Body Aid: For extreme power needs.
Behind-the-Ear: For severe losses, trauma issues and/or dexterity issues.
Over-the-Ear: For open-ear fittings.
In-the-Ear: Custom made to fit a wide range of hearing glosses. Has a wide range of features - digital circuit, analog circuit, telephone coil options. Economy models available in this size. Longer battery life than smaller models.
In-the-Canal: Smaller than previous style to fit further in the ear. Does not have as many features and power range as larger style aids.
Completely-in-the-Canal: The most popular aid with the greatest amount of inherent features. Tiny, out-of-sight, comfortable, powerful, automatic, digital, programmable, great with phones! Can be worn continuous - removed only for hygiene or battery change.
STANDARD HEARING AIDS
Behind-the-ear aids have an earmold, which fits inside your ear.
The
hearing aid itself sits behind your ear, and a plastic tube connects it to the
earmold.
In-the-ear aids and canal aids fit inside your ear. The working part
of the hearing aid is enclosed in the custom made plastic shell so that the whole aid
fits into your ear. With full size or standard in-the-ear aids, the aid can be seen
from the side. The smallest canal aids fit right inside your ear canal, where they are
less visible. If you have a severe hearing loss, or very small ear canals, canal aids
will probably not be suitable for you.
DIGITAL HEARING AIDS
Digital
hearing aids are the newest kind of aids. You may have heard about digital hearing
aids. The difference between digital and ordinary analogue hearing aids is in the
technology inside the aids and how they work. They can be behind-the-ear, in-the-ear or
in-the-canal models.
However, digital hearing aids contain a tiny computer.
The aid converts sound into a series of numbers - information that the computer can
understand. Digital aids, therefore; have much more flexibility for processing sounds
than analogue aids. It is likely, that within a few years, all new hearing aids will be
digital.
One of the biggest problems hearing aid wearers face is in
hearing what they want to hear - such as conversation - when there is a lot of
background noise. Digital aids are marketed as being able to give better sound when
there is noise in the background. Most cut out some background noise, but it is worth
remembering that some analogue aids are designed to do this, too.
Digital aids have
other advantages as well. Some are designed so that they whistle less than analogue
hearing aids, and they may also last longer than analogue hearing aids because they
have fewer parts. They also process sound in different ways to make it easier to
understand speech, even when there is no background noise. Like analogue hearing aids,
digital hearing aids vary, and may have different features. Any features specific to
your particular hearing need will be offered or discussed.
PROGRAMMABLE HEARING AIDS
Programmable hearing aids can be adjusted to suit your hearing loss, using a computer.
They can be programmed for certain hearing situations and re-programmed as hearing
situations change or your hearing loss changes.
They are available in all hearing
aid packaging such as tiny in-the-ear sizes or large powerful over the ear styles.
