Feedback should be a thing of the past

Almost everyone knows someone who wears a hearing aid which tends to whistle. What causes this annoying and embarrassing sound? Feedback is a whistling sound, which occurs when sound from the aid escapes back out of the ear and makes the aid amplify it over again.

You may think, “Doesn’t the person wearing it know it is whistling?” If the person wearing the aid has a high frequency hearing loss (which is very common with men who have worked in noise) they may not hear the frequency of the whistle. This means they cannot help it if they whistle, because they don’t hear it. Be patient and gently tell them they are whistling. If they have to turn the aid down to where they can’t hear well to make the aid stop whistling they need to see their audiologist or hearing aid dispenser to solve the problem.

The number one cause of feedback is looseness, The ears and nose are made out of cartilage and continue to grow throughout our lives. The plastic material that a hearing aid or mold is made out of stays the same size. Sooner or later the aid or mold becomes loose in the ear, causing sound to leak out and feedback.

When the hearing aid becomes loose in the ear it is time to get a new one or have it remade so it fits tighter. Sometimes an aid can be coated with an ultraviolet material, which can help make it tighter. Behind the ear hearing aids have a mold that may need remade if the ear canal has stretched and become larger. Ear molds need to be remade approximately every three years.

It is normal for some older hearing aids to whistle (feedback) when you cup them with your hand or go to hug someone. If you put anything near the microphone of a hearing aid it will whistle. Do not stop hugging! If you whistle, just explain that when something gets close to your aid feedback occurs. Don’t get embarrassed, just be open and explain what happened. Most of the newer hearing aids have really good "feedback managers" which can reduce feedback completely.

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Tia Flynn is a certified audiologist who has been in business for more than 16 years. Every Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, she provides free hearing screenings at 1601 Third St. in Coeur d’Alene. (208) 664-2767. Visit our newly updated website www.affordablehearinginc.com to watch helpful videos or take an online hearing test.