Here Are a Few Things to Consider When You Decide to Get Hearing Aids

The numbers don't lie: at some time in your life, you're probably going to need a hearing aid. A quarter of all people from 60 to 75, according to an NIDCD study, have loss of hearing and for people over 75 this figure increases to 50%. The best method to fight age-related hearing loss is to use a hearing aid, but how can you be sure which style is best for you? Hearing aids used to have problems including susceptibility to water damage and excessive background noise but modern hearing aids have solved these types of issues. But to ensure that your choice of hearing aid is right for you, there are still things you need to consider.

Look Closely at Directionality

One essential attribute you need to pay attention to in a hearing aid is directionality, which is your hearing aid's ability to focus on the particular noise near you (such as a discussion) while keeping background noise to a minimum. One, or both, of two types of directionality systems are operating inside most hearing aids, they either focus in on sound directly in front of you, or they focus on sound coming from different speakers and sometimes do both.

Will Your Hearing Aid Interact With Your Phone?

It's become very clear, we're addicted to our cellphone as a nation. You most likely have some kind of cell phone, either a smartphone or an older style cell phone. And for the few who don't actually have a cell phone, you likely still have a land-line. So, when you're testing different hearing aids, you will want to see how they work with your phone. What does it sound like? Are you able to discern voices plainly? Does it feel comfortable? Are there any Bluetooth connection options available? When looking at new hearing aids, you should take into account all of these.

Are You Likely to Wear it?

As noted above, hearing aid development has progressed tremendously over the past few years. One of those advances has been the size and shape of hearing aids, which are a great deal smaller today. Still, there will always be some trade-offs. A more compact hearing aid may not be as powerful as a larger one, so it mostly depends on your hearing professional's recommendation and what you want to achieve with your hearing aid. You can get a hearing aid that fits directly in your ear canal and is all but invisible, but it won't have many of the features available in larger hearing aids and will be prone to earwax clogs. On the other end of the spectrum, a behind the ear hearing aid is larger and may be more obvious, but often have more directionality functions and have more choices for sound amplification.

What Kind of Background Sound Will You be Exposed to?

Wind noise has been an overwhelming problem for hearing aid users ever since they were invented. Being outside during a windy day with a traditional hearing aid once meant that you couldn't pick up anything but the wind, which is enough to drive anyone insane. If you're an outdoors kind of person or you live in a windy place, you'll want to suppress wind noises with your hearing aid choice so that conversations won't have that aggravating wind howl. Educate yourself about the many hearing aid options available to you. Get in touch with us.