Hearing Center - Understanding the Use of a Listening Aid

A hearing center can test your ability to hear, determine what level of amplification you would require in a listening aid, and point you in the direction of such an aid if you so desire. For many people with auditory impairment, a listening aid is their best chance at coping successfully with their disability. But what's important is the recognition that such an aid is not going to be a perfect substitute for your natural senses. They aren't the audio equivalent of glasses, even if they are the closest devices we currently have to that comparison. Here are some things you need to know before you buy.

Components

There are three basic components that go into creating a simply listening aid. First, there is the ear mold, which is what allows the device to fit comfortably in the ear. If you ever visit a hearing center to be fitted with a device, you'll see that this changes a great deal from device to device. Some fit behind the ear, others fit inside the ear, and so forth. The next component is the volume control, which allows the user to customize how loud or soft they want the surrounding volume of sound to be. They may wish to turn it down in noisy situations while cranking it up when trying to hear soft dialogue or speech. Finally, there is the battery compartment. Of course, inside the listening aid are a variety of additional components that do the actual work.

Limitations

A technician at a hearing center once described using a listening aid as listening to a television in a language you don't understand. While this is probably unfair (especially to newer models), there is some element of truth to it. A listening aid will usually not make it any easier for the user to distinguish and understand what is being said to them. It will amplify the sound, to be sure, but turning up the volume on the Spanish channel isn't going to make it any easier to understand what is going on if you don't speak Spanish. This is why most therapists will encourage those with auditory loss to use the listening aid as only one tool of many.

Benefits

Regardless of the limitations, enough cannot be said about how much of a help the proper amplification can help someone with auditory impairment function in a world of sound, speech, and noise. While they take some getting used to, those who give their use some dedication will find that they act as a helpful addition to their arsenal of overcoming their disability.