Do You Know the Role of Hearing Aids?

Broadly speaking, any device that can effectively transmit sound to the ear can be considered a hearing aid; narrowly defined, a hearing aid is a small electro-acoustic amplification device. Through it, it can amplify sound, maximize the use of residual hearing of hearing-impaired individuals, enabling them to hear sounds that are otherwise inaudible or unhearable. This device is referred to as a hearing aid. A hearing aid is merely an auxiliary device that aids in hearing sounds, thereby effectively assisting individuals in learning language, but it cannot replace the process of learning and mastering language. The function of a hearing aid is to enable us to "hear" sound, while "understanding" (i.e., comprehending what is typically articulated clearly) of sound is accomplished by the brain's speech recognition center system, not the ear's function. Although hearing aids come in various shapes and specifications, their basic structure and principles are the same: various sounds from the living environment are transmitted to the hearing aid through a microphone. The microphone's function is to convert signals from speech and the living environment into electrical signals, which are then processed and amplified, with the volume controller adjusting the volume. All hearing aids require batteries as a power source to supply electricity to the entire system. After amplification, the sound is transmitted to the receiver (earphone). The earphone, akin to a loudspeaker, converts electrical signals into sound signals, which are then transmitted through the tubes in the hearing aid's ear mold into the ear canal. If there is hearing loss, and the loss is not severe (especially if high-frequency loss is not severe), and "hearing aids" are used promptly to assist hearing, language discrimination ability (clarity) remains relatively good. Conversely, if hearing loss is too severe and has persisted for too long without the aid of assistive devices, wearing hearing aids will merely involve gradual practice in hearing various sounds, and more learning will be necessary to achieve better results. There may be some sounds that are inaudible or unhearable even with hearing aids, but the effect would be even worse without them – indicating that hearing aids are of great help to you. Wearing hearing aids is akin to wearing glasses because you need them. After putting them on, you see more clearly than before, and you become accustomed to this "clarity." If you do not remove your glasses, you will certainly feel that your vision is "not as clear as before." Similarly, after wearing hearing aids, you hear parts of sounds that were previously inaudible, and you become accustomed to hearing a variety of sounds. When you do not wear your hearing aids, you may feel somewhat uncomfortable, leading you to "feel worse."