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Current generation hearing aids are capable of dramatically increasing a hearing impaired individual’s ability to understand speech under a wide range of listening conditions, but only if they are properly programmed. (See: Testimonials, Missing Link (2004) slide presentation, Missing Link (2005) publication) Practitioners need to be trained in the skills and knowledge required to achieve optimum hearing benefit from today’s state-of-the-art digital hearing aids. (See: Proposal to FDA (2004)) Be cautions and informed prior to purchasing hearing aids. The best way to verify the benefit hearing aids provide is to take them off in each of your listening situations. How do you perform compared to the normal hearing people around you? (See: What to Expect When Getting Hearing Aids)The marketing of hearing aids appeals to cosmetics, price and the illusion that newer means better. The newer hearing aids provided with the standard “hearing loss” prescriptions do not improve speech intelligibility in noise better than older technology. (See: Missing Link (2005) publication) Detailed programming (fitting) of hearing aids is extremely important to achieve optimal benefit. Small changes in the presentation of sound has dramatic effects on speech intelligibility and the ability to separate speech from noise. (See: Effect of Small Changes of Acoustic Energy on Real World Performance with Hearing Aids, 2007) Making sound louder doesn’t help. Making the speaker clearer and separated from other sounds does!
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