High-Tech Features of Modern Hearing Aids

Hearing aid technology has come a long way in the last few decades, but hearing aids have always had four main parts: a microphone, a processor, a receiver and a way to get power. The sound in your environment is picked up by the microphone and sent to the processor. The signal is improved by the processor, which sends it to the receiver. The receiver then sends the improved signal to the ear canal. The system is driven by the power source or battery.

Advocates for people with hearing loss say that all hearing aids should have a telecoil, Bluetooth, a discreet design and rechargeable batteries. These three things about hearing aids have been called the superfecta.

Depending on how smart the processor is, hearing aid technology can be either advanced or simple. Even the most basic digital hearing aids of today are much better than the best ones of the past.

As technology gets better, digital hearing aids get smarter and have more features to help you communicate in hard-to-hear situations. Hearing aids that are more up to date are more likely to have the following features. Note that hearing aids are the only ones with these kinds of advanced features; personal hearing amplifiers don’t have them.

Bluetooth Compatibility

With Bluetooth capability, hearing aids can talk to each other, so if you change the settings on one, the other will automatically change as well. If someone with hearing aids wants to use their phone or tablet to control their hearing aids, they can connect directly through Bluetooth or use an app to access the controls and information about their hearing aids.

Modern hearing aids with Bluetooth can stream high-quality audio from other devices like phones and block out background noise. Even though not all hearing aids can do this, a trained hearing instrument specialist (HIS) can help a person find the right hearing aids for their lifestyle.

Smartphone Apps

Since most people have their phones with them all the time, it makes sense to have an app that works with your hearing aids. Hearing aid users can get the most out of their devices by programming these smartphone apps to do different things.

The apps have different functions, but you might find it helpful to be able to adjust your hearing aid, use personalized hearing programs, connect to audio or talk directly to a hearing instrument specialist. In addition to hearing aid customization, smartphone users can control the level, treble, bass and more of their hearing aids.

Additionally, users can save their preferred sound levels for usage in certain situations using custom-tailored hearing programs. That way the user doesn’t have to worry about adjusting their listening equipment to the greatest possible levels the next time they’re in a noisy area, like a crowded restaurant.

With audio connections, the user can connect directly to sound sources like a TV, stereo or phone call, sending all the sounds directly to the hearing aids.

Lastly, the direct communication with a hearing instrument specialist feature test the user’s hearing and even adjust or fit the hearing aids from a distance. This is a great way to keep an appointment when the user can’t be there in person.

Rechargeable

There is nothing more frustrating than being forced to continually go out and purchase the teeny-tiny button batteries that are required for hearing aids to function. However, more manufacturers of hearing aids are beginning to provide hearing aids that can be charged.

These items do not need the removal of the batteries since they already include the power source. Instead, the user docks the hearing aid on a charging station at night, just as they would with a smartphone. This allows the hearing aid to charge throughout the night.

Hearing aids powered by rechargeable batteries often have a longer lifespan than those powered by disposable batteries. They are also simpler to use for those who have limited dexterity and safer to keep around, particularly in families with small children who may accidentally ingest them.

Talk To Your Hearing Instrument Specialist Today to Find Out More

Modern technology for hearing aids has come a long way in a short space of time, and if you want to know more or are interested in a particular option, it’s worth speaking to an expert hearing instrument specialist. To learn more about Affordable Hearing and the options available, please call Irmo at 803-749-6017 or Orangeburg and Santee at 803-531-6403.