Courtenay Place, Waikanae and Paraparaumu...
Courtenay Hearing Centre has locations in Courtenay Place, Wellington, Waikanae, and Paraparaumu.
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Choose the most suitable device to match your lifestyle needs
Your qualified Courtenay Hearing Centre audiologist will help you to choose the most suitable device or rehabilitation program that is based on a thorough test and your lifestyle needs.
Courtenay Hearing Centre has access to all the hearing aid manufacturer products available in New Zealand. Your audiologist will endeavour to help you make an informed choice about the product that is most likely to provide the most benefit.
What is a hearing aid?
Technology has advanced and the stigma of wearing hearing aids is now a thing of the past.
Microchip technology is becoming smaller and smaller, for example, cameras are now made so that they can fit in your pocket.
Though everything is reducing in size, the same quality performance is still delivered.
The same is now said for hearing aids. Hearing aids are now discreet and at the same time, they allow you to hear sounds that you may not have heard for a long time, such as children talking, your loved ones voices, music or birds chirping in your garden.
A hearing aid is an amplification device consisting of:
- A microphone that picks up sounds;
- An amplifier that makes it louder;
- A receiver (a sound outlet) that delivers the amplified sound into the ear.
As hearing losses vary in their severity, magnitude and cause, hearing aids have to be fitted according to your individual needs. One person can even have two different hearing losses in each of their ears.
A hearing aid is specifically selected, based on its features and amplification power, custom made and fitted for each ear.
It is important to see a qualified hearing specialist for the selection and fitting of hearing aids to obtain maximum benefit from the device.
Most of the hearing instruments can now be trialled and adjusted to suit different listening needs. Hearing aids operate by battery, though some of the newer models now have rechargeable options.
Many myths about hearing aids
There are many myths about hearing aids that Courtenay Hearing Centre would like to dismiss:
Current hearing aids: - Are more discreet;
- Are more flexible;
- Do not make your ears ‘lazy’;
- Do not damage the remaining hearing;
- Have multiple microphones to help you hear better in noisy places, such as restaurants;
- Have measures in place to reduce annoying whistling;
- Have wind noise reduction;
- Have more reliable wax filters;
- Protect the wearer from sudden loud noises;
- Can have rechargeable batteries and be splash proof;
- Can be used with mobile phones and MP3 players via wireless connections.
Types of hearing aids
(Images courtesy of Oticon Ltd- reproduced with permission from Oticon NZ Ltd)
There are five types of hearing aids available to suit your needs:
Receiver-in-the-ear
This sits behind the ear with a thin wire attached to a receiver at the end which delivers sound into the ear canal.
Behind-the-ear
Has a tone hook on the end that attaches to a custom made ear mould.
In-the-ear
Fits neatly into the ear canal and parts of the outer ear.
In-the-canal
A bit more discreet and fit neatly into the ear canal.
Completely-in-canal
Fits inside the ear canal and is suitable for mild hearing losses.
For more information about the hearing aid fitting process, contact us.
Hearing aid guidelines
The following is a guideline to give you an idea of the type of hearing aid you will receive for the money spent:
For a premium product, you would be spending the most amount of money but will be getting the best quality and technology:
- A better understanding of speech in background noise;
- More flexibility with adjustments;
- Most natural sound in different listening situations;
- A wider choice of automatic programs that switch to enhance listening in different environments such as in a quiet room, small group or restaurant;
- More suitable for those with an active lifestyle or demanding listening needs;
- Capable of reducing wind noise;
- Detect and eliminates whistling more effectively;
- Automatically adjusts to different situations.
The mid-range hearing solutions are cheaper than the premium yet are very effective still. They provide:
- A good understanding of speech in background noise;
- Multiple listening programs with some automatic functions;
- For fairly active people who communicate in small groups and have moderate communication needs.
The entry level products are the cheapest, offering basic listening for those that are on a budget:
- They give good speech understanding in quiet rooms or with a couple of people;
- Have basic automatic functions;
- Have multiple listening programs for quiet and noisy environments;
When you are purchasing a hearing aid, you are not just buying a product that will automatically restore your hearing. There are some steps involved in long-term success, the most important of which are:
- For you to have a positive attitude towards learning about your hearing impairment, giving yourself and those around you the motivation to take the action necessary to improve;
- Setting aside time and realistic expectations and goals – hearing aids are just the initial step, it is you that will have to teach yourself how to listen and make sense of sounds all over again.
For more information about the current hearing aid products on the market you can visit the manufacturer’s websites.
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