'Hearing Aid for Severe Hearing Loss'
There are many degrees of hearing loss. They usually range from mild, moderate, severe to profound. To determine the severity of hearing loss the patient has, audiologists usually conduct a hearing test. Hearing impairment can be identified by checking the quietest level of sounds the person can hear. It is usually evaluated in decibels.
What is severe hearing loss?
Severe hearing loss is when you hear loud sounds and need amplification to hear most every day and normal sounds. You cannot hear conversation or speech at normal volume. It means you are unable to hear sounds below 60 dB, which is the sound of a normal conversation. Patients with severe loss usually struggle to communicate in their everyday life.
Generally, it occurs due to a birth defect, illness or injury. Age, loud noises, ear infections, perforated eardrum, tumors, and medications are all conditions that can lead to it. It happens unexpectedly or over the course of years. The patient usually resorts to visual information such as body language or facial expressions to fill the gaps and understand what’s being said. Lip-reading is used to understand what other people are saying. Very loud sounds, such as a car horn, would not astound the patient the same way as it would to a person with normal hearing. Many patients withdraw from their social lives because the feel embarrassed to ask their friends and family to repeat what they are saying over and over again.
Do hearing aids help?
Hearing aids are electronic or battery- operated devices or machines that can change sound and amplify it. A microphone receives the sound and change it to sound waves, which are later converted into electrical signals.
The severity of hearing loss has a huge impact on the type of hearing aids. This is why getting tested and identifying the level of hearing loss will help the patient and the audiologist choose the right hearing aid type that best suits the needs of the patient.
Best hearing aids for severe hearing loss are known as “power hearing aids”. They are slightly larger than other hearing aids, and patients usually wear them behind the ear with a custom molded material that connects the ear canal to the hearing instrument. Sound travels from the hearing aid into the ear.
When patients are diagnosed with severe hearing loss, they directly worry about wearing bulky and awkward hearing aids. However, smaller hearing aids have been developed, making them less obvious and effective at the same time.
Audiologists usually make sure that the sound is loud enough, so the patients hear it, but not extremely loud it damages their natural hearing. They take into consideration how much power it offers and its circuitry.
Which type of hearing aid is the most recommended?
Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids, known as Bluetooth- enabled hearing aids, are one of the highest considerations for patients with severe hearing loss. They are larger because of the need for them to be louder. The battery is bigger to provide extra energy to make noises louder. All of this is required because they need to increase the volume much more than those suffering from less severe forms of hearing loss. Because it is the largest option, it is particularly recommended for children and old people. They need large devices that are easy to handle and are more capable of increasing the amplification.
What features to search for?
There are many features to consider when your hearing loss is severe. You should choose a hearing aid that proposes great amplification without any feedback, detects high pitched sounds, and has a strong battery life. They can connect to different forms of technology through wireless connection, giving the patient a great sense of control on the amount of sound. They have upgraded features where you can connect and stream directly from your radio, phone, TV or tablet. Most of them are rechargeable.
Many types of hearing aids are found. How can you know what is best for you? You start by knowing the level of hearing loss to understand which hearing aid best suits you. It is very important to diagnose severe hearing loss and treat it. Your audiologist will help you choose based on your specific needs. The earlier you diagnose it and treat it, the better your life will be and the more you stay involved in your society.