10 Things You Didn’t Know About Hearing Aids

Hearing aids have gone through plenty of iterations in their 200-plus year history. The technology that is used in hearing aids has historically been developed due to a devoted scientist who is either impacted by hearing loss or has a loved one impacted by hearing loss. For example, Alexander Graham Bell’s mother had profound hearing loss and his wife was deaf.

Here are 10 other little-known facts about hearing aids:

1. Hearing aids can be synced up with wireless gadgets through cutting-edge technology like Bluetooth, so users can enjoy direct signals from their smart phone, MP3 player, TV, and other electronics.
2. Hearing aids are not one size fits all – as a matter of fact, they can and should be programmable. This indicates they have the potential to recall the most comfortable configurations for the user, often readjusting in real time to the surrounding environment.
3. Digital hearing aids – a recent innovation — have dramatically limited the prevalence of irritating feedback, echoes, and background noises. These were par for the course as part of earlier technologies, and they made concentrating much more challenging.
4. Hearing aids have the capacity for enhancing and clarifying sound, in combination with making it louder for the user.
5. When used in connection with special induction or hearing loops, hearing aid users can more clearly hear notifications in public areas, conferences, airports, stadiums, and other populated environments. This technology enhances sounds and minimizes all the background noise.
6. It used to be that hearing aids were only manufactured in beige and similar colors to fit in with people’s skin color, so that they were not easily recognizable. Today, users are welcoming their hearing aid technology, exhibiting a range of colors and patterns to flash their devices and stick out in a crowd.
7. In the same vein, hearing aids are smaller in size than at any other time. They used to be large, cumbersome contraptions that weighed several pounds and barely amplified sound. Today, hearing aids only weigh a few ounces and provide far superior sound quality.
8. Today, you can pick up water resistant and waterproof hearing aids to better fit in with your lifestyle. Water resistant hearing aids can withstand low levels of humidity and moisture, while waterproof hearing aids can tolerate higher levels of moisture during showering and even swimming.
9. Many hearing aids are now made with rechargeable technology; instead of having to frequently replace batteries, hearing aids can simply be recharged, thereby avoiding maintenance costs and hassle.
10. Hearing aids are not only for the hard of hearing — individuals suffering from tinnitus can often obtain relief from the constant ringing with the special tinnitus therapy components contained in many hearing aids.

Now that you learned some interesting tidbits about hearing aids and their associated technology, you can better understand what they have to offer the young and the old alike.