Changing Trends of Hearing Aid Devices

Hearing loss is one of the alarming problems in this modern era. According to WHO, around 466 million people all over the world are victims of hearing loss. Many of those patients can live a normal life with the help of a hearing aid. However, they choose not to get the help they need for a number of reasons. In this following article, we are going to address some of those concerns and how the hearing aid industry addresses these.

How Does Hearing Aid Help?

A hearing aid device amplifies the sounds that a person with hearing impairment has difficulty hearing. Most of the time, the damage to the hair cells of our inner ear is solely responsible for hearing loss. Therefore, they cannot create enough vibration to send the signal to our brains. However, when the hearing aid amplifies the sound, the rest of the undamaged hair cells vibrate enough to let the brain know about the sounds effectively. With the help of a hearing aid device, the hearing impaired person can take part in a conversation and other social rituals. Hearing loss can isolate a person from his family, friends and brings out a huge impact on his lifestyle. A hearing aid prevents those situations from escalating and helps the person to carry on with the usual life. For some people, a hearing aid has been truly a blessing for restoring their physical, mental, social, and professional life.

Reasons for Not Using Hearing Aids

A study has shown that nearly 80% of Americans, who could be benefited from hearing aids, are unwilling to use one. Some of them even own a device that is gathering dust in a corner. We have detected about four reasons why people won’t use hearing aids even if it would help them largely. They are:

• Hearing aids are difficult to use: With the advancement of modern technology, the size of hearing aids has become smaller, and the controllers have shifted into smartphones rather than being on the device. However, many of the hearing aid users are old-aged and not so tech-savvy. They face difficulties in using smartphone apps to adjust their device, even in changing the batteries of their devices. That promotes them to stop using the device and keep it somewhere far from anyone’s reach.
• Complacent of daily use: The hearing aids are designed to use on a regular basis. It helps the users to incorporate conversations and sounds. However, often people tend to use the devices as jewelry for special occasions. This tendency often hurts the actual purpose of the device.

• Unattractive design: Unlike glasses, which are widely used as a fashion accessory, hearing aids are still looking like medical devices. Moreover, hearing aid devices require constant adjusting and can be uncomfortable for the first few weeks. Therefore, people tend to avoid wearing hearing aid devices too often. 

• High maintenance: Hearing aids tend to be pretty high maintenance. The user needs to clean with precision to keep it working properly. Otherwise, due to excessive dirt and grime, the devices stop working. This leads many people to consider hearing aids as too much work and avoid using them. 

Changing Trends of Hearing Aids

As a hearing aid is an essential part of the life of a hearing-impaired person, the hearing aid industry is working day and night to improve the user experience. With digital hearing aids, the possibilities are sky-high. And many manufacturers are taking these opportunities to give the users the best benefit. To ensure the ease of using and controlling, many companies are now offering professional help via phone calls or online chat. Moreover, if there’s a local provider, one may receive these benefits at home. 

For the trendy and fashion-conscious people, hearing aid companies are now manufacturing devices that can easily disguise as a fashion element. Many people have welcomed this trend, and it helped them to rise from their insecurities about hearing disabilities. Some of the hearing aid designs of the present-day can easily make you feel like you are living in the future. Personalizing hearing aids according to the taste of the users has already made enough buzz, and now everyone is trying to get their hand on one of those devices. 

As for the cleaning hassle, the companies have been offering professional help for a very long time. There are a lot of professionals who offer their aid to restore your old devices. Also, some companies offer an exchange offer to grab a new device by returning the old one. All the users need now is to grab their preferred devices and use them according to the advice of their audiologists.