Flexible Appointments
Highly Qualified
Personalised Care
HEARING AID BRANDS
Our hearing aids
There are six main hearing aid brands. These are Phonak, Oticon, GN Resound, Starkey, Widex and Signia. They each provide a portfolio of products with some variation in the style, colour and also technical ability. Some of these hearing aid brands are also available on the NHS but the choice is limited to one type-the ones that go behind the ear, and quite often, one colour, too.
When you choose private hearing aids you have a choice of colours but you also have a choice of style. If you want an in ear hearing aid you can. If you want your hearing aids to notify a loved one of a fall, then Starkey hearing aids offer this. You can also get rechargeable hearing aids, which take away the bother of small batteries, particularly if you have limited dexterity.
TYPES OF HEARING AID
In ear or behind ear?
Hearing aids come in various styles and designs, each catering to different degrees of hearing loss and personal preferences. Here are some of the most common types:
.png)
Invisible In Canal Hearing Aid (IIC)
One of the smallest types of hearing aid that sit inside the ear canal. Similar to the in-the-canal and in-the-ear hearing aids, these are usually custom made.
.jpg)
In The Canal Hearing Aid (ITC)
One of the smallest types of hearing aid that sit inside the ear canal. These are usually custom made. They are suitable for mild to moderate hearing losses
.jpg)
Completely In Canal Hearing Aid (CIC)
One of the smallest hearing aid devices that sit neatly inside the ear canal.
.jpg)
In Ear Hearing Aid (ITE)
The largest of the custom hearing aid types as it fills the concha (bowl) of the ear and is suitable for more severe hearing losses.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
FEATURES
How hearing aids work
The main components of a hearing aid are the microphone, digital signal processing (DSP) chip and receiver.
-
The microphone picks up the acoustic sound around you and sends it to the signal processing chip where the sound is analysed and converted to a digital signal.
-
Once the sound has been analysed it then passes through different frequency channels in the hearing aid. It is here that sounds are filtered and for example, speech is separated from noise.
-
At the end of the processing, the digital sound is converted back to an acoustic signal via the receiver, resulting in the correct level of amplification passing into your ear.
This is all based on your hearing prescription which is calculated by using your audiogram.
FEATURES
Common hearing aid features
There are many options available when choosing a hearing aid. Most of them offer a range of features and it's worth thinking about any personal aspects that are important for you, such as technology, comfort and budget.
Feedback Cancellation
You may be familiar with the whistling sound that is often associated with hearing aids, particularly the older analogue hearing aids. This whistling sound is also known as feedback and feedback cancellation is the ability of the hearing aid to counteract this feedback. Feedback usually occurs when sound leaks out of the ear, this can happen with an ill-fitting earmould or if you have ear wax. All digital hearing aids have their own method of dealing with feedback and this can be adjusted by the audiologist. If you feel your hearing aids are whistling because of ear wax, we can provide professional ear wax removal by microsuction.
Noise Reduction
When we are in a noisy environment such as a party, our ears and ultimately our brain is able to filter out all the sound that isn’t important and still focus on a single conversation. This phenomenon is known as the cocktail party effect. This situation can be challenging for someone with a hearing loss and that is when noise reduction in a hearing aid becomes important. The pattern of speech and the pattern of noise is different and the hearing aid works to separate the two so that you can focus on speech. The noise reduction levels can be made to work more vigorously in different listening environments and this is something your audiologist can tailor.
Directionality
The structure of our ears (the pinna), their shape, position and that we have two plays a big part when it comes to picking up sound around us. A tiny adjustment to our head position can help us to localise sound. This is why hearing aids can’t entirely replace your ears and hearing but can aim to mimic as closely as possible ‘real-life listening’. This is something to consider when it comes to hearing aid styles. Directionality in the hearing aid is how the hearing aid monitors the sound around you, this can be continuous or fixed. If it is continuous it will monitor the sound around you constantly before focusing on important sounds (omnidirectional). If it is fixed, you are able to focus on the sound in front of you. This is largely dependent on the number of microphones and their positioning.
Apps & Bluetooth
With the majority of us owning smartphones, having greater control over your hearing aids could not be simpler. With hearing aids specifically made for iPhone (MFi), they can be easily paired with your hearing aids via Bluetooth so that you can adjust programmes, loudness levels and even create your own favourite settings without ever having to touch your hearing aids. Android compatible hearing aids offer similar functionality to MFi hearing aids making hearing aids more user friendly than ever before. Because of these advances in technology, you can also find your lost hearing aid by using these apps. If that isn’t enough, there are a whole host of wireless accessories from personal microphones to TV links to give you a holistic approach to your hearing loss management.
Rechargeable
Hearing aids require a battery source for them to function. The smaller the hearing aid, the smaller the battery, but depending on your hearing levels a smaller battery will most likely need replacing more often. A lot of hearing aids today also come as a rechargeable option, which means you can charge your hearing aids overnight ready to use the next day. Find out more about our custom and behind the ear rechargeable hearing aids.