Source: Farmington Hearing

There’s no doubt hearing aids have undergone massive improvements in the past two decades alone. Twenty years ago, the hard of hearing community had access to very little in terms of hearing aids. They were heavy and bulky and they were manufactured with a “one size fits all” mentality. These days, however, the modern hearing aid is much smaller, definitely lighter and the satisfaction rate, which was less than 50% in the late 1970s and 1980s, now is closer to 90%.

Thanks to amazing advances, including new designs, directional microphones, noise reduction, output limiting and coupling options, it’s little wonder these devices have such a high satisfaction rate.

Still, there are those who cannot afford hearing aids; in fact, it’s estimated that only 20% of those who can greatly benefit from a hearing aid actually owns one. The financial constraints prevent so many from being able to take advantage of these advances. This is where the Hard of Hearing for Young People Foundation (HOHYPF) hopes to make a significant difference.

Some of the most recent advances include what are known as “Behind the Ear” and “In the Canal” aids. With even further advances, even these devices have been improved in recent years. They’ve been designed to present as even smaller devices and are a far more attractive choice for today’s kids and young people. They’re available in many colors, have longer lasting batteries and are much more comfortable. Most importantly, however, is they are greatly improved in terms of allowing the user to actually hear better.

The directional microphone technology enhances the ability to understand in noisy environments, which has been a problem in the past with traditional hearing aids. The inclusion of multiple programs gives the wearer much better control of what’s enhanced in any environment. Not only that, but the wearer can control it himself as he moves from one environment to another or he can set it to automatically scan and adjust. The advances in multiple compression channels ensure a faster response to the ever-changing volumes within an environment and this too can be manually or automatically controlled.

These are just a few of the amazing features being incorporated into today’s modern hearing aids. The goal now is to ensure those who can most benefit from these devices actually have access to them. This is where you can help. Please visit our Hard of Hearing for Young People Foundation website. Here you’ll be able to contribute and learn more about the hard of hearing community. We invite you to join our mission in closing the gap between technology and access.