Getting The Most Out of Your Hearing Aids

A car isn’t really an impulse buy (unless you’re very, very wealthy). Which means you will most likely do a great deal of research first. You have a good look at things such as gas mileage, overall price, and customer reviews. Google is your best friend these days. This amount of research is logical! For most individuals who aren’t rich, it will take a long time to pay off the thousands of dollars you will spend. So you want to be certain it’s worth it!

You’ll be thinking about how your purchase best fits your lifestyle and also practical things such as safety, gas mileage, etc. What style of vehicle do you want? Do you require a lot of space to carry supplies around? How fast do you want your car to be?

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

Hearing aid benefits

The example of the benefits of purchasing hearing aids can be broadly compared with the example of purchasing a car. Hearing aids are pretty great!

The advantages of hearing aids, for most individuals, are more tangible than just helping you hear. With a set of hearing aids, you can stay 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 over dinner with your grandchildren, and enjoying conversations with friends.

With all these benefits, it stands to reason that you’d start to ask, “How can I help my hearing aids last longer?” You want to keep those benefits going!

Are higher quality hearing aids always more expensive?

Some people may assume that they can only get a quality hearing aid if they get the highest-priced device.

And, to be sure, hearing aids are an investment. Here are a couple of reasons why some hearing aids can be costly:

• Hearing aids are made to include very advanced 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 a long time. If you take good care of them this is particularly true.

But that doesn’t mean the most expensive option will inevitably work best. How profound your hearing loss is and, of course, your budget are a couple of the variables to think about. Do some hearing aids last longer than others? Certainly! But that isn’t always determined by how expensive the device was in the first place.

In order to keep your hearing aids in tip-top working condition, as with any other purchase, they will require regular care and maintenance. What’s more, your hearing aids will need to be calibrated to your ears and adjusted for your distinct level of hearing loss.

Get the appropriate hearing aids for your hearing loss

What options do you have? You’ll be able to pick from numerous different styles and types. We can help you figure out which hearing aids will be best for your hearing requirements. Here are the options you will have to choose from:

• Completely-in-the-Canal Hearing Aids (CIC): These kinds of hearing aids can deliver high-quality sound and are usually very discrete (perfect for individuals who want to hide their hearing aids). But with this type of hearing aid, battery life, and overall lifespan is usually shorter. The small size also means you don’t get some of the most modern functions.
• In-the-Canal Hearing Aids (ITC): These hearing aids are mostly discrete because they are molded to fit your ear canal. They will typically include more high-tech features being a bit larger than CIC models. These devices are still fairly small and some of the functions can be a little tricky to manipulate by hand. If you want your hearing aid to be discrete but also have some advanced functions, this style will be appropriate.
• In-the-Ear Hearing Aids: These hearing aids are also molded to your ears. No part of the device sits in your ear canal, it all fits in your outer ear. Two styles are available (full shell, which fits your whole ear, or half shell, which fits in the lower ear). If you have complex hearing issues or need more powerful noise control, the more sophisticated technology and larger microphones will make these hearing aids the perfect choice.
• Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids (BTE): In a way, BTE hearing aids are the best of both worlds. This type of device has one part that sits in your ear (that’s the speaker) but moves all of the bulky electronics to a casing that sits behind your ear. The small tube that connects the two parts is still rather discrete. These hearing aids provide many amplification choices making them quite popular. When you want the best of both visibility and power, these devices will be the best solution.
• Receiving-in-the-Canal (or in the Ear) Hearing Aids (RIC or RITE): With this design, the speaker part sits in the ear canal but they are otherwise a lot like BTE models. They have the benefit of minimizing wind noise and are usually less visible.
• Open-Fit Hearing Aids: Open-fit hearing aids tend to let low-frequency sounds enter the ear even while you’re using the device. If you have trouble hearing higher frequencies but low-frequencies aren’t really an issue, these hearing aids will be a great fit for you. It’s not a good option for all types of hearing loss, but it does work well for many individuals.

Pros and Cons of over-the-counter hearing aids

Over-the-counter hearing aids (or OTC hearing aids, to keep flooding you with acronyms) are yet another alternative to consider. The trouble is that OTC hearing aids are kind of like OTC medications, they work okay in a basic way. But if your hearing loss warrants a pair of more powerful hearing aids or more specialized hearing aids, OTC devices could fall a bit short. Prescription hearing aids can be fine-tuned to your particular hearing needs which is a feature generally not available with OTC hearing aids.

Regardless of what kind of hearing aid you choose to invest in, it’s always a good plan to consult us about what will work best for your specific requirements.

Maintenance and repair

After you decide on the best hearing aid for your hearing needs, taking care of it is essential. Just like your car requires oil changes now and again.

So how frequently will your hearing aids need to be checked? In general, you should schedule a routine maintenance and cleaning appointment for your hearing aids every six-to-twelve months. By doing this you can be certain everything is in good working condition.

You should also get familiar with your warranty. You will save some cash when you are aware of what is and isn’t covered. A strong warranty and regular upkeep will help your hearing last as long as possible.

Is there a hearing aid that’s the best?

There’s no single best hearing aid. Every hearing specialist might have a different model that they feel is the best.

The secret is to find the best hearing aid for you and for your needs. Some individuals will go for a minivan, others for a sport utility vehicle. It all just depends, and the same is true for hearing aids.

But you will have an easier time finding the hearing aid that’s best for you if you are well informed beforehand. Schedule a hearing test with us today!