Explanation & Satisfaction
Hearing Aid Technology
Today, hearing aids are available in different levels of technology:
Hearing Aid Technology
Today, hearing aids are available in different levels of technology:
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Programmable
100% digital hearing aids are often referred to as advanced technologies
. There are important differences among technologies, and deciding
which technology is right for you can get pretty confusing. Here’s a brief
explanation we hope will help.
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These hearing aids have been around for many years. Advances over
the years have resulted in big improvements in the performance of these hearing
aids. Traditional hearing aids are basically amplifiers that feature
manual volume controls and manual fine-tuning. Traditional hearing aids are
primarily beneficial for listening in easy, relatively quiet situations,
such as one-on-one conversation and listening to the television, because
all sounds are typically amplified in exactly the same way.
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These hearing aids, introduced in about 1989, brought dramatic improvements to analog hearing aid benefit in a wider variety of situations. Programmable hearing aids feature automatic volume controls and single or multiple memories. Multiple memories allow the user to switch back and forth among several programs (settings) for even greater benefit in different listening situations. A computer is used in our office to adjust the hearing aid based upon the individual’s hearing loss. In this way, different loudness levels are recognized by the hearing aid and are amplified appropriately. As a result, patients typically recognize much greater benefit and comfort in more difficult listening situations, such as at restaurants and parties. |
These hearing aids, introduced in about 1995, represent a quantum leap forward
in sound processing sophistication, flexibility and benefit in difficult listening
situations. 100% digital hearing aids feature a tiny computer chip
that monitors the types of sounds in the environment. Based upon the
programming performed by your audiologist in our office, the aid automatically
adjusts hundreds of aspects of sound to provide the most natural sound production
possible. The use of exceptional processing software allows 100% digital aids
to distinguish between speech and noise, resulting in even greater benefit
in difficult listening situations.
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Patient Satisfaction
So how do these various technologies affect patient satisfaction?
A study involving over 5000 hearing aid users proved that patients who wear
advanced aids experience significantly greater satisfaction than patients
who wear traditional aids. Why? The author identified one primary
reason: the advanced aid users felt they received greater value for their
hearing aid investment. In other words, they experienced better performance
relative to the price of their hearing aids. The research revealed
three reasons for this perception of greater value.
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| Advanced aids provide much better sound quality than traditional aids. The components of advanced aids are of higher quality than those of traditional aids, and the sophisticated sound processing of advanced aids results in more natural sound. |
Advanced aids are more reliable, requiring less repair service than traditional
aids. Advanced aids have fewer parts and components than traditional aids,
resulting in less wear and tear and longer expected life.
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Most importantly, advanced aids provide greater benefit in a wider variety of listening situations than traditional aids. What does that mean? Simply put, advanced aids provide better hearing in noisy or difficult listening situations compared to traditional aids. |
This study summarized the advantages of advanced hearing aids in this way: advanced aids provided greater improvement in the overall quality of users’ lives than traditional aids. Our many years of experience with advanced hearing aids agrees with the results of this study. We hope you’ll allow us the opportunity to demonstrate the remarkable benefits that advanced hearing aid technology can provide!
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