Today’s hearing instruments are not your father’s hearing aids! Gone are the antique ear trumpets of the early 19th century and the cumbersome transistor radio style devices worn on the body. Even the original, large, behind-the-ear hearing aids have experienced a dramatic reduction in size!<\/p>\n
Instead, contemporary users can easily hide the fact that they are wearing a hearing aid at all! Advanced digital technology continues to shrink custom made hearing aids designed to fit inside the ear canal to a size smaller than a watch battery! The traditional behind-the-ear model has been transformed into a smaller, nearly invisible option. And some hearing aids are implantable, making them totally invisible!<\/p>\n
And interestingly enough, another phenomenon is occurring! Some users want to “show off” their new investment in better hearing! With the rise in the popularity of iPods and Bluetooth devices, having something “attached to your ear” has become quite acceptable. As a result, hearing aids have been transformed into sleek and stylish “personal communication devices” designed to be “cool,” and available in a rainbow of colors!<\/p>\n
See for yourself what advances have been made in hearing aid technology! Make an appointment today.<\/p>\n
P.S. Did you know that golfer Arnold Palmer, actor Hugh O\u2019Brian and President Bill Clinton all wear hearing aids?<\/p>\n
Confidence comes with age. For Jan, her hearing aids are something to be celebrated, not hidden away. She emphatically says she loves her new hearing aids. She didn’t realize all the sounds she was actually missing until she visited WENT. Now she considers her hearing aids a necessity at work. That’s a pretty important statement considering Jan works as a donor recruitment representative for American Red Cross and is on the phone all day. Not only does Jan work at the Red Cross, she’s obsessed with the color, and coordinates her whole outfit in matching red hues\u2014even her new hearing aids are red!<\/p>\n
Jan was referred to WENT by a Red Cross volunteer. This volunteer’s hearing was drastically improved by surgical treatment, so that she no longer had to wear large, powerful hearing aids. Jan likes her hearing aids so much, she tends to take out her hearing aids and show them to total strangers. Her words of wisdom to others experiencing hearing loss? “Don’t wait. I wish I would have gotten mine five years ago. Don’t waste one day hearing at the best level you can.”<\/p>\n
Although today’s advanced hearing aid technology means that more people are benefiting from better hearing, sometimes those with hearing loss still find they need additional help to hear in certain situations.<\/p>\n
Consider, for example, the person who is watching TV in a remote room who cannot hear well enough to hear a knock at the door or the doorbell ring. That same person, after removing their hearing aids at bedtime, may not be awakened by a phone ringing, a smoke alarm buzzing, or a tornado siren alerting. Consider also the person with significant hearing loss who relies on a cell phone to communicate at work or who simply wants to listen to his MP3 player with headphones. Without a special device to amplify the sound coming from these electronic devices, this person would not be able to hear adequately.<\/p>\n
An assistive listening device (ALD) can help those with hearing loss experience improved communication during daily activities. They can be used with or without hearing aids and are designed to improve face-to-face communication, reception of electronic media, telephone reception and the reception of important warning sounds\u2026with either auditory cues and\/or visual cues.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to learn more about how your ability to hear in certain situations can be improved with an ALD, contact us for an appointment.<\/p>\n