What does BAHA stand for?
BAHA stands for Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. Unlike traditional hearing aids, which transmit sound via the middle ear, bone-anchored hearing aids use bone conduction to amplify sound. This makes them more suitable for certain types of hearing loss, including where the ear canal or external ear hasn’t developed correctly, for example in people with Microtia who are born with little to no outer ear or ear canal. BAHAs can also be used to help people with one-sided hearing loss and people with Goldenhar Syndrome, who are often born with hearing issues requiring a bone anchored hearing aid.
There are both surgical and non-surgical BAHA options. A BAHA implant involves undergoing surgery, during which a small implant is placed inside the mastoid bone of the skull. An alternative option is an external BAHA or bone conduction hearing device, which is worn on a soft headband and doesn’t require surgery. There are several different manufacturers and types of bone-anchored hearing aid available. Here at BAHA Accessories, we stock headbands for Cochlear BAHA, Oticon Ponto and Medel Adhear.
How does a BAHA headband work?
A BAHA is attached to the headband and worn on the mastoid bone (the large bone behind the ear) where it can vibrate in response to sounds that enter through the microphone. The vibrations can then be transmitted through the bones of the skull to the cochlea where they can be converted to sound. Babies that can’t yet sit up can wear their BAHA on their forehead to avoid feedback issues when lying down.
A BAHA headband needs to be snug enough to hold the processor securely in place otherwise it won’t be effective but it also needs to be comfortable enough to wear for long periods.
BAHA headbands come in a range of sizes, colours and designs. At BAHA Accessories, we offer two types of headband – a DIY headband, which uses the button connector from the headband provided by your hospital or audiologist or a Full Headband, which is our most popular type and requires a one-time purchase of a
button connector, which can then be transferred easily between any of our headbands. You can read more about the button connector and the important story behind it here.
Who wears BAHA headbands?
The short answer is – lots of people! Adults and children of all ages around the world wear BAHA headbands to help with their hearing loss. BAHA headbands are suitable for anyone who is considering having a BAHA implant as it allows you to trial the device before having surgery. BAHA headbands are also ideal for babies and young children who aren’t yet old enough to have the surgery or for those children or adults who can’t have the implant or who choose not to.
Why BAHA Accessories?
BAHA Accessories came about when owner and founder, Bryony Walker began making homemade BAHA headbands for her goddaughter. Realising just how difficult it was to source good-quality BAHA headbands, particularly here in the UK, Bryony was inspired to use her new-found knowledge of bone anchored hearing aids and her well-honed crafting skills to produce a great range of BAHA accessories for others. As well as BAHA headbands, we also stock hats, safety lines, button connectors, toy BAHAs for dolls and teddies and lots of other handy BAHA accessories and extras.
Get In Touch
If you have any questions at all about BAHA headbands or accessories, please do get in touch and we’ll do our best to help. We’re also more than happy to advise you on any of our various product designs and their functions to make sure they’re right for you. You can send us a message, call us on 07432 620644 or contact us by email at sales@bahaaccessoriesuk.com.