What are the Features of Modern Hearing Aids?

Like all other technology, hearing aid technology has significantly improved over the past few decades, and modern hearing aids are offering more features than ever before. From wireless connectivity to remote controls and synchronization, advanced technology has given hearing aids a makeover and rather than a bulky piece of equipment behind the ear, technology has made hearing aids cool. So, what are the features of modern hearing aids?

Bluetooth compatibility

Bluetooth compatibility enables modern hearing aids to connect to your mobile phone and any other devices that use Bluetooth. It means that you can experience improved signal-to-noise ratio and eliminate any unwanted feedback from the microphone as well as any interference.

Artificial intelligence

Today, like many other smart technologies, many hearing aids can learn your preferences. So, for example, when you log volume control settings and program preferences for specific places or sound environments when you go there again or are in a similar sound environment, your hearing aid will remember and adjust your settings automatically. This information can then be accessed by your audiologist and can be used to customize your hearing aid fitting further.

Apps

Many hearing aids today come with smartphone apps, which allow you to make adjustments as well as contact your audiologist and monitor battery life. Some apps can even convert speech into text and translate different languages.

Rechargeable batteries

Increasingly, hearing aids come with rechargeable batteries, meaning that you don't need to be swapping tiny batteries every few days or weeks. 

Directional microphone systems

Directional microphone systems boost the sounds which come from in front of you and reduce sounds coming from other directions. This makes it easier for you to understand speech when there is a lot of background noise and also reduces the ambient noise.

Digital noise reduction

Digital noise reduction technology analyzes the signal to determine if it contains unwanted noise. If it is detected, then the system reduces the level of noise. 

Wind noise reduction

Wind noise reduction is invaluable to those who spend time enjoying outdoor hobbies, like people who love golfing, fishing and boating. This technology detects the impact of the wind blowing across the hearing aid microphones and can then avoid or reduce the amplification of it.  

Feedback management systems

Feedback management systems combat the inevitable feedback, which is basically the whistling that occurs in a hearing aid. 

Remote control

Some hearing devices operate via a remote control, which can be beneficial to those who need to make adjustments without actually touching the hearing aids, which some people find very helpful.

FM compatibility

Frequency modulation (FM) compatibility is a wireless feature, which means that hearing aids can connect with FM systems. This can be really useful for children, particularly as FM systems are commonly used in educational settings and can mean that the child can hear the teacher's voice over the noise of the rest of the classroom. FM compatibility also improves the signal to noise ratio without causing a feedback loop in the hearing aids. 

These features may sound very technical, but in reality, their benefits in the real world make a massive difference to many people's lives without being complicated at all. They work pretty much automatically, and all you will notice is an enormous difference in your quality of life. For example, you could be having dinner in a busy restaurant with friends where there are sounds coming from all directions. 

There'll be plates and dishes clanking, people talking and laughing at other tables and waiters rushing about. Your hearing aids will reduce the noise around you, suppress the voices of the people behind you, and store information about the listening environment to be saved for later fine-tuning. This is all going on automatically while amplifying and shaping the speech signal from the friends who you are having dinner with, meaning that you can relax and enjoy the conversation and have a wonderful evening with your friends. 

To learn more about Armand's Hearing Center, call one of these locations at Bradenton: (941) 357-2054, Sun City: (813) 990-0335