What is a Hearing Aid?

A hearing aid is an electronic assistive device which is most often worn behind or in the ear. As similar to eyeglasses for people with visual problems, hearing aids are important for people with hearing loss.

Basically, there are four components in a hearing aid:
Microphone:	Pick up sound waves and convert them into electrical signals.
Amplifier:	Strengthen the signals.
Receiver:	Reconvert the amplified signals into sound.
Battery:	Provide power source for the hearing aid.

Myths about Hearing Aids There is still a great deal of misunderstanding about using hearing aids. Many people still believe: - that hearing aids are big and clumsy - that they continuously whistle - that they are difficult to operate and maintain. Fortunately, none of the above is that case. The fact is that: - the smallest hearing aids today are note much bigger than a coffee bean - problems with feedback whistling have been considerably reduced - most hearing aids have automatic functions and are individually programmed by audiological professionals for specific needs

Use and Limitation of Hearing Aids A person with hearing impairment may consider using a hearing aid when medical treatment and surgical procedure were confirmed to be ineffective in treating the hearing impairment. Although a hearing aid does not restore normal hearing, it should be able to put a user's remaining hearing ability to very effective use. By amplifying sounds and speech, hearing aid helps the user communicate and lead successful social life.