Ask an Audiologist: Can I Wear a Hearing Aid Usually Recommended for Kids?
In this Ask an Audiologist submission, a Hearing Solutions’ Audiologist answers a question regarding hearing aids that are frequently recommended for children.
When an Audiologist or Hearing Instrument Specialist completes your hearing test and provides a diagnosis of hearing loss, along with whether it’s mild, moderate, severe or profound, they’ll also provide a hearing aid recommendation based on this information.
But your hearing aid recommendation or prescription is based on more than just your level of hearing loss. It’ll also be based on your lifestyle and your budget. What do we mean by lifestyle?
If you like to swim, maybe you’d like a waterproof hearing aid. If you like to stream audio from your smartphone or you watch a lot of TV, you might benefit from a Bluetooth-enabled hearing aid that allows you to stream the sound directly into your hearing devices.
But are there specific hearing aids for children versus adults, specifically the Phonak Nios iii H2O? Read on to find out.
Ask an Audiologist
Can an adult with mild-to-moderate hearing loss use a Phonak Nios iii H2O?
Audiologist Response
Thank you for your submission to Ask an Audiologist.
The Phonak Nios iii H2O is a water resistant behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid that is designed for mild to severe hearing loss. It is intended for children (hence the bright colours and tamper proof doors), but the internal features are the same as Phonak’s other hearing aids. Therefore, the hearing aid could be used by an adult if it was determined to be appropriate for them by a hearing healthcare professional. I recommend that the patient receive a comprehensive hearing test and hearing aid evaluation by an Audiologist to learn more and see if that hearing aid would be suitable for them.
I hope that this information is helpful to you. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Loder, B.Sc., M.Cl.Sc., Reg. CASLPO Audiologist, Aud(C)
Stephanie is a registered Audiologist with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario. Stephanie currently sees patients at Hearing Solutions’ Carlingwood Shopping Centre location in Ottawa.
