People who are suffering from hearing impairedness experiences changes in their physical and emotional being. This can be because they are less understood sometimes, making them feel off and unwanted because of their situation.

Hearing aid is one of the most important creations for people who suffer hearing loss. This device enables them to hear sounds, though not clearly as what we do, but it does help them in a way that they would be able to be aware about what is going on around.

Hearing aids began crudely as large trumpets and horns. Then they became transistor radio style devices but still bulky and uncomfortable to wear. Later on became smaller behind the ear devices (BTEs). Thanks to technology, some modern hearing aids are even implantable and therefore invisible.

Hearing aids have been around for decades, gets a bad rap from the very start they became the butt of jokes. In some old comic books from the sixties and seventies, a grandfather uses a horn-shaped trumpet style hearing aid and keeps saying “what?”

There are manufacturers have recognized the importance of preserving hearing aid history. For example, Oticon has an Eriksholm Museum in Denmark for showcasing old hearing aids. The museum has the ancient trumpet style hearing aids, a transistor style hearing aid, and early behind-the-ear aids.

In addition, in New York City, you can visit the hearing aid museum at the League for the Hard of Hearing. More than 50 hearing aids from the 1880s to the 1980s are showcased at the League. The decorated silver ear trumpet is particularly fascinating.

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