Some Common Hearing Aid Myths

I was told that hearing aids will not help me because I have nerve damage!

• More often than not...this is false. It is generally stated there are 2 types of hearing loss, sensorineural and conductive but sometimes it can be both or a mixed loss. 
  
  
• Sensorineural - is the medical term for nerve deafness or nerve damage and it affects the inner ear. About 85% to 90% of all hearing loss is sensorineural and the only treatment are hearing aids.   
  
  
• A Conductive loss is a medical term for a hearing loss that is in the middle ear or affects the tympanic membrane (eardrum). This type of loss can often be corrected by a physician or an ENT (ears, nose and throat specialtist). Sometimes it is just cerumen (wax) buildup.

I was told hearing aids eliminate background noise!

• Not true! Background noise is a part of life and you would not want to eliminate it. 
  
  
• Modern day hearing aids that are properly fit and adjusted will not eliminate background noise. You would not want this. Those other sounds are part of life and the world around you. Modern digital hearing aids can sort out sounds and determine what is speech and what is ambient noise. They can boost the speech sounds and depress the ambient noise allowing the listener the ability to decipher speech better in listening environments where background noise is present, like restaurants, gatherings or other social events.

Why do hearing aids squeal?

• The answer is...they shouldn't, but there are a couple of reasons why some do. 
  
  
• When a hearing aid squeals, it's called feedback or oscillation. The hearing aid may not be fit properly and is too loose.   
  
  
• The hearing aid is no longer working properly because the person's hearing has deteriorated and the hearing aid is no longer adequate for the hearing loss.
  
  
• The auditory canal has an excessive amount of cerumen (wax) build up therefore the sound is bouncing back into the hearing aid causing that squeal.