It is a device that helps a hearing impaired person to hear each other. The hearing aid was invented by Graham Bell in the 18th century. When a child is unable to collect the sound of the external environment due to hearing impairment, then expression also becomes less. Due to this inability to hear, he lags behind in speech and language. To avoid such problems and to maintain proper hearing process, they need to be given hearing aids as early as possible. With the help of hearing aids, many children who have mild or minimal hearing problems are helped in rehabilitation. 

Hearing aids are not only useful for children but are found to be useful for adults and old people. Usually hearing aids are used keeping in mind the age and convenience of the child. Sometimes when hearing aids are distributed without examination through camps or any other means, then it is convenient to use them. Similarly, the level of hearing deafness can also increase due to wrong selection of hearing aids. If hearing aids are used for a young child, then with increasing age, there may be a need to change the hearing aid. Therefore, it should be checked from time to time.

A hearing aid is a device that transmits sound to the listener’s ears properly. It collects and amplifies the sound of the environment and transmits it to the listener’s ears. It helps in hearing by amplifying speech and other environmental sounds. It is used by people suffering from hearing impairment. The function of a hearing aid is to adjust the intensity of sound according to the hearing ability of the person by increasing or decreasing it so that the person using it can hear the sound clearly. A hearing aid does not increase the hearing ability of the person using it but makes it much sharper. This means that the listener can hear easily. Hearing aids cannot take the form of a normal ear. Hearing aids are used by those people who do not get any benefit from medicine or surgery.

Keeping in mind the convenience and needs of hearing impaired children, various subject experts have invented the latest hearing aids which can be used to the maximum extent. Hence, from the point of view of convenience, hearing aids have been classified into two parts.

1. On the basis of wearing Generally, hearing aids are also provided on the basis of the hearing ability of the person. In which if his hearing ability is about 40 decibels, then he is provided with a low level hearing aid and if his hearing ability is up to 55 decibels, then he is given a low level hearing aid and if it is more than 70 decibels, then he is given a serious level hearing aid. On the basis of wearing, hearing aids are of the following types-

1. Pocket type hearing Aid
2. Behind-the-ear hearing Aid
3. In-ear hearing Aid
4. Tube-wearable hearing Aid

5. Glass-shaped hearing Aid

1- Pocket Type Hearing Aid- Structure of pocket type hearing aid- This type of hearing aid is especially useful for those people who are unable to buy a high priced hearing aid and have minimal hearing loss. This type of hearing aid has a battery coated with gold so that it can be used even in damp places. This hearing aid is easily available.

2- Bihand the Ear Hearing Aid-  This type of hearing aid is especially useful for those people who feel shy or find pocket hearing aids heavy. The advantage of this type of hearing aid is that it is light and people with long hair can easily hide it. It is more useful for very hard-working children.

3- In Ear Hearing Aid-  In-ear hearing aids: This type of hearing aid is especially useful for people who can hear environmental sounds but have problems in differentiating words. This hearing aid is also useful for people who can hear many sounds simultaneously.

4- Tube Wearable Hearing Aid-  In-tubular hearing aids: This type of hearing aid is available in almost all shapes and forms. It is based on an automatic system which is capable of adjusting the sound intensity to low or high as per the requirement. Such hearing aids are especially useful for people with severe hearing loss. This type of hearing aids are not visible from outside.

5- Glass Shaped Hearing Aid- Glasses shaped hearing aids: This type of hearing aid is not commonly available. Such hearing aids are fitted in the frame of the glasses according to the person’s head. This type of hearing aid is especially useful in case of motor hearing loss or if low vision and hearing loss occur simultaneously. Some people who feel shy in wearing hearing aids use it with great enthusiasm as a fashion.

2. On the basis of hearing ability Hearing aids are of the following three types-

1. Mild
2. Moderate
3. Severe

Part Of Hearing Aid

• • On/Off Switch
  • Volume Control
  • Tone Control
  • Battery Charger
  • Microphone
  • Amplifier
  • Receiver
  • Card
  • Clip
  • Frequency Switch
  • Protector
  • Protector

On/Off Switch-    Hearing aids are fitted with on/off switches to turn the hearing aids on or off.
Volume Control- The volume control in the hearing aid works to increase and decrease the sound.
Tone Control- Tone control is an important part of the hearing aid. It controls the frequency of the sound. It has different positions like low, normal, high.
Battery Charger- This charges the hearing aid and increases the life of the hearing aid. This makes the hearing aid last longer.
Microphone- It captures the sound from the environment and converts the sound into electrical signal and sends it to the amplifier.
Amplifier- The function of the amplifier in the hearing aid is to increase the intensity of the sound. The amplifier works through battery.
Receiver- The function of the receiver in a hearing aid is to receive the amplified sound, convert it into sound waves and send it to the ears of the listener. There are two types of it.

Caring for hearing aids- 

It is very important to maintain and take care of hearing aids, some important points for this are as follows.

• When the hearing aid is not being used and is not in use for a long time, such as at night, its battery should be removed and kept in a safe place.
• The hearing aid should not be kept near fire, water or other electrical devices. Such as radio, TV, fridge, etc. Apart from this, the hearing aid should always be kept in a cool place.
• The hearing aid should mainly be protected from rain, water, dust, cosmetic powder, etc. The hearing aid should not be kept in a place where insects can harm it. The hearing aid should be kept in such a place where there is no problem in keeping it.

• Children should not use the hearing aid as a toy. This should be avoided.

• The hearing aid and ear mold should be kept clean. When there is a need to keep it for a longer time, the ear mold should be removed from the receiver. The ear mold should be cleaned by keeping it in lukewarm water. After that, it should be placed in the receiver again.
• The battery should be checked regularly so that there is no difficulty in hearing. For this, if necessary, recharged batteries should be used, so that money can also be saved.
• If there is any problem in the hearing aid, such as microphone etc. has to be changed, then it should be matched with it.
• The hearing aid card should also be of proper typee or length typee. The card should be wrapped properly after using it in the hearing aid. Since the card is very soft, children or rats can damage it. If there is any problem with the hearing aid, like no sound or any other type of whistling sound like ‘ku ku’, then it should be consulted by a hearing aid specialist. It should not be repaired by oneself or by any unknown person, otherwise it can cause damage.
  For proper care of the hearing aid, one should keep a spare battery and card with him so that it can be replaced as and when required. The hearing aid should be actively checked for electrical sound characteristics on a regular basis.

Other Precautions-

A hearing impaired person who uses a hearing aid, needs to take proper care and use of the machine. These precautions include proper care of the ear mould, machine battery, machine thread, ear phone, on and off button and volume controller. The following precautions should be taken for proper care and maintenance of each part of the machine.

• Ear mold- The bore of the ear trip canal should be checked to see if dust or earwax etc. is stuck in it due to which the sound is not coming out from it. Due to which the child is having difficulty in hearing. For this, the ear mold should be removed and cleaned with a pin using soap solution. After that, it should be fitted in the receiver after it dries!
• Battery- The battery should be checked immediately to see if it has leaked or has run out. For this, the voltage of the battery should be checked with a multimeter. If the battery is weak, a new battery should be inserted immediately.
• Battery contactor of battery compartment- The spring fitted in the battery compartment should be checked to see if it is fitted properly or not. In this, it should also be seen whether it has become too loose or not. Sometimes due to carbon accumulation in the spring, its supply is not possible in the inner parts. For this, it should be cleaned properly.
• Card – The card is an important part of the hearing aid, so it is necessary to check it regularly. If the card is cut or broken from somewhere, then it becomes difficult to hear sound in the hearing aid. For this, the card should be replaced immediately.
• Earphones- Earphones should be of a good company. It depends on the model of the hearing aid, for example, in pseudo binaural fitting, both earphones should have the same impedance. Earphones can get damaged due to excessive disturbance in the hearing aid. If there is any such problem, the earphones should be replaced immediately.
• Volume control- Volume control is arranged to work according to the capacity of the person. If there is looseness or any other problem in the volume control, it should be repaired immediately.
• On-off switch- The on-off switch should work properly. If the switch does not work, it should be cleaned thoroughly with cleaning oil and turned on.
  For proper maintenance or repair of a good hearing aid, it must be sent to a certified dealer or hearing aid mechanic once in 6 months. So that minor problems in it can be repaired and it can be used adequately for children’s auditory training, speech reading and language development.

There is a common belief that we try to speak only when we hear. Therefore, the need related to hearing gave birth to a special invention through which various types of hearing aids, speech emitters, tone indicators, speech spectrum displays and visual machines were invented with the latest technology. This helps a person to develop not only hearing but also speech and language. Often the hearing and language specialist faces problems in selecting the appropriate hearing aid for the child, because the hearing aid can be used correctly only after determining the nature and level of deafness. If the hearing aid is found to be inconvenient in any way, then the hearing and language specialist advises the parents regarding purchasing a new hearing aid, its maintenance and use. 

Sometimes when mental retardation occurs along with hearing deafness and the child displays problem behavior, then it is advisable to use in-ear or other suitable hearing aids for such children. In this context, hearing and language specialists have mentioned four important points related to the fitting and use of hearing aids. Firstly, the assessment of the person’s hearing loss should be clear, secondly, appropriate selection should be done by a hearing and language specialist, thirdly, such hearing aids should be used which can be adjusted in different situations and fourthly, its different parts can be modified as per requirement. In this way, a person’s hearing ability can be maintained by proper selection, use and maintenance of different types of hearing aids. For this, it is necessary to get the hearing aids checked and repaired from subject experts from time to time.

 

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