improving your hearing. However, they … Continue reading →

Adjusting To A Hearing Aid

I can remember when I was in third grade, getting my first pair of glasses. Oh how I hated them at first! They made my nose itch. They made my ears feel funny. My hair was always getting tangled in them. It took me several weeks to get used to them. Expect the same thing if you’re adjusting to a new hearing aid. It may take weeks; it may take months! What you can expect: You may hear noises you haven’t heard in a long time — background noises you’d forgotten about will suddenly be back. Your own voice may … Continue reading →

Hearing Aids

Basically, a hearing aid is a device that makes sound louder. They do not restore normal human hearing but can help people with hearing loss communicate more easily. All hearing aids have certain basic parts in common. There is a microphone, to pick up sounds. There is an amplifier, to make that sound louder. There is a speaker, to send the sound to the ear. Finally, there are batteries to power the hearing aid. Size, look, and placement can differ; size does not indicate sound quality. Analog adjustable hearing aids are made based on your hearing tests. These are the … Continue reading →