| Digital Hearing Aids are now available that can be set | | | | amount of money, if they do not perform as you |
| up to compensate for a particular suffers individual | | | | need them to the dissatisfaction is vastly increased. |
| hearing loss. These Aids are called Digital Hearing Aids. | | | | There are two types of self programming Hearing |
| The initial step a sufferer should take is to have a | | | | Aids, those that are adjusted by small manual |
| hearing test.. This is usually carried out by a trained | | | | controls built into the Aid which can be tuned while |
| Audiologist. He will test the sufferers hearing at a | | | | the Aid is being worn, setting up the hearing |
| wide range of frequencies and levels of sound. When | | | | response that meets the sufferers needs. |
| he has these test results he can then use them to | | | | The other type of Digital Hearing Aids are more |
| programme the Digital Aid to help restore hearing | | | | complex and have many channels needing to be |
| where it was found to be poor. | | | | programmed by a computer type programmer. This |
| The major problem with the Audiologist programming | | | | is what an Audiologist would use when programming |
| the Aid is that he can only set up the Aid according | | | | the Aid. Now there are small computer programmers |
| to the hearing test which has been conducted, usually | | | | that can be purchased that allows the hearing |
| in a sound proof room. The results are based on | | | | impaired to programme their own Digital Aid. This has |
| what you have indicated to him. This can quite often | | | | many benefits such as, the sufferer can programme |
| result in you not being very satisfied with the Hearing | | | | the Hearing Aid to their own individual requirements |
| Aid as it does not take into account the life style of | | | | taking into account not only the particular hearing loss |
| the hearing impaired. Elderly people may want more | | | | but more impotently the particular life style of the |
| response at lower frequencies, such as conversation, | | | | sufferer. |
| whereas a younger person may want the Aid to be | | | | As people age it is known that hearing loss con |
| set up differently. The result is that a sufferer may | | | | increase which again can be taken into account by |
| have to return a number of times to the Audiologist | | | | reprogramming the Aid oneself and not having to |
| he have the hearing Aid reprogrammed wasting both | | | | return to the Audiologist. By self programming the |
| time and money and giving a great deal of | | | | Digital Hearing Aid it will give the hearing impaired a |
| frustration. | | | | great deal more control and could reduce stress |
| To overcome these problems programming your | | | | caused by the chosen Aid not performing as was |
| own Digital Hearing Aid will allow you to set up the | | | | expected. There have been many instances where |
| Aid to fit exactly your own particular hearing loss and | | | | sufferers have dispensed with their Aid due to this |
| life style which can save trips back to the Audiologist | | | | frustration. Self programming with their own |
| and the frustration of having a Aid that is not giving | | | | computer programmer will overcome this to a |
| you the improved hearing you thought you would | | | | greater degree. |
| receive. As Digital Aids generally cost a considerable | | | | |