Hearing aids

What are hearing aids?

A hearing aid is a small electronic device that makes sounds louder to help you hear. It is used by people who have hearing loss. It has a microphone, an amplifier, a speaker and a battery.

How do hearing aids work?

The microphone receives sounds from around you. The amplifier makes them louder and sends them to your ear through the speaker.

Your hearing aids will be programmed by an audiologist to match your type of hearing loss. The audiologist will make sure that your hearing aids help with the sounds you have difficulty with and won’t make your hearing worse.

It can take time for your brain to get used to how things sound with hearing aids. You might need the audiologist to fine tune your hearing aids as you are getting used to them.

How do I know if I need hearing aids?

If you think you have hearing loss, you should have a hearing test. An audiologist will perform a hearing test to determine what type of hearing loss you have and how severe it is. Based on this, they can tell you if you are likely to benefit from hearing aids.

It can be hard to tell if you have hearing loss because it often starts gradually. Some signs that you might have hearing loss include:

• turning the volume up high on the TV
• needing to ask people to repeat what they’ve said
• difficulty hearing someone speaking in a crowded place or if they’re not facing you
• difficulty hearing over background noise
• ringing in your ears
• not hearing the phone or doorbell ring
• avoiding certain situations because of problems with hearing

What types of hearing aids are there?

There are several types of hearing aids. Hearing aids are worn in or behind your ear and can vary in:

• size
• appearance
• sound quality
• price
• special features
• the way they are placed in your ear

Behind-the-ear hearing aids

These hearing aids sit behind your ear. Some have 2 parts, a sound processor that sits behind your ear and a receiver that sits in your ear canal. Some have only one part, which sits behind your ear and connects by a tube to an ear mould or ear tip in your ear.

Behind-the-ear hearing aids are relatively easy to clean and maintain. Some are bigger and more powerful and can be used by people with severe hearing loss.

In-the-ear hearing aids

These hearing aids are placed entirely in your ear. They are custom made to fit the shape of your ear. There are 3 different types, depending whether they sit:

• completely inside your ear canal, these are the smallest
• in your ear canal and a small part in your outer ear
• in your outer ear, these are the biggest and easiest to handle

These are smaller than behind-the-ear hearing aids and harder to clean. They are more easily damaged by ear wax and wear and tear. The smallest ones may be less powerful and have fewer features than bigger hearing aids.

Special features

Most hearing aids have special features, which may include:

• different settings for different environments
• automatic volume or setting adjustment for different environments
• a remote control to adjust settings
• a telecoil which picks up certain signals installed in public places or telephones
• background noise reduction

How do I choose which type of hearing aid to use?

Your choice will depend on many factors, including:

• how severe your hearing loss is
• your lifestyle
• what price range is affordable for you
• which style you like best

Think about which environments you are often in and how much background noise there is.

Speak to your audiologist about finding the right type of hearing aids for you.

Can my baby use hearing aids?

If your baby has hearing loss, hearing aids are very important for their hearing and speech development. It’s best for your baby to wear their hearing aids whenever they are awake.

You will need to check the hearing aids every day to make sure that they’re working well. They might make a whistling noise when your baby is lying down. Make sure that your baby can’t put the battery or the ear mould into their mouth.

You might need to get new ear moulds often as your baby grows. If your baby tries to pull their hearing aids off, try using hats and headbands to keep them in place.

How can I get hearing aids?

The Australian Government Hearing Services Program offers eligible people free or subsidised hearing assessments and hearing aids. The free hearing aids are more basic and the subsidised ones have more features. You can check if you are eligible for the program.

If you are eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) you might be able to receive some assistance to buy hearing aids through the NDIS.

If you are not eligible for the government program, you may be able to get a hearing aid for a lower cost from a hearing aid bank, which reconditions donated hearing aids. There are national and state-based hearing aid banks. They each have eligibility criteria. You can ask the Hearing Services Program for information about a hearing aid bank near you or look at this list of organisations that provide hearing aid banks.

If you have private health insurance, check if you are covered for hearing aids. Hearing aids are not subsidised by Medicare.