The size of hearing apparatuses and in particular of hearing devices is to be reduced. To this end, provision is made to combine a rocker-like actuator of the hearing apparatus for manually adjusting a parameter of a signal processing unit for pressing from a neutral position in a first adjusting position or a second adjusting position with an on/off switch. To this end, the rocker-like actuator can be pressed into an additional switching position. The multiple functionalities of the actuator allow installation space to be conserved and thus allow the housing of the hearing apparatus to be simplified and minimized.