In the past “adaptive hearing aids” meant that the wearer could adjust the hearing volume manually to try to adjust with their environment, turning them up when in noisy situations or down when less assistance through amplification is needed. But advances in technology has lead to changing what “adaptive” hearing means now, and if you are still relying on devices that do not have this technology than it is time to experience the difference.

Hearing Aids That Automatically Adapt

Most of the top hearing aids today, including Beltone Hearing Aids, now feature fully adaptive technology which does more than simply turn up the volume – it can correctly apply filters, focus in on unique sounds and tweak directionality to ensure the wearer experiences a far more natural listening experience when moving around – and the aids are able to achieve this without the need for annoying hands-on adjustments. Beltone digital hearing aids offer an array of adaptive features to address different needs. For instance:

• Speech Spotter: Participating in conversations is one of the pleasures of life, but having a hearing loss can make it difficult. Speech Spotter uses adaptive technology to focus on the speaker while filtering out background noise without entirely blocking it, so you can hear the conversation without feeling like you're in a sound vacuum.
• Sound Shifter: Sound Shifter uses special filtering and focusing technology to help you higher-frequency sounds, like bird songs and the voices of children. Higher frequencies are often the most difficult to hear for people with hearing loss.
• Adaptive Directionality: Beltone hearing aids use multiple microphones and special algorithms to determine where sounds are coming from so you can “automatically” adjust to sounds from all around you.
• GPS: Just like today's cars and cellphones, many digital hearing aids have built-in GPS functionality to remember your settings in different locations, enabling automatic adjustments when you visit those locations in the future.

When manual adjustments might be necessary or preferred, Beltone digital hearing aids are also now compatible with iPhones and smartphones, with apps that provide you with the ability to make discrete changes without the need to handle the hearing aid. We even have an app to assist people who struggle with tinnitus reduce their symptoms so that they can hear with less distortion and distraction.

Why Is Adaptive Technology So Vital?

For most people quite a few of their most important memories and lasting experiences involve noisy environments, and struggling with hearing loss often makes it far more difficult to feel truly involved in the situation. Adaptive technology lets you hear more “naturally” as you move from one environment and experience to another so you can feel like you're “part of the action” without the need to distract yourself while trying to adjust your hearing device. If you would like to learn more about adaptive technology and other advanced features that Beltone digital hearing aids can offer, call Beltone South toll-free at (888) 906-5246. Or to schedule a free hearing test so you can learn about which options can help you hear your best, visit our locations page and call the center nearest you.