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Understanding hearing aid accessories

Understanding hearing aid accessories

You wouldn’t complete an outfit without accessories, would you? Would you buy a new car without some added extras to improve the driving experience? No? Then why would you not add some extras to your hearing aid?

Your new hearing aid is an investment in your future, in your quality of life and there are many ways to enhance your hearing experience. Once you have been fitted with your new aids, you will gradually adjust to life with improved hearing.

Certain situations and settings may prove challenging at first, so we advise each patient to keep a diary for these initial few weeks. During your follow-up counselling sessions, these issues will be addressed and we will advise you on whatever tweaks or changes may be necessary.  

At Audiology Medical Services, we offer a number of assistive hearing devices from a range of manufacturers that are both discreet and convenient - ultimately improving your confidence and ability to complete everyday tasks seamlessly. Whatever your hearing difficulty, or budget, we have the hearing aid for you.

New technology

To make the most of your hearing aids, we also have a variety of accessories on offer. From wireless microphones to Bluetooth enabled accessories, we provide the best possible solutions to suit your needs.

All of the hearing aid brands have introduced wireless hearing aid accessories in the last ten years. In general, both professionals and consumers have been slow to the realisation of the benefits these devices offer – but that’s all changing as we become ever more tech-savvy. Each brand offers different accessories for different situations, such as TV streamers to help people hear the TV better, or remote microphones to give people a better ability to hear in noise.

Apps

‘Smart hearing’ is the future. More and more advances in technology mean your hearing can be optimised, allowing you to experience more of the environment around you and enjoy sharper sounds. Many new devices are made for iPhone and android, meaning they connect to wireless accessories.

For example, the Resound Smart 3D app is set to revolutionise patient experience. With one quick tap of the app, your hearing aids can be adjusted to your preference and there is also a tracking option to locate the device if it is lost.

Quick buttons allow for quick adjustment, for one-tap access on-the-go. You can also personalise your hearing even more by creating and saving your own favourite settings. Save your settings at your favourite locations and your hearing aids will automatically switch to those settings the next time you return – perfect for office versus home environments. It’ll even tell you when your batteries need recharging!

Streamers

Our TV streaming options are ideal for watching your favourite shows with the whole family. Personalise the volume as it is streamed directly to your hearing device, while everyone else listens to a sound suitable to them. Huge technological advances now mean that steamers work on more than just the TV.

You'll find it easier and more satisfying to:

  • Talk on the phone
  • Watch TV
  • Listen to music
  • Video chat, and more

A streamer is a small box, usually worn around your neck, that puts you in total control, not only of programme shifts and hearing aid volume, but of all sources of audio-based information, entertainment and communication. By picking up the audio signal and sending it straight into both ears, the streamer turns a pair of hearing aids into a small wireless headset. With no detectable delays in transmission, your audio signal and the speaker’s lips match perfectly. This can make all the difference when watching TV or using a computer.

A fully integrated system, our streamers have been developed and thoroughly tested with hearing aid users in mind so that daily use is straightforward and intuitive. 

Wireless microphones

The biggest reason you need a Bluetooth hearing aid accessory is hearing better in noise. A remote microphone or a desk microphone will offer you a far better experience in noisy or group situations than hearing aids alone.

There are two types of connection with wireless or Bluetooth hearing aid accessories, in-direct connection and direct connection. The indirect connection type utilises a neck-worn streamer to piggyback the audio signal into the hearing aids. The direct connection accessories stream the audio directly to the hearing aids. 

Most of the hearing aid brands went with indirect connection originally, the reasoning was simple, the direct connection was too power hungry. That has changed now and Bluetooth hearing aid accessories are widely available.

Hearing Protection

Speciality custom ear plugs can help block out unwanted noise for those already suffering with a hearing deficit. These are ideal accessories for musicians or patients who may work in noisy environments, or with industrial equipment.  

Custom-made earplugs take the shape of your ear, are often more comfortable than the standard foam earplugs and stay in your ears better. People with either very narrow ear canals or wider ear canals often get a more comfortable fit and better sound attenuation (sound reduction) with custom earplugs.

We make ear impressions by putting a silicon-based material into your ear canal. After a few minutes this goes hard and this is what we send off to the manufacturer to make your custom earplugs from.

Audiology Medical Services

If you have any questions about our selection of hearing aid accessories, simply ask a member of our hearing care team at one of Audiology Medical Services’ clinically trained professional audiologists, available at clinics nationwide. Call 1800 501 501.

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