The Hearing Aid Types to Choose From
The array of hearing aids in the medical community attracts the people with hearing impairment to get one and be corrected in their sense of hearing. The handful of manufacturer all over the world makes new styles to meet the demands of people who need hearing aids. The need s of these people depends on their age, their financial capacity, the severity and level of their hearing loss and their lifestyle.
A hearing aid has three basic parts, a microphone, an amplifier, and a speaker. The microphone is the part that receives the sound which is converted to electrical signal and sends it to the amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signal and sends them to the ear through the speaker. A hearing aid improves the hearing and speech comprehension of the wearer. There are several hearing aid types that a person with a hearing loss can choose from.
The Body worn Aid is a hearing aid type that is rarely used now, maybe because of its size. Its size is as big as a pack of playing cards and is worn in the pocket or belt. This is replaced now with the Behind the Ear Aids (BTE). A BTE hearing aid type is consisting of a case, a tube and an ear mold. It is used for mild to profound hearing losses and is more durable. BTE is recommended for children. Another hearing aid type is the In the Ear (ITE) hearing aid. ITE fits in the outer ear bowl called the coacha. This device is visible when standing face to face. This fits to individual’s ear. It offers more room for features such as telecoil. Directional microphone and volume control. The wearer has a less plugged-up feeling. A Receiver in the Canal/Ear (RIC/RITE) hearing aid type that is similar to a BTE at first glance. The only difference is that the speaker is placed of this hearing aid is placed inside the ear canal of the wearer. It uses electrical wires instead of acoustic tube which is used in a BTE. The In The Canal (ITC) Mini Canal (MIC) and Completely in the Canal (CIC) hearing aid which is smaller because it only fills the bottom half of the external ear. This is almost invisible unless you look directly into the wearer’s ear. This does not a telecoil. Its batteries have short lifetime.
Another hearing aid type is the Invisible in the Canal (IIC) this hearing aid is invisible when worn because it fits deeper in the canal of the wearer’s ear. The majority of the ear is not blocked by a large plastic shell. Sound can be collected more naturally by the shape of the ear and can travel down to the ear canal. The Extended Wear hearing aid is another type. It is non-surgically placed in the ear canal by a hearing professional. This can be worn up to several months at a time without removal. This is made of a soft material.
Other hearing aid types are the Open-fit devices, the Personal Programmable or the Consumer Programmable the Disposable Hearing Aids, the Bone Anchored Hearing Aids and the Eye Glass Aids.
Your hearing specialist can best recommend what type of hearing aid is good for you, so take time in selecting the hearing aid type for you with the guidance of your doctor. Doctor knows best.
