Hearing aids and cochlear implants are two technologies that are for deaf or hard of hearing people. These devices make sounds louder or clearer. This article explains what they are and how they work.
What are Hearing Aids?
Hearing aids are small electronic devices that you wear on or in your ear. They make sounds louder so people with hearing loss can hear better[1].
Hearing aids have these main parts:
- A microphone that picks up sounds
- A processor that makes the sounds clearer and louder
- A speaker (called a receiver) that sends the sounds into your ear[1]
Most people with hearing loss in both ears use two hearing aids, one for each ear. Digital hearing aids can be adjusted for different places like quiet rooms or noisy restaurants[1].
What are Cochlear Implants?
Cochlear implants are different from hearing aids. While hearing aids make sounds louder, cochlear implants change sounds into electrical signals that go directly to the hearing nerve[2][3].
A cochlear implant has two parts:
- An outside part with a microphone, processor, and transmitter that you wear on your head
- An inside part that doctors put under the skin during an operation[2]
Each year, about 25,000 people in Europe get cochlear implants[4]. They are mainly for people with very severe hearing loss who don’t get enough hearing from hearing aids[5]. In Slovakia, the first cochlear implant operation happened 30 years ago, in March 1994[3]. In Netherlands, in 1985.
Getting support in Europe
In Europe, 34.4 million people have hearing loss[6]. The way people get hearing aids or cochlear implants is different in each country:
- Some countries give them for free
- Some countries pay part of the cost
- Some countries don’t help pay for them at all[7]
For example, in the Netherlands, people get 100% of the cost paid by health insurance[7].
If you need a hearing aid or cochlear implant, talk to your doctor. They can help you understand what might work best for you and how to get it in your country.
Remember
These technologies don’t make hearing perfect, but they can let deaf people hear sounds louder or clearer.
Citations:
- https://www.hearinglink.org/your-hearing/what-is-a-hearing-aid/
- http://www.cochlea.eu/en/rehabilitation/cochlear-implants
- https://www.zdravotnickydenik.cz/2024/03/pred-30-rokmi-na-slovensku-zaviedli-prvy-kochlearny-implantat-pomaha-ludom-s-tazkou-poruchou-sluchu/
- https://eurociu.eu
- https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/D09sa-cochlear-implantation-services.pdf
- https://health.ec.europa.eu/latest-updates/video-recording-euhpp-live-webinar-healthy-hearing-healthy-ageing-addressing-challenges-hearing-loss-2024-12-05_en
- https://efhoh.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Hearing-Aids-Reimbursement-2022-edited-version-final-for-publication.pdf
- https://www.aea-audio.org/portal/images/AEA_European_Parliament_2013.pdf
- https://www.entandaudiologynews.com/features/audiology-features/post/hearing-care-systems-european-examples
- https://www.entandaudiologynews.com/media/5884/entmj17-best-new.pdf
zqkmehpofoftowhhqquoigxsmfvsmw
ivnmzxfshdpshzumhjsifuvdxitiqy