Programmable Hearing Aids
Programmable
hearing aids are a step up in technology from conventional hearing aids.
These instruments have an analog circuit that can be adjusted (programmed)
by your hearing healthcare professional on a computer. This allows for
greater flexibility and fine-tuning of the hearing aids to the patient's
needs. They also feature automatic volume control.
Programmable hearing
instruments offer an improvement in technology and sound from
conventional hearing instruments. Although programmable hearing aids can
be adjusted by a computer, they do not offer the degree of flexibility
or the fast processing that a digital hearing instrument has.
Programmable hearing aids
- introduction
Professionals order programmable hearing aids by selecting which manufacturer
and which programmable circuit they think will work best with
the patient's hearing loss and lifestyle. When the hearing health care
professional receives a programmable instrument from the manufacturer,
the professional connects the hearing instrument to a computer and sets
a listening program in the hearing aid based upon the patient's hearing
loss. While being fit with the hearing aids, the patient reports likes/dislikes
to the professional for immediate changes. Since everyone has different
needs and a different hearing loss, it can take a few follow-up visits
to set the program where it matches the patient's needs. Most programmable
hearing aids have automatic volume control so the patient only needs to
wear the instruments and listen.
If changes in a person's hearing should
occur, adjustments can be made to the listening program by the
hearing health care professional in the office.
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How programmable
hearing aids work
Many programmable hearing aids are easy to wear and some automatically
adjust volume based on the level of the incoming sound. This
circuitry automatically makes soft sounds louder and loud sounds softer.
The microphone gathers the sound information. The amplifier makes adjustments
to the sound based on the program the professional set in the hearing
aid. The receiver (speaker) then transmits the altered sound to your ear.
Hearing
health care professionals can make adjustments to the sound quality
of these instruments through re-programming.
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Costs of
programmable hearing aids
Programmable hearing aids are a great choice when the patient does not
want to compromise quality but cannot afford the more advanced digital
hearing instruments. They range from $1300 to $1700.
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