Hearing Aids Can Now do 7 Surprising Things

Things have changed since your great, great granddad held an ear trumpet up to his ear. Newer hearing aids are able to do so much more than they could do even a decade ago. The development of hearing aid technology enables users to do activities that were impossible in the past. Hearing aids can now do the following things.

1. Stay Put Even When You are Moving

At one time, it would have been risky to ride a bike or go jogging with your hearing aids in place. When you are moving around, hearing aids can fall out and that even goes for high quality devices. These days whether you are an athlete or beginner you can exercise while your hearing aid is in.

The change here is not in the technology, however. Hearing aids that fall out can still get damaged or lost. Innovation wins out with a straightforward approach: hearing aid retention cords. It’s kind of like putting your hearing aids on a lanyard. They slide on to the devices and then clip to your clothes for safety. Hearing aid retention cords area great option for kids, too.

2. Resist Water

While it is true many hearing aids are water resistant, they still won’t do well when completely submersed. Instead, if you want to go swimming you’ll need to get waterproof hearing aids and consider a few accessories.
Start with a raincoat for your hearing aids. Your device is shielded by waterproof sleeves that fit tightly over them and still allows you to hear. Many of the sleeves have cords that connect to your clothing too, so you won’t lose the hearing aids when you are enjoying some summer activities.

A dehumidifier is an additional piece of equipment you may want to get. Some water is going get into the case regardless of what you do. The unit gets dried out by the dehumidifier without causing damage to the delicate components.

3. Pair With Your Smartphone

No more taking the hearing aid out when your phone rings. However, some brands don’t have this feature. Wireless streaming capability and Bluetooth enabling are capabilities you will want to think about when purchasing new hearing aids. This technology lets them pair with your phone the same way Bluetooth earbuds or headphones do.

Would you like to stream a movie? Wireless comes in handy in this situation, as well. With Bluetooth or wireless, the hearing aids can receive sound from your TV or MP3 player.

Also, for cell phones or landlines, these hearing aids have a phone function. Signals from your phone can be heard in your hearing aid thanks to a telecoil.

4. Learn

That’s correct, hearing aids have machine learning capabilities. Certain devices will make volume adjustments depending on the setting by remembering your preference and you won’t have to do anything.

They can also include a number of programs so you can store a specific setup in the memory and push a button to recall it when the time is right.

5. Getting Rid of The Ringing

Loss of hearing and tinnitus go hand in hand for lots of people. You will hear sounds more clearly because your hearing aid can generate tinnitus masking noises. The masking noise cancels out the tinnitus, and that ringing stops. Not all brands have this tinnitus masking tech. If you are shopping for hearing aids, and want this feature, you will have to ask for it.

6. Store Data

Data logging is one of the newer features in hearing aid technology but a powerful one. Volume changes, when you use the hearing aid, and background noises you encounter are examples of things that are logged by these devices.

The advantage is your audiologist or hearing aid retailer can pull up this data to make essential adjustments to the devices to enhance their sound or give you insight to go on when shopping for new hearing aids.

7. Go Remote

You can quickly adjust the volume, change the program, or use your hearing aid as a Bluetooth streaming device if it comes with a remote.

All of these functions permit you to do things that were impossible years ago even though they aren’t all brand new. Also, advancements in hearing aid technology are always being made. If you’re buying new hearing aids, make sure to check out the latest and greatest features. To see them all, schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist today.