| If you are like the many millions of people who have | | | | easier to hear in noise. |
| bought digital hearing aids, you probably did not fully | | | | Why Do Some People Have Difficulty Changing from |
| understand all of the mechanisms at play inside of that | | | | Analog to Digital Hearing Aids? |
| new hearing aid. You had your hearing tested and | | | | Some people who have worn analog hearing aids for |
| were told which hearing aids would work best for your | | | | a long period of time have been unsucessful when |
| hearing loss. So, just what are digital hearing aids and | | | | they first tried digital hearing aids. If digital is so much |
| what makes them different? | | | | better, why do these people not like them? Over time |
| Digital hearing aids use computer technology. The | | | | we are conditions to like or dislike certain things. Many |
| comfort and sound level that you hear can be | | | | people did not like some kind of food when they were |
| custom-tailored to your unique hearing loss. This is | | | | young, but later they learn to like it. We call this |
| accomplished by connecting the digital hearing aids to | | | | developing a taste for it. The same is true with |
| a computer and programming them to your loss. But, | | | | switching from analog to digital hearing aids, especially |
| there are non-digital / analog hearing aids that can be | | | | if you were happy with your analog hearing aids. |
| programmed this way too. So, what are the | | | | Your brain becomes accustomed to hearing sounds a |
| differences between digital hearing aids and analog? | | | | certain way, particularly if you felt positive about the |
| Hearing aids receive sound through the microphone. | | | | way it sounded with your analog hearing aid. The |
| Distortion and noise are added to the sound from the | | | | sound is a whole lot more crisp and full when you first |
| microphone. This is because microphones make noise. | | | | put on your new digital hearing aids. This can be |
| Analog hearing aids pass the sound on to you with the | | | | overpowering to some and the immediate reaction is |
| noise and distortion. Digital hearing instruments clean | | | | to not like it. That's when many people make one of |
| sounds as they come into the hearing aids so that | | | | two mistakes. They try to tough it out and get used to |
| there is less noise and distortion. The sound is then | | | | their digital hearing aids, or they just give up. The |
| sent to the amplifier, where your digital hearing aids | | | | problem with "toughing it out" is that it can be |
| measure the sound and decide how much power to | | | | extremely painful to hear all of these new sounds |
| add in order for you to hear. | | | | when you are not used to hearing them. Then your |
| After being amplified the sound is sent to the receiver | | | | new digital hearing aids becomes your enemy! Giving |
| ( the speaker ) and is then cleaned up again before | | | | up doesn't help anything either. |
| being sent to your ear. This is also where digital hearing | | | | When this is the case, the best way for you to adapt |
| aids look for feedback ( whistling ) and work to cancel | | | | to your digital hearing aids is gradually. Your |
| it before the feedback happens. Digital hearing aids | | | | professional can tone them down so that the sound is |
| actually perform millions of complex calculations in less | | | | comfortable, and then gradually introduce more sound |
| than the blink of an eye, so fast you cannot even tell it | | | | over time as you adjust. It may take several visits to |
| has happened. The entire process is extremely | | | | the office for adjustments until you get the maximum |
| complicated. Digital hearing aids are able to be set | | | | benefit from your digital hearing aids. But if you |
| more precisely to your hearing loss. Digital hearing aids | | | | persevere, your digital hearing aids will reward you with |
| also have a wide array of circuitry inside them that | | | | much better hearing. |
| control the comfort of the sound and make speech | | | | |