Tips for Selecting Hearing Aids
Tips for Selecting Hearing Aids
If you have recently been diagnosed with hearing loss and you are on the market for new hearing aids, you will realize that there are a lot of options out there. Even if these are not your the first pair of hearing aids, it is hard to navigate through all the options out there. There are so many styles, fits, colors, technology levels and special features to choose from. If you understand what you want from your hearing aids then choosing the right hearing aid can be much more of a breeze. Below are some important questions to ask when searching for the perfect hearing aids for you and your lifestyle.
A Hearing Test
The first step, if you haven’t yet is to get a hearing test from an audiologist or hearing health care professional. Even if you’ve had your hearing tested in the past it is a good idea to have your hearing checked to make sure your hearing abilities haven’t changed since your last test. The results of your hearing test will help you understand the level of your hearing loss and which hearing aids will be best suited for your unique manor of hearing loss.
What Style of Hearing Aid is Best For You?
Hearing aids come in all shapes and sizes. The most important thing for you is to know the options available to you and pick the best pair that complements your lifestyle and hearing ability. Some people prefer their hearing aids to be small and discrete while others don’t mind a larger model if it is easier to work with. Some of the most common styles of hearing aids include:
- Completely in the canal (CIC): molded to fit inside your ear canal. This model is popular because it is the smallest and most discrete, and is the least likely to pick up wind noise. Because of it’s small size it is harder to manipulate your self and the battery life is often shorter than ideal.
- In the canal: Custom fit, these hearing aids fit partially in the ear canal. While still discrete, these are a little larger than CIC.
- In the ear: This hearing aid either fills most of the bowl-shaped area of your outer ear or fills only the lower portion. Specifically for people with more severe hearing loss these larger hearing aids have the room for more features, longer battery life and may be much more user friendly
- Behind-the-ear (BTE): These hearing aids hook over the top of your ear and rest in the back of the ear with a tube that leads to the ear canal. While these are the largest hearing aids they are equipped with the most potential for amplification.
- Open-fit: hearing Similar to BTE these hearing aids use a smaller tube so the ear canal can be open to pick up low frequency sounds naturally and then be amplified by the hearing aid. These hearing aids wont give your ears a plugged up feeling making your speaking voice sound more natural. According to the
What Sound Environments are you Exposed to Regularly?
If you live a quiet life a simple hearing aid may be fine for your needs. However if you live an active lifestyle and are often in crowds then it might be important to prioritize special features that enhance speech in background noise. For those who are outside regularly it is good idea to get hearing aids that minimize wind and perhaps are water resistant to protect your hearing aids from sweat and rain.
What Special Feature are Important to you?
If you use a Smartphone regularly it may be fun and useful to utilize features that allow you to link your hearing aids to your phone. Today’s hearing aids can link to your phone via Bluetooth, streaming phone calls, music and pod casts directly into your ears. Hearing aids today can do so much more than simply amplify sound. Using artificial intelligence your hearing aids can work with your Smartphone to personalize your listening experience and automatically adjust to your environment.
Make the Right Choice
The more information you have about what styles and feature hearing aids offer, the better you can make the best choice for you. Of course we will be there along the way to help you find your ideal hearing aids. Make an appointment for a hearing test today with us today so you can get your new hearing aids and start hearing your best.