What to Consider When Purchasing a Hearing Aid

Woman considering buying hearing aids.

The numbers don’t lie: at some point in your life, you’re most likely going to require a hearing aid. A report from NIDCD states that approximately a quarter of all individuals between the ages of 60 and 75 have some form of loss of hearing, and that figure jumps up to 50% for people 75 and older. The best way to deal with age-related loss of hearing is to wear a hearing aid, but how can you be sure which model is best for you? Hearing aids used to have problems such as susceptibility to water damage and excessive background noise but modern day hearing aids have resolved these sorts of issues. But to ensure that your choice of hearing aid is right for you, there are still things you need to consider.

Directionality is a Crucial Feature

Directionality is one crucial function you should look for, which has the ability to keep background noise down while focusing in on noise you want to hear including conversations. One, or both, of two directionality systems are working inside most hearing aids, they either focus on sound directly in front of you, or they focus on sound coming from different speakers and sometimes do both.

Will Your Hearing Aid Connect With Your Phone?

As a country, we’re addicted to our phones. You probably have some type of cell phone, either a smartphone or an older style cell phone. And on the unlikely event that you don’t own any kind of cell phone, you likely still have a land-line. So, how well hearing aid works with your phone is an important concern when you’re looking at hearing aids. How does it sound? Do voices sound sharp? Does it feel easy to wear? Are there any Bluetooth connection options available? When shopping for new hearing aids, you need to consider all of these.

What is The Probability You Would Actually Wear it?

As noted above, hearing aid technology has progressed by leaps and bounds over the last few years. One of those advances has been the size and shape of hearing aids, which have trended in the smaller and more comfortable path. But there are undoubtedly pros and cons. A smaller hearing aid might not be as powerful as a bigger one, so it really depends on your hearing specialist’s recommendation and what you want to accomplish with your hearing aid. The little ones won’t have the features of the larger models and they may get clogged with earwax but they do fit inside your ears virtually imperceptibility. On the other side of it, a behind-the-ear hearing aid is bigger and might be more obvious, but often come with more directionality functions and have more options for sound amplification.

Exposure to Specific Background Noises

One of the leading problems since the advent of hearing aid technology has been wind noise and the havoc it causes to users. It would have driven anyone nuts to go out on a breezy day and hear nothing except wind. If you’re an outdoors kind of person or you live in a windy area, you’ll want to suppress wind noises with your hearing aid decision so that conversations won’t have that aggravating wind howl. Searching for more information about how to pick the right hearing aid? Call us.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.