Hearing aid tuning is a process in which it is customized to fit the client’s hearing needs. This is carried out by specialists in prosthetics using special programs on a computer. In addition to programmable devices, there are models that are manually configured through the use of trimmers. The setting is required so that the user of such an apparatus can perceive different sounds as comfortably as possible in any acoustic environment.
Setup Steps
Before hearing impaired people can use the selected devices, they must be properly configured for auditory features. This procedure is carried out in a specialized center. Usually it is carried out in two stages:
- Perform initial setup.
- Corrective actions are carried out after four weeks (if necessary).
The procedure is carried out on the basis of an audiogram.
Features
According to the tuning method, the following two types of hearing aids are distinguished:
- Programmable, which are established using special programs based on the data of an audiogram of a person.
- Setting non-programmable devices is carried out using a trimmer.
Any person who first uses this device must learn to perceive the surrounding sounds correctly. Modern gadgets are very convenient, tiny and have a large number of functions, and in addition, features. Nevertheless, the comfort of sound perception to a greater extent may depend on the individual competent settings of the device. This is a rather painstaking work, requiring practical experience and attentive attitude to each situation separately.
Modern specialists are perfectly aware of all the features of the hearing aid tuning currently available on sale, they are unmistakably able to determine which gadget can best suit one or another client, and how to maximize the efficiency of using the patient’s residual hearing features to maximize good for him. Thus, in order to be sure of the quality of your device settings, you need to contact only specialists whom you trust.
Instructions
The phased adaptation to the device involves the following stages:
- Temporary wearing of the device with primary addiction to it.
- Adapting a person to a conversation with several people at once.
- Addictive in a noisy environment.
- Listening to TV shows and audio recordings.
- Test wear.
When audiologists do not have confidence that the device is suitable for a person, they can offer to vilify it for another two weeks as part of the adjustment of the hearing aid. If the specialist is a professional, then he knows how to set up a hearing aid for proper operation. And it will do it very qualitatively, so that the general audibility is comfortable in it for the patient, regardless of the conditions. And to distinguish the voice of various people, identifying sound sources, remains to be learned.
The setup of such devices will be required after the first period of patient adaptation, for which they give an exercise to determine the speaker, when it is necessary to determine who is talking in the room. After this stage is mastered, it is recommended to visit a noisy place in which there is music along with the wind and a lot of talking people. You shouldn’t go straight into the subway, but just go outside.
For a person who needs hearing correction and uses devices for this, watching a TV show, as well as listening to music or some kind of conversation, is a very difficult task. And it doesn’t matter at all about the quality of the device and how accurately the hearing aid is tuned. It is worth noting that all these recommendations are general, they were developed for all people, but only high-class specialists are able to make an individual program as part of rehabilitation.
How to set up hearing aids?
To program a complex device in such a way that you never have to do it again, in practice it almost never succeeds. Time passes and the device needs a new adjustment. With sensitive gadgets, it can be easily knocked down. Directly external factors are also capable of exerting influence.
When do you need to repeat the setup procedure?
This is required in a number of the following situations:
- If a person’s hearing has improved or, conversely, has become worse.
- There was a whistle in the device.
- The nature of the signal and its level have changed.
- Made a new ear tip. It itself is an important part of the device: it is he who transmits sounds to the middle ear, and the operation of the device should be debugged.
If the device is configured correctly, then a person quickly gets used to it, starting to train those parts of the cerebral cortex that are responsible for the accurate perception of the corresponding signals. And for these reasons, you always need to remember about setting up your hearing aid when doing it on time.
Home setting
Setting up the hearing aid at home is only possible if you have a trimmer type of apparatus. If the patient has an audiogram, then a device with fixed trimmers is adjusted for normal operation with the help of special templates. If it does not have a fixed position, then it must be turned clockwise.
Hearing aid for an elderly person
Most elderly patients, despite hearing problems, are reluctant to use such devices. They are afraid that they can’t cope with them, they will break and waste money. Indications for wearing such a device at this age are:
- The presence of any form of hearing loss. An exception in this case are patients with epilepsy and convulsive syndrome.
- Old people who suffer from acute nervous diseases.
The following gadgets are provided for this category of patients:
- Analog, which can only amplify the sound, so the noise, which was previously perceived normally, begins to seem loud. Such devices are used less often, because they have limited functionality. In older people, these gadgets very often cause a headache.
- Digital types are devices that amplify sounds and transform any incoming information. Speech becomes louder, and excess noise is completely suppressed.
As a rule, the price of a hearing aid for an elderly person varies in a rather large range and ranges from seven to one hundred thousand rubles.
Widex
Today it is one of the largest manufacturers of hearing aids in the world. The devices of this brand are sold in more than a hundred countries. Sound after tuning Widex hearing aids is rated by consumers as the most natural. Prices for this brand start at twenty thousand rubles.
Bernafon
For more than sixty years, this Swiss company has been offering patients a very wide selection of hearing aids that combine unique technology along with great sound quality and an attractive design. The development of this company has long had a significant impact on the industry of the gadgets in question. Setting up Bernafon hearing aids is intuitive and easy. Thus, today the company offers high-quality devices that are based on the latest technology. Their cost ranges from twenty-five to one hundred thousand rubles.
Repairs
It is worth noting that absolutely any electro-acoustic device has its own fixed working resource. However, with competent technical maintenance, the terms of its operation can be significantly extended. Timely detected malfunctions along with professional repairs by certified specialists guarantee the stable operation of gadgets at minimal cost. To carry out repairs and adjustments to hearing aids, it is necessary to contact service centers for the maintenance of hearing aids.
Thus, age-related hearing loss is directly related to the fact that the hair cells of the ear begin to die in people over time. Special cilia, which are responsible for the transmission of sound, simply lose their elasticity and sensitivity. In addition, the causes of loss of normal hearing are different. To return the hearing to people help special devices that specialists must select.