Hearing Aids & Accessories
What is a hearing aid?
A hearing aid is a small electronic device that you wear in or behind your ear. It is a device designed to help utilize the auditory system to its fullest. Essentially the function of a hearing aid is to make everything louder. When one loses their hearing, they lose their ability to detect soft sounds. The hearing aid just makes these soft sounds loud enough to be audible. It makes some sounds louder so that a person with hearing loss can listen, communicate, and participate more fully in daily activities. A hearing aid can help people hear more in both quiet and noisy situations. However, only about one out of five people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually uses one.
A hearing aid has three basic parts
A microphone, amplifier, and speaker. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone, which converts the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker.
There is not a hearing aid that exists today that will "cut out" background sounds completely. However, utilizing the latest technology available we are able to maximize your hearing in difficult listening situations.
When you decide to purchase hearing aids, the audiologist will take impressions (or molds) of your ears, as the hearing aids are custom built to fit only your ears. The impression is then sent to the hearing aid manufacturer who will build the hearing aid.
How can hearing aids help?
Hearing aids are primarily useful in improving the hearing and speech comprehension of people who have hearing loss that results from damage to the small sensory cells in the inner ear, called hair cells. This type of hearing loss is called sensorineural hearing loss. The damage can occur as a result of disease, aging, or injury from noise or certain medicines.
A hearing aid magnifies sound vibrations entering the ear. Surviving hair cells detect the larger vibrations and convert them into neural signals that are passed along to the brain. The greater the damage to a person’s hair cells, the more severe the hearing loss, and the greater the hearing aid amplification needed to make up the difference. However, there are practical limits to the amount of amplification a hearing aid can provide. In addition, if the inner ear is too damaged, even large vibrations will not be converted into neural signals. In this situation, a hearing aid would be ineffective.
Are there different styles of hearing aids?
There are three basic styles of hearing aids. The styles differ by size, their placement on or inside the ear, and the degree to which they amplify sound.
Adjusting To Your Hearing Aid
It will probably take you a while to get used to your new hearing aid. During this time, it is important to keep in mind that your aid will not make your hearing "normal" again, but it will make sounds clearer, enabling you to participate in conversations and hear sounds that you may have missed before.
The first week is often the most trying period. You may here strange "new" sounds, like the hissing of a radiator, and you may be distracted by an array of background noises, such as the hum of a refrigerator or the sound of a knife on a dinner plate. Some everyday sounds, like rustling the newspaper or running water, will sound different. Your own voice may seem loud or strange to you. Your hearing aid should fit comfortably. Report any discomfort, pain, or irritation to your audiologist as soon as possible.
By the second week, you should be more comfortable wearing your aid, and better at identifying sounds. After the third week, you may get the feeling that your hearing is worse when you remove the aid, but this is a sign that you are getting accustomed to hearing again!
Care of your Hearing Aid
Avoid situations where your hearing aid could fall any distance on to a hard surface. Be seated or hold the aid over a table rather than over the floor when changing the batteries, performing maintenance, or inserting it into the ear.
Keep the hearing aid dry. Remove the aid before swimming or taking a shower. Always store the aid in a dry place and keep it away from sources of dampness. Never attempt to dry it in any type of oven or with a blow dryer. Do not leave your aid in a pocket of clothing to be laundered.
Keep the hearing aid away from excessive heat or direct sunlight. Never leave it on a radiator, near a stove, in a sunny window, in a car glove box, or any other hot place. Do not wear the aid when using a hair dryer or near a sunlamp or heat lamp.
Remove the hearing aid before applying hair spray. It may damage the microphone. If you are often in dusty environments (wood shop, outdoors, etc.), your hearing aid may require more frequent cleaning and maintenance.
Store your hearing aid out of reach of youngsters or pets. It should be stored in its case when not in use. Open the battery door when not wearing the aid to prevent excessive battery drain.
Do not attempt to repair your own hearing aid. Never attempt to open its case. Do not wash or lubricate any part of the aid.
Cleaning: Keep the ear mold and tubing free of obstruction. Clean with a damp cloth and remove any accumulated wax with the provided wax removal tool. Clean the case of the aid by wiping carefully with a dry cloth or tissue. See your audiologist or hearing aid specialist twice a year for cleaning and maintenance.
Hearing Aid Options
Phonak Audéo Infinio Sphere™
Phonak hearing aids are powered by advanced AI to help people hear better in the real world. Infinio Ultra Sphere is designed to offer the best sound for you. Anytime. Anywhere. Enjoy unlimited conversations in a world of noise with Spheric Speech Clarity 2.0, delivering a new level of clear speech2 throughout your day.
Phonak Naída™ Lumity
Phonak Naída Lumity is our most powerful hearing device, designed for mild to severe hearing loss. Powered by real-time AI, it helps you hear better so you can confidently stay connected to the world around you.
Powered by Phonak AI, SmartSpeech™ Technology automatically adapts your hearing to your surroundings, helping improve speech understanding and reduce listening effort.¹˒²
This advanced feature allows you to focus more on the speaker from the front, side and back, so you can confidently navigate conversations.
Phonak CROS Infinio
Enhance your life with a solution designed to provide exceptional sound quality from the first use. A durable , life-proof design, CROS is ready for whatever you can throw at it. Now featuring an increase rechargeable battery run time to last a whole day of use.
Navigating the world with hearing loss in one ear can be challenging, but with Phonak CROS Infinio, a whole new realm of speech clarity awaits you. Engineered for reliability and durability, this device is designed to withstand the rigors of everyday life, offering you a steadfast companion on your hearing journey.
At the heart of Infinio lies our advanced technology, meticulously crafted to deliver exceptional sound quality. And with CROS Infinio, you don’t have to worry about your device staying charged throughout a busy day. With a long-lasting rechargeable battery, you can focus on what truly matters - living your life to the fullest, confident in the knowledge that CROS Infinio is always ready.
Phonak Audéo™ lnfinio (Ultra) R
Infinio Ultra is designed to provide you with the best sound, no matter the situation. Anytime. Anywhere. Powered by real-time AI to deliver exceptional sound quality so you can hear better in the real world with confidence.
Phonak Virto™ R Infinio
Phonak Virto R Infinio is a custom-crafted rechargeable hearing aid designed to help you live fully and hear confidently. Combining exceptional sound quality, personalized comfort, and seamless connectivity, it delivers premium hearing technology designed to fit your unique ear anatomy and fit naturally into your life.
Why Virto R Infinio? Because RightFit uses a multi-faceted customization approach that molds Virto I-R to fit the unique anatomic and acoustic profile of each individual ear. A custom, modern design that delivers both comfort and style for people living active, stylish lives without compromising sound quality or hearing performance.
Phonak Sky™ Lumity
Phonak Sky Lumity gives children a hearing solution for every step of their journey. Incorporating our state-of-the-art Phonak SmartSpeech™ Technology, Sky prioritizes speech understanding. Feel confident that your child has the hearing solution that allows them to thrive and achieve their full potential.
Phonak SmartSpeech Technology is a collection of features that seamlessly adapts to provide improved speech understanding in many challenging listening environments.
Artificial intelligence, AutoSense Sky OS 5.0, prowess for precise sound identification. Adapted to their surroundings, and it scans 700 times your environment per second to benefit them and you.