Hearing aids

Todays NHS hearing aids are slimmer, lighter and smaller than ever before. And they come in funky colours,
too.
Its estimated that there are 4 million people with hearing loss in the UK who could benefit from wearing a hearing aid but
who dont wear one.
According to Action on Hearing Loss audiology specialist, rystal !olfe, many people are put off by the idea of wearing
hearing aids because they thin" they are unsightly and that they will ma"e them loo" old and disabled.
#$heres still a stigma surrounding hearing aids, but its out of date. %odern hearing aids are a great impro&ement on
those that were a&ailable e&en a couple of decades ago.
#$odays digital hearing aids wor" better than the older analogue ones, and theyre much smaller and neater than they
used to be. 'e need a new attitude to hearing aids. 'earing them should be as unremar"able as wearing glasses,# she
says.
The benefits
A hearing aid wor"s by enhancing your e(isting hearing to ma"e sounds louder and clearer )although it rarely restores
hearing to normal*. As long as you ha&e some le&el of hearing, you should hear better with a hearing aid.
According to a +eafness !esearch UK sur&ey, people who use hearing aids are generally &ery satisfied with them. ,&er
half of those -uestioned described being fitted with a hearing aid as #a relief# and most of them felt their li&es had
impro&ed because they #felt more in&ol&ed#.
Whats on offer
$here are different types of hearing aid offering different ad&antages, depending on si.e, le&els of amplification and
design. $hey are all battery operated and the main types are /in the ear )which sit in the outer ear*, /behind the ear and
/in the canal )which sit in the ear canal*.
0ome hearing aids are digital and some are analogue. 0ome analogue hearing aids can be digitally
programmed. +eafness !esearch UK e(plains the differences between digital and analogue hearing aids .
!ead more about the different types of hearing aid.
NHS or private
1ou can get hearing aids free of charge on the 2H0 or you can choose to buy them pri&ately.
It3s li"ely that you3ll ha&e a wider choice of aids if you buy them pri&ately. 4ut ma"e sure you3re not steered towards one
or two particular models, as it may be that there are cheaper models that will suit your needs 5ust as well.
$he 2H0 buys a range of hearing aids and uses its bul"6buying power to get good6-uality digital hearing aids at low
prices from hearing aid manufacturers. $he audiology departments pro&ide these aids free of charge on long6term loan
to 2H0 patients.
According to rystal !olfe, most people will find that the 2H0 has the type of hearing aid they want.
7$he 2H0 has high6-uality digital hearing aids up to the top of the mid6range. 8or most situations, they perform &ery well
and the waiting time to get one is short,# she says.
$he latest data shows the a&erage waiting time between referral and treatment )which usually results in being gi&en a
hearing aid* to be around four or fi&e wee"s on the 2H0.
!ead more about how to get a hearing aid through the 2H0 .
!our hearing aid fitting
1our hearing aid will be chosen according to your le&el of hearing loss. $he audiology staff will programme it with the
computer to suit your needs. $hey will show you how to use the hearing aid and discuss loo"ing after it with you.
Hearing aids pro&ided by the 2H0 usually fit behind the ear. $hey ha&e an earmould that connects to the hearing aid
and fits in your ear. Howe&er, open6fitting hearing aids are now also fitted routinely on the 2H0, which can be less &isible
than earmoulds and can gi&e you a more natural sound, but they are only suitable if your hearing loss is mild or
moderate.
1ou should ha&e an appointment about eight to 9: wee"s after your hearing aid is fitted so you can as" -uestions and
sort out any problems. $he staff will chec" how helpful you ha&e found your hearing aid in different situations and may
ma"e ad5ustments to the earmould or hearing aid.
Hearing aids as fashion
rystal says that people may be surprised by the range and cutting6edge design of the hearing aids a&ailable on the
2H0. 72ot only are modern digital hearing aids widely a&ailable on the 2H0, the health ser&ice is also starting to pro&ide
the latest tiny /in6the6ear de&ices.#
;&en brightly coloured models are a&ailable on the 2H0 for people who want to ma"e a feature of their hearing aid.
7'hen you ha&e your fitting for an 2H0 hearing aid, youll normally be shown the standard selection of beige and brown
ones in the cabinet. $hese are designed to blend in with your s"in tone and loo" discreet. 4ut if you want to ma"e a
feature of your hearing aid, 5ust as", as theres often a wider choice of colours a&ailable, such as sil&er. If the clinic
doesnt ha&e the colour you want in stoc", it can be ordered for you,< says !olfe.
$here is also 5ewellery a&ailable designed to beautify hearing aids, "nown as the /Hearrings collection. reated by an
audiologist, these are ornate pieces designed to fit into the ear and mas" the hearing aid.
Hearing aid support
Action on Hearing Loss= Hearing aid support consists of community6based pro5ects across the UK where trained
&olunteers, many of whom ha&e hearing loss themsel&es, show people how to get the best performance from their 2H0
hearing aids. $he &olunteers help people to carry out basic maintenance on their hearing aid, such as replacing tubing
and batteries, as well as gi&ing ad&ice on e-uipment that can ma"e life easier in the wor"place and at home.