Deafness and Hearing Aids
I. Why should I wear hearing aids?
Hearing and speech are important means of communication. If hearing declines significantly, it will affect communication, or even make it impossible. This is just like myopic people need to wear glasses, people with leg problems need crutches, deaf patients need to wear hearing aids. It is often said that a deaf person is three times dumber. If hearing loss and not wearing hearing aids, it will affect people’s normal communication, which is a very painful thing for both sides.
How deaf do I need to wear hearing aids?
Both adults and children should be fitted with hearing aids when their average hearing loss is ≥40dB and they are diagnosed by doctors as having irreversible hearing loss and cannot improve their hearing through medication or surgery. To put it simply: when you can’t hear ordinary speech, you should consider wearing hearing aids. There is a big misconception in China that hearing aids should only be considered when you can’t hear anything. In fact, it is too late to get a hearing aid at this level. Hearing is divided into two parts, one is whether you can hear the sound, and the other is whether you can distinguish the sound you hear. Therefore, we have seen a lot of filial children bring their elderly to us clinically, but the result is that they can hear but cannot distinguish, and cannot achieve the purpose of hearing aid. This is a great pity. Therefore, hearing aids must be worn in a timely manner, and the earlier they are fitted, the better the effect.
Third, what is the harm of not wearing hearing aids in time?
If the average hearing loss is ≥40dB and they do not wear hearing aids in time, they will encounter many difficulties in their life: 1.
1.Hearing problem: It is hard to hear other people’s speech, and it will be difficult to hear the alarm clock, doorbell and telephone ringing, which will lead to unnecessary panic. What is more terrible is that when the gas in the room exceeds the standard, he cannot hear the alarm, is it very dangerous?
2, communication problems: because of the inability to hear others, he is reluctant to talk more with others, and others are reluctant to talk more with him, so naturally communication will be reduced.
3, social problems: because the patient has hearing impairment, therefore, the scope of employment and opportunities are relatively reduced, the opportunity for education will also be reduced, can not watch movies, listen to concerts, etc., the patient has the feeling of being ignored by society and others.
4. Social relationship problems: Because of the hearing impairment, patients rely more on their family members. However, due to the communication barrier, patients complain that their family members do not care about them, and their family members often fail to convey their true care to the patients accurately. The relationship of family is difficult.
5. Psychological problems: The biggest problem is that patients often feel very lonely and family members often feel anxious.
4.What are the things I need to pay attention to when choosing hearing aids?
You can’t just buy a hearing aid like an ordinary electrical appliance. It is necessary to carry out scientific fitting, otherwise, it will either not work or the effect is not ideal. Therefore, we should pay attention to the following issues when choosing hearing aids.
1.Obtain accurate audiogram: Only the more accurate the audiogram is, the more accurate the fitting result will be and the hearing aid will be suitable.
2, with each person’s unique hearing requirements: each person has different feelings about sound and different learning, living and working environments, so you should consider each person’s unique hearing requirements when choosing a hearing aid.
3.Use the latest technology: try to choose multi-channel, the more channels, the more targeted to improve the sound, the better the effect; try to choose digital machine, later hearing loss, digital machine can be reprogrammed on the computer, just like the new, otherwise, you have to purchase new hearing aids.
4.Decide whether to wear hearing aids in one ear or both ears: In principle, it is better to wear hearing aids in one ear for single deafness and in both ears for double deafness, if economic conditions do not allow, choose the side with better hearing for double deafness.
5.The demand of appearance: those who have high demand for aesthetics can choose in-the-ear type, those who have low demand can choose behind-the-ear type.
6. Be psychologically prepared: deafness is generally formed slowly, and the hearer may be used to a quiet world.
V. The importance of early hearing aid fitting for children
If children with hearing loss can wear hearing aids within six months after birth, their language development will be close to that of children with normal hearing, otherwise, they will become deaf and mute, which will have a significant impact on their life.
Sixth, the importance of hearing aids for the elderly
Due to the physical reasons, the elderly people have less and less social interactions, and their children have become families, so the communication with the elderly people has become less and less. If the hearing is not good, even watching a TV, listening to a music or opera is also an obstacle, the old people’s pain will be more obvious, which is not only detrimental to the physical and mental health of the elderly, but also not equal to family harmony.
7. What should I pay attention to after wearing hearing aids?
All new things need to be learned, and so does the early stage of wearing hearing aids, especially for the elderly. Therefore, at the beginning, you should talk with them at a close distance, in a low voice and at a slow speed, not requiring them to understand 100%, as long as they can understand the meaning. With the use of long lines, gradually can reach the level of normal people.
Eight, the maintenance of hearing aids
Hearing aids belong to electronic products, the main thing is to prevent moisture and falls, and regularly clean the accumulation of dirt in the earplugs, and open the battery box every night when sleeping, which can prolong the service life of the battery. If used normally, a hearing aid can generally be used for 8-10 years.