Ask your audiologist…

My husband says he can hear everything but me. Is there a hearing aid that can help him?

Yes! We have hearing aid technology that can amplify in the high frequency ranges only. This is very good news. I am assuming he has a mild to moderate high frequency hearing loss if he says he can hear everything else but women’s and children’s voices. This is very common with men that work construction or other noisy jobs and hobbies.

Until recently, hearing aids could not do a very good job of amplifying only the high frequencies. The aids always seemed to amplify some of the low frequencies, which made hearing in noise extremely difficult. The aids also made one’s voice sound like it was in a barrel.

We now have hearing aids with open molds. These hearing aids go behind the ear with a tiny tube that inserts into the ear canal with a small open dome tip. These are not your Grandparents behind the ear hearing aids! These are extremely small, light and almost invisible. You have to see them to believe how attractive they are. I actually loaned a pair to a patient who wore them for two and a half days before his wife noticed them. He also had very short hair.

From my experience, high frequency hearing loss is the hardest hearing loss to fit with hearing aids and make patients happy. I have experienced some very good results with these open fit hearing aids, so tell your husband to have another consultation. These aids can truly fit mild to moderate high frequency hearing loss with success.

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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.