What is the history of hearing aids?

Hearing loss is not a modern-day issue. It has been a challenge that has been occurring for many years down the road. While going down memory lane, there are always people around us that can't hear properly or cannot hear at all. It has been an issue for a long time. It is also a big issue when it comes to the aging population. And with the baby boomers in the line and the grey tsunami going o hit by 2030, it is going to be crucial.

Now, we see that 70% of the millennials talk to their grandparents in a loud voice because of the hearing problem. When addressing all these problems is what a hearing aid does. It was not always like this. There was a time when hearing aids were not even invented. It also led to people assuming that hearing problems did not have a cure.

Hearing loss has been a problem up until the 16th century, and it continues to be so. Hearing loss was also discriminated against in society back then. Their discrimination continued until a Spanish Monk names Pedro Ponce disproved this theory by teaching the deaf ones of a nobleman how to read, write, speak, and do the math.

The History of the Hearing Aid

In the late 17th century, the very first hearing aid was invented. The device came in several shapes and sizes and was made in animal horns and sheet iron. The very next collapsible ear trumpet was invented in the late 18th century. The first commercial device was created by Frederick C. Rein in 1800. In the process of making this hearing aid more pleasing, it was converted to "acoustic headbands," which could be hidden in the user's hair.

Later on, Alexander Graham Bell's 1876 invention of the telephone, the first electronic hearing aid, was close to reality. Telephone included the technology which could control loudness, frequency, and distortion of sounds, essential components of a hearing aid.

The rise of people with hearing illnesses lead to a new profession called the Audiologists. Audiologists are doctors who provide professional and personalized services to improve persons' involvement in critical activities. Audiologists contribute a prominent part to the healthcare industry.

Their treatments contribute to:

Ø       Hearing Loss

Ø       Hearing Aids/Assistive Technology

Ø       Dizziness and Balance

Ø       Hearing Screening and Testing

Ø       Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention

       Tinnitus

In 2020, they are doctors that have been practicing in;

·        Private Practices

·        Physicians Offices

·        Hospitals

·        Schools

·        Colleges and Universities

·        Rehabilitation Centers

·        Residential Health care facilities

·        Long-Term Care Centers

All of this advancement has led to businesses following a trend of even buying the Audiologist Email List. In 1898 Miller Reese Hutchison created the first electric hearing aid. His design used an electric current that amplified weak signals.

The first commercially manufactured hearing aid came back into the market in 1913. These devices have been making the hearing loss a far less difficult experience and audiology transfiguration. There are 466 million people in the world suffering from a disabling hearing loss, 34 million people out of that are children. It is estimated that by 2050, 900 million people will have disabling hearing loss.

The Bottom Line:

The bottom line of this issue comes to audiologists playing the future of hearing issues in the world. If the estimated number for hearing disability must not happen by 2050, there must a step by every industry to take part in the department of audiology. Beginning from technology to businesses in the process to partake in the evolution of the audiology sector of healthcare.