Getting The Most From Your Hearing Aids

If you aren’t really rich, a car really isn’t an impulse purchase. Which means you will probably do a great deal of research ahead of time. You look at reviews, you compare prices, and you evaluate gas mileage. Google is your best friend these days. It makes sense to do this level of research. For most individuals who aren’t rich, it will take a while to pay off the thousands of dollars you will spend. So you want to make certain your investment is well spent.

You’ll be considering how your purchase best suits your lifestyle and also practical things such as safety, gas mileage, etc. Is there a specific style of vehicle you really like? How much room do you need for weekly supplies? How much power do you want to feel when you push down that accelerator?

In other words, to get the most from your new car, you need to examine your options and make some choices. And that’s the same mindset you should have when selecting your hearing aids. They may not cost tens of thousands of dollars, but they’re still an investment. And getting the most from your investment means figuring out which devices work best, in general, as well as what provides the most for your lifestyle.

Hearing aid advantages

In exactly the same way that you can talk about the benefits of a car in a very general way, you can also talk about the benefits of hearing aids in a similarly general way. Hearing aids are a wonderful investment!

Yes, they help you hear, but for most individuals, the advantages are more tangible than that. With a pair of hearing aids, you can remain involved with the people in your life. You’ll have an easier time chatting with the clerk at the pharmacy, listening to a story about dinosaurs at the dinner table with your grandchildren, and engaging in conversations with friends.

It’s only logical that you would want to make your hearing aids last as long as you can given all of the benefits. You want to keep those benefits coming!

Are higher quality hearing aids always more costly?

There might be some individuals out there who would presume that the best way to make your hearing aid work better and last longer is to just purchase the most high priced device they can.

Hearing aids are certainly an investment. There’s a reason why some hearing aids are costly in the first place:

• Hearing aids are made to include very state-of-the-art technologies, and they have to make those technologies as tiny as possible. So the package you’re paying for is very technologically potent.
• Hearing aids are also designed to last for quite a while. Especially if you take care of them.

But the most expensive model won’t automatically be your best fit or work the best. How profound your hearing loss is and, obviously, your budget are a couple of the variables to think about. Do some hearing aids last longer than others? Certainly! But the price of the device isn’t always the deciding factor.

As with any other purchase, hearing aids will require regular maintenance in order to keep working effectively. What’s more, your hearing aids will have to be tuned to your ears and adjusted for your distinct level of hearing loss.

Be sure you get the best hearing aids for you

What choices do you have? You’ll be able to choose from numerous different types and styles. You can work with us to figure out which ones are the right choice for you and your hearing needs. Here are the options you will have to choose from:

• Completely-in-the-Canal Hearing Aids (CIC): For individuals who want their hearing aids to be discrete and also deliver high-quality sound, these hearing aids will be the ideal choice. But with this kind of hearing aid, battery life, and overall longevity is usually shorter. And some of the most sophisticated features tend to be missing because of their smaller size.
• In-the-Canal Hearing Aids (ITC): These hearing aids are custom molded to fit your ear canal, which makes them mostly hidden. They will typically contain more high-tech features being slightly larger than CIC models. These devices are still rather small and some of the functions can be a bit difficult to manipulate by hand. If you want your hearing aid to be discrete but also have some advanced functions, this style will be ideal.
• In-the-Ear Hearing Aids: This style of hearing aid is molded to sit entirely in your outer ear. A “half shell” version sits in your lower ear and a “full shell” version fits completely inside your ear. These hearing aids are more exposed but can contain advanced and powerful microphones, making them a great option for noise control or complex hearing issues.
• Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids (BTE): In a way, BTE hearing aids are the best of both worlds. This style of hearing aid has one bit that fits in your ear (that’s the speaker) but moves all of the bulky electronics to a casing that goes behind your ear. The pieces are connected by a small tube, but in general, it’s fairly non-visible. These hearing aids offer many amplification solutions making them quite popular. These types are a great compromise between visibility and power.
• Receiving-in-the-Canal (or in the Ear) Hearing Aids (RIC or RITE): This is a lot like BTE hearing aids, except the speaker part sits in the ear canal. They have the advantage of minimizing wind noise and are generally less visible.
• Open-Fit Hearing Aids: Even when you’re wearing the device, low-frequency sounds can still get into the ear. This makes them suitable for people who can hear those low-frequencies pretty well (but have difficulty with high-frequency sounds). It isn’t a good option for all types of hearing loss, but it does work well for many people.

What about over-the-counter hearing aids?

Another option to think about is OTC or over-the-counter hearing aids. The trouble is that OTC hearing aids are sort of like OTC medications, they work okay in a general sense. But if your hearing loss warrants a set of more powerful hearing aids or more specialized hearing aids, OTC devices could fall somewhat short. Prescription hearing aids can be fine-tuned to your specific hearing needs which is an option generally not available with OTC hearing aids.

Regardless of what type of hearing aid you choose to buy, it’s always a smart plan to speak with us about what might work best for your specific requirements.

Repair and maintenance

After you choose the best hearing aid for your hearing needs, taking care of it is crucial. Just like your car needs oil changes now and then.

So, now you’re thinking: how frequently should my hearing aids be assessed? In general, you should schedule a regular upkeep and cleaning appointment for your hearing aids every six-to-twelve months. This gives you an opportunity to make sure that everything is working properly and as it should!

It’s also not a bad idea to be somewhat familiar with your device’s warranty. If and when you need repair, knowing what’s covered by that warranty and what isn’t can save you some cash! A good warranty and regular maintenance will help your hearing last as long as possible.

Is there a hearing aid that’s the best?

There isn’t a single best all-time hearing aid. Every hearing specialist may have a different model that they think is the best.

The secret is to find the best hearing aid for you and for your needs. Just like with a vehicle, for some an SUV will be best, and for others, a minivan will best fit their lifestyles. It all just depends, and the same goes for hearing aids.

But the more you know ahead of time and the better informed you are, the easier it will be to get the hearing aids that are perfect for you. Contact us to schedule a consultation today!