A hearing aid is an electronic device that is placed in the ear to assist the user in covering up a hearing problem. It is made up of three parts: a microphone, an amplifier, and a loudspeaker. A battery is required for the operation. The main reason potential users choose to use it, is not the perceived reduction in sound intensity, but their inability to communicate with people around them. It’s not that cannot hear low sounds, it’s the fact that they cannot hear clearly.
What the main types of hearing loss affect most is clarity of speech, particularly in circumstances where the environmental noise is louder than the sound of speech.
The following expressions are common amongst people who have reduced hearing abilities:
- “When I’m in a group of people I can’t make out what they are saying.”
- “They speak through their mouths.”
- “I do not catch the words.”
- “When two people talk to me at the same time I can’t keep up.”
The simplest thing that one or two hearing aids can do for someone is to strengthen their existing hearing. Is this, however, sufficient? Obviously not. So here comes modern technology (nanotechnology) to provide answers and carry out its tasks with proper planning. The most difficult part, which in today’s media appears increasingly simple, is a noticeable improvement in the quality of someone’s hearing of sounds and speech. Natural sound is preferred, and in many cases, this is entirely possible. The clinical condition of the sufferer, rather than the suitability of the headset, determines the outcome.