What are hearing aids? The basics and beyond

A hearing aid is a small electronic device worn in or behind your ear that helps make sounds easier to hear.

Many people think hearing aids simply make everything louder. In reality, today’s hearing aids are much more advanced than that. They’re designed to improve the sounds you need to hear most, particularly speech, while making listening more comfortable in a wide range of everyday situations.

Whether you’re chatting with family, watching television, taking a phone call or enjoying dinner with friends, hearing aids can help reduce the effort it takes to hear and communicate.

Modern hearing aids are also incredibly discreet. They come in a variety of sizes and styles, with many offering rechargeable batteries, Bluetooth connectivity and automatic adjustments that happen in the background without you needing to think about them.

You can think of a hearing aid as a tiny computer that sits on or in your ear. Every hearing aid has four main components:

• Microphone: Picks up sounds from the environment.
• Processor (amplifier): Analyses the sounds and adjusts them to match your hearing loss.
• Receiver (speaker): Delivers the processed sound into your ear.
• Battery: Powers the hearing aid. Most modern devices are rechargeable, although some still use disposable batteries.

Rather than amplifying the volume of every sound equally, hearing aids are programmed by your audiologist, who will tailor the settings to your unique needs, so you get the best access to the sounds you need to hear.

Hearing loss often develops gradually, so many people don’t realise how many sounds they’ve stopped hearing until they begin wearing hearing aids.

People often notice improvements with everyday activities such as:

• Following conversations with family and friends
• Hearing the television at a more comfortable volume
• Talking on the phone
• Participating in meetings
• Hearing birds singing, indicators clicking or other everyday sounds they hadn’t realised they’d been missing

Many people also find they feel less tired at the end of the day, because they’re no longer working so hard to fill in the gaps during conversations.

While hearing aids cannot completely restore your hearing to the way it once was, they can improve your quality of life by making communication easier, reducing listening effort and increasing confidence in social situations.

Yes, hearing aids amplify environmental sounds, including background noise. However, modern hearing aids are much smarter than simply making everything louder.

Advanced hearing aids use sophisticated sound processing to help reduce unwanted background noise while making speech clearer. They can automatically adjust to different listening environments, whether you’re sitting quietly at home, walking outdoors or having dinner in a busy restaurant.

Many hearing aids also include directional microphones, which focus on sounds coming from in front of you while reducing sounds from behind or beside you. This makes it easier to concentrate on the person you’re talking to, even in noisier environments.

No hearing aid can remove all background noise completely, but today’s technology can make listening much more comfortable than ever before.

No. When hearing aids are properly fitted and programmed by an audiologist, they do not damage your hearing.

A common misconception is that hearing aids are like turning up the volume on a stereo. In reality, they are carefully adjusted to amplify only the sounds you need to hear better, meaning they’re designed to improve clarity, not simply loudness.

For many people with hearing loss, certain speech sounds become difficult to hear, making words sound muffled or incomplete. Hearing aids help restore those missing speech sounds so conversations become easier to understand.

Research also suggests that treating hearing loss may help keep the brain engaged by providing it with the sound information it needs to continue processing speech and everyday sounds. You can learn more in our article about the link between hearing loss and dementia.

It’s normal for hearing aids to take a little time to adjust to.

If you’ve been living with hearing loss for some time, your brain may have forgotten what certain everyday sounds are like. Things such as birds singing, footsteps or the rustling of paper may seem unusually noticeable at first.

Most people gradually adapt over several weeks as their brain relearns how to process these sounds. Your audiologist will also continue fine-tuning and adjusting your hearing aids during your follow-up appointments to ensure you’re getting the most benefit out of your devices and that they’re as comfortable as possible.

For many years, hearing aids relied on small disposable batteries that needed replacing regularly.

Today, many people opt for rechargeable hearing aids, as they’re more convenient, offer long-term reliability and remove the need to carry spare batteries. These devices use built-in lithium-ion batteries that you charge like a smartphone. You simply place them in their charging case overnight, and when you wake up, they’ll be ready to go with a full day of power. Rechargeable hearing aids can be especially helpful for people who have reduced hand dexterity or find changing tiny batteries difficult.

Battery-powered hearing aids are still available and may suit some people depending on their hearing needs and lifestyle. Find out more about the differences between rechargeable vs. battery hearing aids.

Choosing the right hearing aid requires careful consideration of your hearing health, lifestyle and preferences. We’re fortunate to have several different styles (not models) of hearing aids available in New Zealand, each with their own advantages.

Some devices, like Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids, sit discreetly behind the ear with a small wire leading into the ear canal. Others, like In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids, are custom-made to fit your ear canal.

The best option for you depends on factors such as:

• Your level of hearing loss
• The shape of your ears
• Your lifestyle
• Your vision and dexterity
• Your personal style and preferences

We understand that having a wide variety of options can feel overwhelming. However, you’re not expected to make this decision on your own. Instead, your audiologist will recommend the most suitable style based on your hearing assessment and daily listening needs.

There are many different funding support options available in New Zealand. Your audiologist will help you explore your options and apply for any funding that you may qualify for.

Disability Support Services Subsidy

If you’re paying privately for your hearing aids, you may be eligible for the Disability Support Services subsidy, which is currently $511.11 per device or $1,022.22 for a set (including GST).

ACC Funded Hearing Aids

If your hearing loss is a result of long-term noise exposure or an accident, you may be eligible for ACC funding. In many cases, if your ACC funding doesn’t fully cover the cost of your preferred hearing device, your provider will give you the option to pay the difference (an additional surcharge). At Resonate, however, we’ll fit you with premium hearing aids, the ReSound Vivia™ 9, regardless of your funding band. There’s no surcharge, hidden fees or out-of-pocket costs. You can either purchase your device outright or join our exclusive Unlimited ACC subscription service for $49 per month and receive free technology upgrades every three years.

Ministry of Health’s Hearing Aid Funding Scheme

This scheme supports children and adults, offering comprehensive financial coverage for obtaining hearing aids. Funding covers the entire price of the device but does not provide additional support for other related services or products.

Veteran Affairs

Veteran Affairs may assist those who have hearing loss related to active service. If you’ve served in the armed forces, let us know, and we can help with your funding application or contact your Veteran Affairs case manager.

There are many other options available, including Work and Income (WINZ) support. Read our full guide on hearing aid funding in New Zealand to find out more.

Hearing aid technology has come a long way in the last decade, empowering people around the world to connect, engage and thrive in their personal and professional lives.

Many modern hearing aids now include features such as:

Bluetooth connectivity

Stream phone calls, music, podcasts and television audio directly to your hearing aids from compatible devices.

Intelligent sound processing

Many hearing aids now come with inbuilt AI features that improve sound processing and automatically adjust the device settings as your listening environment changes throughout the day, helping conversations remain clearer wherever you are.

Directional microphones

Focus on speech in front of you while reducing competing background noise.

Rechargeable batteries

Provide convenient all-day use without needing disposable batteries.

Tinnitus support

Some hearing aids include sound therapy features that can help reduce the awareness of tinnitus for some people.

These features work together to provide a more natural, personalised listening experience throughout the day.

If you’ve started turning the television up louder, asking people to repeat themselves, or finding conversations more tiring than they used to be, it may be time to have your hearing checked.

Our comprehensive Ear360® hearing assessment looks at more than just your hearing. It explores how your hearing may be affecting areas such as communication, balance, tinnitus, memory and overall wellbeing.

If hearing aids are recommended, your audiologist will guide you through the options and help you find a solution that’s tailored to your hearing, lifestyle and goals.

If you’d like to learn more, download our Ultimate Guide to Hearing Aids, or get in touch with your local Resonate Health team for personalised advice.