When you first walk in to see an audiologist at your local hearing center, you not only may be wondering if your auditory loss can benefit from a hearing aid, you also may wonder if you'll even have device options available to you at that point.
You will probably have several questions, and a hearing center is the perfect place to find those answers.
The specialists such as audiologists and otolaryngologists assist the process of supplementing the ear's natural sound perception with testing and other forms of investigation in order to determine the cause and type of auditory loss.
These pieces of information are critical to selecting and utilizing the best treatment and supplemental device for each patient's particular impairment or condition.
Your first question at a hearing center is likely to be to inquire about what a supplemental device is and what it can do for you.
Although there are three styles that can be placed behind the ear, inside of the ear or specially made to fit inside of the ear canal, new patients are more concerned with how these devices work.
It is an electronic apparatus that is designed to replace or support the function of the ear: a microphone is used in the outer and middle ear, an amplifier is used in the middle, and a speaker that processes the sound waves is used in the inner ear.
Two of the main issues that hearing impaired individuals complain about is that their inability to interpret soft sounds and multiple auditory stimuli at once is getting in the way of their quality of life.
The supplemental devices are used to compensate for whatever function or process your natural ear cannot.
The idea behind the device is to magnify natural sound around you so that your communication skills can be improved.
As auditory function is diminished and ignored one's ability to understand speech and to speak effectively will continue to decline.
It also has to be mentioned that these supplemental devices cannot be effective if excessive physical damage has been done to the cochlea sensory cells, for example, the aids may be altogether ineffective.
The good news is that hearing center hearing aids can help to resolve the listening and communication issues that you are experiencing at this time.
But it is also important to know that supplemental devices and alternative treatment methods are not cures to hearing loss but supplements to improve your quality of life.
And they will always be worth it in the end.