Forget the image of an ugly brown hearing aids. Today’s NHS hearing aids are lighter, slimmer and smaller than ever before. And they come in trendy colours, too.
It’s estimated that there are 4 million people with hearing loss in the UK who could benefit from wearing a hearing aid but who don’t wear one.
According to an audiology specialist, Crystal Rolfe, many people are put off by the idea of wearing hearing aids because they think they are unsightly and that they will make them look old and disabled.
"There’s still a stigma surrounding hearing aids, but it’s out of date. Modern hearing aids are a great improvement on those that were available even a couple of decades ago.
"Today’s digital hearing aids work better than the older analogue ones, and they’re much smaller and neater than they used to be. We need a new attitude to hearing aids. Wearing them should be as unremarkable as wearing glasses," she says.
The benefits
A hearing aid works by enhancing your existing hearing to make
sounds louder and clearer (although it rarely restores hearing to
normal). As long as you have some level of hearing, you should hear
better with a hearing aid.
According to a recent survey, people who use hearing aids are generally very satisfied with them. Over half of those questioned described being fitted with a hearing aid as "a relief" and most of them felt their lives had improved because they "felt more involved".
What’s on offer
There are different types of hearing aid offering different advantages,
depending on size, levels of amplification and design. They are all
battery operated and the main types are ‘in the ear’ (which sit in the
outer ear), ‘behind the ear’ and ‘in the canal’ (which sit in the ear
canal).
NHS or private?
You can get hearing aids free of charge on the NHS or you can choose to buy them privately.
According to Crystal Rolfe, most people will find that the NHS has the type of hearing aid they want.
“The NHS has high-quality digital hearing aids up to the top of the mid-range. For most situations, they perform very well and the waiting time to get one is short. It takes only two to five weeks from having your hearing test to getting your NHS hearing aid fitted,” she says.
Top-of-the-range hearing aids are only available privately, but they’re very expensive and for most day-to-day situations, there’s little extra benefit, she adds.
Hearing aids as fashion
Crystal says that people may be surprised by the range and cutting-edge design of the hearing aids available on the NHS. “Not only are modern digital hearing aids widely available on the NHS, the health service is also starting to provide the latest tiny ‘in-the-ear’ devices”.
Even brightly coloured hearing aids are available on the NHS for people who want to make a feature of their hearing aid.
“When you have your fitting for an NHS hearing aid, you’ll normally be shown the standard selection of beige and brown ones in the cabinet. These are designed to blend in with your skin tone and look discreet. But if you want to make a feature of your hearing aid, just ask as there’s often a wider choice of colours available, such as silver. If the clinic doesn’t have the colour you want in stock, it can be ordered for you,” says Rolfe.
There’s even a new wave of jewellery designed to beautify hearing aids. These are ornate pieces designed to fit into the ear and mask the hearing aid.