Hearing aids

Question 1

What is a hearing aid?

Answer 1

Sound amplifier - passes from the microphone which goes through a processor that amplifies the sound and passes it to a small loudspeaker

Question 2

how can a hearing aid be fitted?

Answer 2

Behind the ear, in the ear and in the canal

Question 3

when might hearing aids be the wrong thing to give?

Answer 3

patients with cochlear or retro-cochlear hearing loss - sound becomes very distorted

Question 4

What common complaint in people that are hard of hearing?

Answer 4

Difficulty with background noise

Question 5

What is a telecoil?

Answer 5

a loop system - fitted in rooms, lecture halls etc, causes distortions in magnetic fields which re then picked up by the users hearing aid and converted back to sound

The only downside is that the microphone is turned off

Question 6

What is feedback caused by in a hearing aid?

Answer 6

amplified sound being picked up by microphone causing a feedback loop

• wax in ear canal
  ear mould not inserted correctly

Question 7

What are bone anchored hearing aids?

Answer 7

pure titanium screw is put into the skull - metal abutment screws into this and passes through the skin

Question 8

What is a vibrant sound bridge?

Answer 8

sound processor that converts sound into electrical signals which are transmitted across skin to the implant via induction

this this converts into mechanical vibrations that are conducted in the inner ear

Question 9

How do cochlear implants work?

Answer 9

Electrical stimulation of neural structures in the cochlea

• usually indicated in people with sensorineural hearing loss where conventional hearing aids are of little help