Hearing aids aren’t what they used to be. BTE Hearing aids are not just for old people,
it for everybody with hearing loss,if you have bad eyes, you can have glasses,if you have a bad ear, you can have a hearing aids, It’s the same thing.
1.Introduction to BTE Hearing Aids
Hearing Aid can’t give you perfect hearing but they should help you hear every day sounds like the doorbell, the telephone ringing, and the kettle boiling. They should also help you follow what people are saying so that conversations become much easier and more relaxed.
If you have been given a hearing aid then it is likely that you have a nerve hearing loss, which is when the small sensory cells in the inner ear called hair cells are damaged. The damage can occur as a result of the normal aging process, disease, or injury from the noise of certain medications.
A hearing aid magnifies sound vibrations enter the ear. The surviving hair cells in the earthen detect the larger vibrations and convert them into nerve signals that are passed along to the brain.
Hearing aids are chosen depending on the level of a person’s hearing loss and natural hearing levels. Hearing aids come in different power levels to suit the individuals’ hearing needs.
We will fit you with the hearing aids that are most suitable for your level of hearing. Here we are using a LeagueSound mid-power hearing aid for moderate to severe hearing losses.
Hearing aids can also be fitted with a thin tube and a dome rather than an earmould shown here, but this is only suitable for mild to moderate hearing levels.
The right hearing aid will have a red marker near the battery drawer under the hearing aid, and the left side will have a blue marker.
2, Inserting Your BTE Hearing Aid
To put an earmould and hearing aid into your ear hold the right hearing aid in your right hand or if you’re putting the left hearing aid in, hold it in the left hand. Hold the mould between your finger and thumb by the handle, the back piece of the mould.
Make sure that the back hearing aid piece slides into the hole between your finger and thumb. Make sure that the part that’s going into your ear, is facing as if it were facing in your ear. Bring the mould up to your nose and follow your nose up to your ear. Now put the mould into your ear
You can pull your earlobe down with your other hand and push the mould to fit it in snugly. Then feel for the lost hearing aid part behind your ear, slide it forwards towards your nose, then slide it behind your ear, as if you were tucking something behind your ear. Ensure that the part of the mould the tucks in the top are under the flap of skin in your ear.
To put the thin tube hearing aid in, hold the hearing aid with the back piece facing towards you. Slide the hearing aid up over the back of your ear, feel for the tube in front of your ear, grip it and wiggle it into your ear. Then feel with one finger and give the tube an extra push to ensure it is insecurely.
All tube hearing aids have a retention wire which needs tucking into the bowl of your ear once the hearing aids is in.
3, Common BTE Hearing Aid Problems
If there is whistling, squealing, sizzling or buzzing, this could be feedback which happens when sound from your hearing leaks out and gets picked up by the hearing aid microphone. If there is whistling happening, you may not have the hearing aid in properly. You can take it out and put it in again, trying to ensure that the mould, or the thin tube and rubber dome is correctly positioned in your ear and pushed firmly and snugly into your ear. Another reason that you might have whistling or feedback in the hearing aid is that you have excess wax in your ears. This causes the sound to go in to your ear, and bounce off the wax, causing the feedback.
If none of these work, book an appointment to see your audiologist as the hearing aid may be faulty or you may need a new mould or a new thin tube.If the hearing aid isn’t working, check that the ear mould or tube is not blocked and the tubing is not twisted, squashed or split.Check that the battery is in the right way round in the hearing aid or even try a new battery, as batteries can occasionally be faulty.
If the hearing aid is still not working, check whether there are any droplets of condensation in the tubing.
Hearing aids, naturally, are exposed to moisture from your skin as well as the air which can cause a static sound in the hearing aid or cause the hearing aid to turn on and off by itself. Keeping hearing aids dry will result in the hearing aid lasting longer. If you have a problem with your hearing aid then you should contact your audiology department.
You should also arrange a hearing aid service with your audiologist every 6 months to ensure that the hearing aid is well maintained.
4. BTE Hearing Aid Batteries
Every 6 months you will need new batteries, to change your battery, remove the sicker from the new battery and wait for two minutes for the battery to activate properly.Then, open the battery drawer and place the battery in the battery drawer with the smooth, flat, positive side facing upwards.
Some hearing aids need the battery to go in sideways. if the battery is not in the correct way the battery drawer will not close easily.
Make sure that you don’t force the battery drawer shut. To save the battery, make sure you turn the hearing aid off at night time or when the hearing aid is not in your ear.
you can do this by opening up the battery drawer. There is no need to take the battery out of the battery drawer. if you are not wearing one of the hearing aids for a long period of time, do make sure that the battery is not kept inside the hearing aid, as it can cause rusting in the hearing aid. You should always carry spare batteries with you, so you are not caught out if your hearing aid suddenly stops working.
5.Cleaning your BTE Hearing Aid
If your hearing aid is not maintained, the sound quality may be poor. It is therefore important to clean your hearing aid regularly.You can clean the hearing aids by wiping it carefully with a soft damp cloth or a tissue. Take care not to get it wet as this can damage the hearing aid.
If you have a hearing aid with a thin tube attached to it, the audiologist will have supplied you with some cleaning wires to keep the thin tubes clean.To clean the thin tubes, unscrew the thin tube and thread the cleaning wire through the thin tube from top to bottom.
You can also wipe the dome down with a wet wipe or a damp tissue. This should be done regularly to ensure that the tube does not become blocked with wax or debris which can prevent the sound from passing through.
Earmoulds should be wiped clean every night with a soft damp cloth, a tissue or a wet wipe.Make sure you don’t use any chemicals on your ear mould as this can damage it. You can use an unbent paperclip or a similar item to remove any wax or debris that has got into the tube at the end of the earmould.
6.Retubing your BTE Hearing Aid
Every 6 months, the plastic tubing on your earmould needs replacing. The thin tube on the hearing aid also needs replacing if you have this type of hearing aid.
If you would like to do this yourself, you can get spare tubing from your audiologist.