Hearing Aids

The Lions Hearing Clinic's highly skilled audiologists can advise if a hearing aid is suitable for your hearing loss. As our clinics are independent from any hearing aid manufacturer, we will give you unbiased advice on a range of hearing aid products and ensure your satisfaction with our thorough assistance for the appearance, functions and sound quality of the hearing aid.

Pensioners and DVA clients are entitled to free hearing services and hearing aids through the Office of Hearing Services. The Lions Hearing Clinics are accredited providers through this scheme.

What is a hearing aid?

A hearing aid helps the ear to pick up sound, amplifies it and sends it into the ear canal. A hearing aid consists of a microphone that picks up sound waves and converts them into electrical signal, an amplifier, a loudspeaker (or receiver) that converts the amplified signals into sound and an earmould or plastic tube that sends the sound into the ear canal.

Hearing aids have a battery door where the battery is put in and you have the option of a volume control and/or a telecoil switch. A telecoil switch allows you to use your hearing aid on the telephone. Some hearing aids also have a program button where you can switch between different settings.

What are the types of hearing aids?

There are many styles of hearing aids. The most common styles are listed below:

BTE:

Behind-The-Ear hearing aids are the largest hearing aids and are more reliable and robust than in-the-ear hearing aids. BTE's are usually more powerful than the hearing aids in your ear. They rest behind your ear and a custom made mould sits in your outer ear and ear canal. Some clients find the controls easier to manage due to the hearing aids size.

ITE:

In-The-Ear hearing aids are often the most comfortable hearing aid and are easy to operate. The have the electronic components built into the earmould. They can be made with volume controls and program buttons so you can adjust them if necessary. The right hearing aid has a red marking and the left hearing aid a blue marking.

ITC:

In-The-Canal hearing aids are smaller than ITEs and are therefore sometimes more difficult to manage. They can also be made with a volume control and program button.

CIC:

Completely-In-the-Canal hearing aids are the smallest hearing aids made. CICs do not usually have manual controls (e.g. volume control) because they are too small to fit them on the hearing aid. They require a "removal string" due to their small size and the fact that they fit deeply into the ear canal.

FAQ on Hearing Aids

How much do hearing aids cost?
Hearing aids vary greatly depending on what features you want in them. The top of the range hearing aid can get very expensive however not everyone needs the features of an expensive hearing aid. It is best to discuss your needs and goals with your Audiologist and they will help you decide on a hearing aid that suits you and your budget.

Do I have to have two hearing aids?
YES! Basically, if you have two ears with hearing loss, and if both ears could benefit from hearing aids, you need two hearing aids. You need two ears to localize or tell where the sound is coming from. Localisation is very important for determining which direction warning signals are coming from, alerting sounds and of course, conversational speech. Your brain also needs both ears to better focus on and process the sounds you want to hear. It helps to ignore background noise while concentrating on a conversation with someone else. By using two hearing aids it also allows people to speak to you from either side. It is not always possible to have people speaking to you on your 'good ear'.

Are hearing aids covered by insurance?
Most hearing aids come with a warranty but are usually not covered after the first year for loss or damage. We always recommend insuring your hearing aids once you have purchased them. You can insure them through a company called Hearing Insurance or talk to your home and contents insurer.

How long will it take me to get used to my new hearing aids?
It takes time; people learn and adapt at different rates. Some people need a couple of days, most people need a few weeks and some need a few months. Here are some tips on how to get used to your hearing aids:

• Begin wearing your hearing aids in quiet, familiar surroundings and start by talking with one person only. Avoid very noisy environments initially.
• Increase your wearing time. Start with one hour the first day and wear an hour more each day until you are wearing the hearing aids all day.
• Make allowances for fatigue - wearing a hearing aid and hearing a greater range of sounds may tire you or make you irritable at first. Give yourself time to get used to this.
• Adjust to your own voice - you may not recognise the sound of your own voice at first. But it is very important to hear your own voice so that you can control and correct your own diction and volume. This again will take time to get used to.
• Living with noise - if you've had a hearing impairment for a while, you may have lost the ability to 'block out' noises you don't want to hear. Practice concentrating on what you do want to hear.

Do NOT wear them to a noisy shopping centre or restaurant during the first few weeks, thinking "this will be a good test!" It will be very difficult! You should not wear hearing aids in noise until you are very accustomed to them!

Does Medicare or private health insurance cover hearing aids?
Medicare does not cover any cost of a hearing aid. Most private health insurance companies cover some cost of the hearing aid however it is best to contact your health fund for more information.

How long do hearing aids last?
Generally hearing aids have about a 5 year life span but can also last longer than this. Usually the better you care for them the longer they can last.

How often do I need to change the batteries in my hearing aids?
This varies slightly but you should get approximately 10-12 days out of a hearing aid battery if the aid is worn 8 hours a day. Sometimes this is less or more depending on the size of the battery.

Hearing Aid Donations

Particular Lions Clubs and the Lions Hearing Foundation collect unwanted hearing aids, repair them and donate them to children and adults who can not afford hearing aids themselves. Hearing aids go to Australians and have also been sent to children in Surabaya, Bali and Ethiopia.

Any make or model, in any condition, will be accepted because they can be repaired and remoulded to suit a new recipient.

If you would like to donate your old unwanted hearing aids, please drop them into any of our clinics and we will pass them on to the Lions Clubs for you.

Assistive Listening Devices

There are a range of assistive listening devices available, such as a device to increase the volume of the television without disturbing those around you. Your audiologist can discuss these options with you.