Time to Read: 4 minutes
People who wear hearing aids become conscious of the background noise.
The truth of the matter is background noise has always been there. And when you have maximised your hearing, you’ll be noticing sounds you’ll have forgotten!
The good news is, hearing aids can minimise the sounds you don’t want to hear. However, hearing aids cannot eliminate background noise.
Hearing aids help in a number of different ways - directional microphones, noise reduction programming - but the biggest factor in successfully dealing with background noise is training your brain
Let’s look at those factors:
Directional Microphones
We have an excellent feature the three must-have features your hearing aid must have to effectively help your speech in noise and one of those key factors is directional microphones.
Each person's ability to hear in noise is different, so your needs regarding which technology is right for you can only be determined using comprehensive speech in noise testing.
The only proven way to achieve this is through the use of directional microphones. A modern directional microphone system consists of two microphones on each hearing aid. When the directional microphone system is activated, the hearing aid focuses the direction of sound pick-up forward. This means you hear loudest from the direction you are looking at, while sounds next to and behind you are suppressed.
Noise Reduction Program
Noise Reduction Programs are proven way to help manage noise. It works via a computer programme in the hearing that identifies speech and prioritises it over other sounds. They also come with feedback reduction features that further help deliver clear speech.
Brain Training
Most clients will adapt very quickly to their hearing aids, for some it can take weeks and for others as long as four months to get used to wearing them.
So be prepared for some changes in your life, but if you work through them, you’ll find the change is very much for the better.
There is something very important to know about hearing aids.
Unlike spectacles, which can often deliver perfect vision in many cases, hearing devices will help you maximise your hearing but it cannot give you "20-20" hearing.
Being prepared for the fact that the hearing aid cannot fully restore loss, and appreciating that the device is working to maximise your hearing potential, will help you avoid unrealistic expectations.
And finally, be prepared to make a few adjustments to your daily routine to get the best from your hearing aids and to help keep them in excellent working order.
It's important to work in partnership with your family and your audiologist to help make the most from your new devices.
