Hearing aids and Technology

Our whole lives are controlled by modern technology. We can talk to our TV to get it to change channel, ask Alexa to turn on the light even blue tooth to our central heating and washing machines it’s all become the new normal. Everything is at our finger tips and reacts so fast to our commands and needs. So why should your hearing aids be any different? Would I surprise you if I said it’s not. Those tiny little gadgets that sit hidden in or behind your ears are so full of technology you’d be amazed.

Now I don’t want to put anyone off I don’t want you to be thinking “ I just want a hearing aid I don’t want a gadget” its fine we as audiologists will know how much or how little technology you need and will guide you through every step on how to control your hearing aids. One day you can start with a simple volume control and before you know it a few weeks down the line you could be streaming your music or books from your iPad, your phone calls from your mobile phone, connecting wirelessly to your TV at home or even tracking your steps and health. 

Our hearing aids really are clever little things. As technology has advanced so have they. With most of the new digital hearing aids having blue tooth technology they are able to connect directly to most of your devices that you use every day to make your life easy. They can be supported by an app that is free to download and use, these apps allow the control of your hearing aids to be done discreetly and easily no one would know if you were checking a work email or altering the volume on your hearing aid, no more drawing attention to yourself by messing around with fiddly buttons behind your ear.

A simple double tap of the ear can be activated to answer your mobile phone calls giving you a hands free device that offers fantastic sound, the voice you need to hear coming directly into your ear no more positioning of the phone just a little bit above the ear, close but not too close or you get feedback just a simple tap.

Do you ever get fed up of not being able to hear the TV? You just want to watch a film with the family they say you have it too loud so you get embarrassed and let them have it at their level and you end up missing the plot, you switch off and give up. With a small TV streaming device no bigger than a pack of playing cards sat next to your TV and the right hearing aids using Bluetooth you can stream the TV directly to your ears and you can adjust what volume you listen at so it doesn’t affect what others are hearing. 

Whilst there is and probably always will be a need for a volume control switch on the back of a hearing aid or a push button to control program change these are just a few reasons that show you how hearing aids are moving with the times and making them more appealing to a wider range of people across all ages they are not just for gran and grandad anymore they are sleek, discreet and extremely clever.

If you are having difficulty with your hearing maybe just one certain area you have noticed you would like improving. Speak to us today to arrange a full and thorough assessment of your hearing and hearing needs or if you’ve read this and simply want to upgrade your current aids to a newer more advanced model talk to us and we can advise you on what will be the best match for your lifestyle.