Comparison of Analog and Digital Hearing Aids

Nowadays if you have hearing concerns you can purchase either analog or digital hearing aids. Digital is obviously the most technologically advanced, however Analog hearing aids are cheaper. My grandpa has had trouble hearing all his life and has gone through both hearing aids and liked aspects of both.

Analog hearing aids are not on the cutting edge of technology however they are easier on your pocket book if you don't have extra cash. My grandpa really liked his analog hearing aid because his was able to be programmed for an array of areas. Inside was one way and outside another so than he was always able to hear the same in any environment. It could also be tweaked if he was having a more off day and needed to turn it up so he could hear better, or in a movie theater turn it down. However he never because of the lack of refinement on this hearing aid he would hear everything at the same decibel. So if I spoke with him outside he could hear the birds chirping at the same intensity making it harder for him to concentrate. They resemble a speaker really just made for the ear to intensify sound, there is no discernment between background noise and speech however.

Digital hearing aids can actually differentiate between speech and other noises creating more of the ebb and flow that others hear naturally. My grandpa loved when he first started with these because it felt more like he could hear and less like having someone shouting. One of the perks of these state of the art digital hearing aids is that if there are loud noises that increase over the decibel range that would hurt the air, than the hearing aid will actually dampen the sound so it will save the ear from any damage. As my grandpa got older the analog hearing aids had become pretty much useless because his hearing loss had become so severe, however with the digital hearing aid it allowed him to hear again and better than he had been able to previously. Due to a small computer chip digital hearing aids actually process background noise and speech differently allowing for better hearing and making it easier on people like my grandpa to hear a conversation without having to turn the hearing aid up due to a loud TV or outside noises.

I had a friend that was born almost completely deaf that was able to finally afford to have the digital hearing aids and it helped he perfect her speech that had a slur to it previously. She was able to finally hear the nuances of the words she was saying giving her a better advantage. However there are still different hearing issues that make it difficult for any hearing aid no matter how technologically advanced to work the way it should.

With the many friends and family I have had that have had both the analog and digital hearing aids I have seen people happier with the digital version. However you do have to have an average of 400 - 500 dollars to spend on digital hearing aids making them very difficult to afford. Occasionally especially for children you can find doctors or groups that will help with the price of these hearing aids for the severely hearing impaired. If it is possible the digital hearing aid is definitely a better way to help with hearing loss and allows for a more regular hearing experience.