When you realize you have hearing loss, it can be frightening to use the phone. Sometimes you wonder if it's worth keeping the darn telephone. Hearing aids aren't always the answer, as they can sometimes whine and hiss when you are on some kinds of phone. But you needn't toss out the telephone. Hearing aids can help you use the phone as you always did.
And, federal law requires that all telephones made after 1989 are Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC). If you don't believe me, it's called the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988. Sometimes phones and hearing aids don't match, one giving noises that cancels out the effects of another. Federal law is trying to get all kinds of wireless phones and headsets to HAC it, as well.
Should I Get A New Phone?
You don't have to worry about using a public, hospital or social service office telephone. Hearing aids will not bother them as they all had to be replaced by HAC compatible phones back in 1989. Even business were supposed to have all HAC compatible phones by late 1989.
If your land line phone was made before 1989, you need a new land line telephone. Hearing aids will not work well with them. The price of land line phones have gone down since the surge of the cell phone, so you will find land line phones on sale sooner or later. All telephones sold now have to have prominent "HAC compatible" labels on them.
If your cell phone was made before 2005, you need a new cell phone. They also have to have "HAC compatible" labels prominently displayed on them. All digital wireless handsets will need to be HAC compatible by 2008 or the FCC is not going to be happy.
Also according to the HAC act of 1988, all stores are affected that sell mobile telephones. Hearing aids will be sure to work with your new phone before you buy it because the stores are required to let you test the phone in the shop. This law covers only mobile telephones and not land line phones, but many department and electronic stores will plug your phone in for you to see if it works well enough for you.
Any new phone you buy should have an easy to operate volume control button or switch. Sometimes they will also have a mute button, which is increasingly becoming handy these days.
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Monday, 14 April 2008
Your Guide to Using Hearing Aids
If you have noticed that you have more difficulty in hearing conversations, and if family members have complained about the volume on your television programs, it may be time for you to consider hearing aids. While these devices can be extremely helpful for those with hearing loss to enjoy a higher quality of life, many avoid using hearing aids because they are unsure about how well these units really work. The key to making hearing aids work for you is to learn the proper ways for using hearing aids. This is especially key in the first few days or weeks after getting your devices, when you need an adjustment period to become accustomed to them.
Using Hearing Aids in the First Days
When you first bring your hearing aids home, keep in mind that you will not be wearing them all day long right away. It is best to learn about using hearing aids in small quantities at first, by wearing them for an hour or two at a time. It is also best to begin using hearing aids in the privacy of your home, with family members that are aware of your situation. This will help to spare you from potentially embarrassing situations and help you to adapt to using your hearing aids in an environment where you are comfortable and stress free.
You will see much more success in using your hearing aids if you go into the process with the appropriate expectations. Using hearing aids will not bring your hearing back to its original state. For the first days and weeks, your own voice might sound quite strange while you are using hearing aids. It may take a bit of getting used to. Try to avoid noisy situations at first, since it can be challenging to adapt to the noise level when your hearing aids are working. It is also wise not to rely solely on using your hearing aids to properly listen to conversations. Pay attention to visual cues like gestures and facial expressions as well. Don't be surprised if you miss a few words in a conversation, even when using your hearing aids. No one will catch every word, even those with normal hearing.
Using hearing aids can be a bit challenging to get used to at first, but the effort will be well worth your time. Hearing aids can improve your quality of life by allowing you to hear the world around you much better.
Using Hearing Aids in the First Days
When you first bring your hearing aids home, keep in mind that you will not be wearing them all day long right away. It is best to learn about using hearing aids in small quantities at first, by wearing them for an hour or two at a time. It is also best to begin using hearing aids in the privacy of your home, with family members that are aware of your situation. This will help to spare you from potentially embarrassing situations and help you to adapt to using your hearing aids in an environment where you are comfortable and stress free.
You will see much more success in using your hearing aids if you go into the process with the appropriate expectations. Using hearing aids will not bring your hearing back to its original state. For the first days and weeks, your own voice might sound quite strange while you are using hearing aids. It may take a bit of getting used to. Try to avoid noisy situations at first, since it can be challenging to adapt to the noise level when your hearing aids are working. It is also wise not to rely solely on using your hearing aids to properly listen to conversations. Pay attention to visual cues like gestures and facial expressions as well. Don't be surprised if you miss a few words in a conversation, even when using your hearing aids. No one will catch every word, even those with normal hearing.
Using hearing aids can be a bit challenging to get used to at first, but the effort will be well worth your time. Hearing aids can improve your quality of life by allowing you to hear the world around you much better.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
What You Should Hear About The Cost Of Hearing Aids
The cost of hearing aids makes many people think "Hmmm. Would it really be so bad to go deaf?" The cost of hearing aids can go into the thousands of dollars. This is a major investment that should be given all of the homework you would put into buying any major purchase, such as a car or a house.
Why Do They Cost So Much?
Part of the reason that explains the high cost of hearing aids is supply and demand. Things that are big demand tend to cost higher than those that don't. This is how businesses get profit. And companies that make hearing aids are interested in not only making a quality product that will last for years, but they are also interested in making a profit.
It is a shame in a sense that hearing aids have become so small. Although it can be very hard to see them in the ear, they are not very impressive looking at first glance. They don't sparkle like a diamond or attract admiring stares like a racehorse or a sports car would.
The biggest reason for the high cost of hearing aids is that you are not just buying the one or two little gadgets. You are also buying the time it takes to customize those hearing aids for your ears. Think about cars. If all cars were customized to fit their new owners bodies, that would really slow down car production and jack up the price because of the intense labor involved. Hearing aids just can't be churned out in a factory. They are pieces of incredible engineering geared for just you.
Are There Alternatives?
There are alternatives to paying the high cost of hearing aids tailored just for your ears. You can buy used hearing aids, but caveat empor applies. You can also opt to have a hearing aid that rests behind the ear rather than placed inside your ear. And if you are a Veteran, you don't have to pay the full cost of hearing aids. The Veteran's Administration picks up some of the tab. Check with your health insurance or social security plan. Sometimes part of the cost of hearing aids will be covered by them. You can also buy hearing aids through mail order and online catalogues, but you will often have to sacrifice comfort for a low price. And then you can always buy only one hearing aid. There are people who only go deaf in one ear.
Why Do They Cost So Much?
Part of the reason that explains the high cost of hearing aids is supply and demand. Things that are big demand tend to cost higher than those that don't. This is how businesses get profit. And companies that make hearing aids are interested in not only making a quality product that will last for years, but they are also interested in making a profit.
It is a shame in a sense that hearing aids have become so small. Although it can be very hard to see them in the ear, they are not very impressive looking at first glance. They don't sparkle like a diamond or attract admiring stares like a racehorse or a sports car would.
The biggest reason for the high cost of hearing aids is that you are not just buying the one or two little gadgets. You are also buying the time it takes to customize those hearing aids for your ears. Think about cars. If all cars were customized to fit their new owners bodies, that would really slow down car production and jack up the price because of the intense labor involved. Hearing aids just can't be churned out in a factory. They are pieces of incredible engineering geared for just you.
Are There Alternatives?
There are alternatives to paying the high cost of hearing aids tailored just for your ears. You can buy used hearing aids, but caveat empor applies. You can also opt to have a hearing aid that rests behind the ear rather than placed inside your ear. And if you are a Veteran, you don't have to pay the full cost of hearing aids. The Veteran's Administration picks up some of the tab. Check with your health insurance or social security plan. Sometimes part of the cost of hearing aids will be covered by them. You can also buy hearing aids through mail order and online catalogues, but you will often have to sacrifice comfort for a low price. And then you can always buy only one hearing aid. There are people who only go deaf in one ear.
Friday, 4 April 2008
A Guide to Hearing Aids
If you have a hearing problem, then your doctor is most likely going to tell you that you have to get hearing aids. Hearing aids are able to help almost any type of hearing problem, so well that you will almost not be able to notice your hearing problem at all. However, the type of hearing aids that you should get will depend on the specific type of hearing problem that you have.
Different Hearing Problems
Hearing loss is the most common type of hearing problem, and there are a few different types of hearing loss that you can experience, the most major being: conductive, sensory, mixed and neural. Conductive hearing loss happens when there is a problem with the part of the outer or middle ear, and most people who suffer from this type of hearing loss tend to have only a mild hearing loss and it is usually only temporary.
Sensory hearing loss happens when the cochlea is not working properly, and this is typically because the tiny hair cells in the ear are damaged or even destroyed. However, depending on the amount of loss in this case, a person may be able to hear most sounds, and may be able to hear in quiet but not in noise, or only certain sounds.
Then there is the neural type of hearing loss, which happens when there is a problem with the connection from the cochlea to the brain, and neural means that the nerve that actually carries the messages from the cochlea to the brain is damaged.
Choosing the Right Hearing Aids
Once your specific hearing problem is assessed, then you will be able to go on and choose the proper hearing aids. Although there are many different types of hearing aids that are available, for the most part they all have the same basic qualities to them. This includes a microphone, which picks up the sound outside of the ear.
Then there is the amplifier, which increases the volume of the sound so that you can hear it properly, the speaker, which works by sending the sound into your ear so that you can hear it, and the battery which is what provides power to the electronic parts of the hearing aid device.
You will need to consult with your doctor and a specialist in order to have your hearing problem properly diagnosed and assessed, so that you will be able to find the right hearing aid device for you and your particular case.
Different Hearing Problems
Hearing loss is the most common type of hearing problem, and there are a few different types of hearing loss that you can experience, the most major being: conductive, sensory, mixed and neural. Conductive hearing loss happens when there is a problem with the part of the outer or middle ear, and most people who suffer from this type of hearing loss tend to have only a mild hearing loss and it is usually only temporary.
Sensory hearing loss happens when the cochlea is not working properly, and this is typically because the tiny hair cells in the ear are damaged or even destroyed. However, depending on the amount of loss in this case, a person may be able to hear most sounds, and may be able to hear in quiet but not in noise, or only certain sounds.
Then there is the neural type of hearing loss, which happens when there is a problem with the connection from the cochlea to the brain, and neural means that the nerve that actually carries the messages from the cochlea to the brain is damaged.
Choosing the Right Hearing Aids
Once your specific hearing problem is assessed, then you will be able to go on and choose the proper hearing aids. Although there are many different types of hearing aids that are available, for the most part they all have the same basic qualities to them. This includes a microphone, which picks up the sound outside of the ear.
Then there is the amplifier, which increases the volume of the sound so that you can hear it properly, the speaker, which works by sending the sound into your ear so that you can hear it, and the battery which is what provides power to the electronic parts of the hearing aid device.
You will need to consult with your doctor and a specialist in order to have your hearing problem properly diagnosed and assessed, so that you will be able to find the right hearing aid device for you and your particular case.
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