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With the current range of digital hearing aids almost any configuration of hearing loss can be assisted with the professional fitting of hearing aids. Hearing aids alone are only one part of the rehabilitation process. A successful hearing aid fitting also relies on the knowledge and expertise of the audiologist fitting the hearing aids. That is why at Western Hearing Services hearing aids are only recommended following a thorough history and assessment by the audiologist, and a detailed discussion on each individual’s specific hearing needs. Approximately 2 weeks following the fitting, the patient returns to the audiologist to fine tune the hearing aid settings to their individual needs. Of equal importance to the hearing assessment results is the individual’s own evaluation of listening difficulties. It is for this reason that many of our most successful hearing aid fittings are for those who may only have a “mild” hearing loss on the audiogram, yet there own subjective evaluation of their listening difficulties were very significant. In these cases, advanced testing of damage to the cochlea and listening performance in background noise are essential. Once the audiologist has measured the hearing loss, and discussed the patient’s individual listening needs, a range of appropriate hearing aids will be recommended. New hearing aid technology has impressive features such as: digital noise suppression, adaptive directional microphones, speech recognition, automatic volume control, multiple programs and Bluetooth compatibility to mobile phones (and other electronic Bluetooth devices). There are also a range of hearing aid styles to suit even the most discerning wearer.
One very exciting new development has been the Open-Ear hearing aids. These have been developed for those with a high frequency hearing loss (commonly seen with the natural aging process and occupational noise exposure). Patients with a high frequency hearing loss often hear well in a one to one situation but report poor hearing clarity in: group situations, in areas of background noise and when listening over a distance.
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