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$Title{What Can You Expect From a Hearing Aid?}
$Subject{hearing aid loss deafness Sense Senses Hear Aids ear ears canal
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Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


What Can You Expect From a Hearing Aid?


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QUESTION:  Before I shell out my money perhaps you will help.  What can I
expect from a hearing aid?

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ANSWER:  A hearing aid can be an extremely helpful tool, yet only about one
fourth of all Americans with hearing loss use them.  Many people don't realize
they have lost enough hearing to make a hearing aid worthwhile or wrongly feel
embarrassed about needing one.  Physicians should test hearing more frequently
than they do to screen for hearing loss.  Almost everyone who has lost some
hearing can benefit from a hearing aid, and you are never either too old or
too young to get one.
     What you can expect from a hearing aid depends on what kind of hearing
loss you have.  Is the hearing loss in both ears or one?  Do you understand
speech well?  Many people can hear in a range of sound that makes background
noise audible but cannot hear speech.  Other people may not need a hearing
aid, but will benefit from other devices, such as a telephone amplifier.
     Hearing aids are now smaller and better than ever.  Most devices fit
right in the ear and are almost invisible.  The three most common devices are
canal aids, that fit into the ear canal; in-the-ear aids, that are larger and
fit into the canal and part of the ear; and behind-the-ear aids, that hook
behind the ear and have a tube and ear-piece in the ear.
     The problem with hearing aids in the past is that they amplified all
sounds, both background noise and conversational speech, in such a way that a
wearer often had trouble understanding what was said.  Newer models are
capable of screening out a lot of background noise, but no hearing aid can
eliminate it totally.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.