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Hearing Aids
Consumer FAQ #4
I don't understand all the speech
through my hearing aids.
Do not assume
that you will understand all of the speech you hear
through your hearing aids. Just because you miss some of the words does
not mean that your hearing aids are not worth using. |
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The intent is to
achieve with your hearing aids degree of improvement in overall
communicative ability.
I am trying, but I really can't tell
if my hearing aids are helping.
 One
of the greatest difficulties of new hearing aids wearers,
especially if your loss is mild, is
the ability to assess the results
of the hearing aids within a short time
after they have been fitted. A
rehabilitation (adjustment) period is a MUST because you are not
accustomed to the amplification experience. You must first adapt to the
hearing aids before an evaluation can be made as to the suitability of
the hearing aid fitting.
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What is the difference between
hearing, listening and understanding?
All three are part of communication.
- Hearing
depends upon the physical condition of your ears, similar to the way
vision depends upon physical condition of your eyes.
However,
unlike eyes, ears, when in good physical condition, are "open" 24 hours
a day. For example, you can "hear" sound (traffic, water running,
voices in the background, etc) but not "listen" to them. However, the
physical condition of the ear can change in a number of ways. All
sounds may be too soft, only some sound will be too soft, or others may
seem too loud. The way your hearing is affected depends upon the degree
and type of physical damage to the ears. Therefore, hearing depends
upon the physical condition of the ear and is not something you can
just turn on or off.
- Listening
involves more than just the physical condition of the ears.
It implies that you are paying attention to what you hear. Unlike
hearing, you can turn listening off and on, and you often do. You tend
to stop listening if the sounds heard are not interesting or not
important to you. You also tend to stop listening when you are tired or
upset.
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In other words, you could have excellent hearing and not listen.
Because of your hearing loss, listening requires greater attention and
much more effort. Because of hearing aids do not give you normal
hearing, listening can be physically taxing. It involves a certain
amount of control over your ability to concentrate and requires that
you be able to block out unimportant sounds.
- Understanding
(or recognition) combines hearing and listening, and implies the taking
of the proper action by comprehension.
Your hearing loss and hearing aids may allow you to hear, you may
listen, but be insufficient information may be available for you to
take the proper action because you did not comprehend. This is
especially true when something is not familiar. For example, you may
hear a foreign language, you may listen attentively to it, but you may
fail to understand it because it is not familiar. You must learn the
"new" sound is and accept it before you will understand.
This is similar to the use of hearing aids and being exposed to the
"new" sounds being generated. Practice, time and the use of additional
clues provided by the hearing aids should help you to understand better.
Why do people raise their voices when
they see my hearing aids?
It is natural for people to try to help you. If you ask them to speak
in a normal, conversational tone they will quickly forget that you are
wearing hearing aids.
My
aids feel bulky behind my ear.
A behind-the-ear aid may feel bulky at first, because you are not used
to it. But it is quite light, and has been contoured to fit your ear,
so you will probably get used to it in a few days.
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