At Hinson Hearing at Home, we know there is nothing more important than experiencing life’s special moments as they happen. Selecting the proper hearing aids can ensure that you are more present to the sounds that are important to you, like your grandchildren’s laughter, family news around the dinner table, or the birds from the back patio. Fill out our Hearing Aid Priorities Form so we can best assist you in selecting hearing devices for your listening lifestyle. This will help us develop your individualized treatment plan.
Hearing aids are small electronic devices worn in or behind the ear that amplify speech sounds for individuals with hearing loss. They improve the ability to hear both speech and environmental sounds, making communication and daily activities easier. Prescription hearing aids (as opposed to OTC hearing aids) can be adjusted to your specific hearing loss based on a professional hearing test.
What are hearing aids?
What do I look for when buying hearing aids?
When choosing a hearing aid, look for features that match your lifestyle and hearing needs. Key benefits to consider include adjustable volume, amount of noise reduction, processing speed, and battery life. Comfort, design, and Bluetooth capabilities are also important to some. The one factor that affects user success more than any other is professional support. Having an audiologist to make programming adjustments as needed or as your hearing changes, as well as to clean and maintain your devices, makes the world of difference in user satisfaction of hearing aids. Lastly, be sure to note of any trial periods and warranties offered with the hearing aid purchase. An ideal trial period is at least 45 days and warranty periods should be at least one year.
What are the different kinds of hearing aids?
No matter the brand, hearing aids differ in two ways: style and technology
Style:
Behind-the-ear hearing aids fit securely on top of the ear, and a small tube or wire gently forms in front of the ear and into the ear canal. Behind-the-ear hearing aids come in a variety of forms and sizes dependent upon the severity of hearing loss and patient preference. The most popular style is called the receiver-in-ear (RIE) or receiver-in-canal (RIC) style shown here. The RIE/RIC style is popular because of it’s small size, rechargeable batteries, and ability to be programmed for many different types of hearing losses. RIC hearing aids can also use bluetooth technology to connect to your smartphone and other accessories. They are even Auracast compatible!
In-the-ear hearing aids are made to fit inside your ear canal. An impression is taken of the ear, and shipped to the manufacturer to have this device custom made for you. In-the-ear hearing aids come in a variety of shapes and sizes dependent on ear anatomy, battery size, and bluetooth capability. In-the-ear devices come in many colors to best match your skin tone or style preference. These hearing aids are best for those with moderate to profound hearing loss, but you should consult with your audiologist about which style hearing aid is right for you.
Technology:
Flagship products are designed with the best features in mind. In these hearing aids you will find superb background noise reduction, impulse noise reduction (for dogs barking or dishes dropping), speech enhancement, and tinnitus support. Some flagship devices also have features such as fall detection, built-in reminders, exercise monitoring, cognitive activity tracking, and “find my hearing aids.” One of the greatest benefits of flagship products is that most features activate automatically, meaning you can make less manual changes to your devices throughout the day. No more fiddling, just let your hearing aids do their job.
Economy products are also programmed for your loss specifically, but less features are available. There are still sophisticated noise reduction and speech clarity options available, but these devices are best for one-on-one communication with low to moderate background noise. Some economy products have rechargeable capability, but most have disposable batteries to be changed once per week.
OTC hearing devices are hearing aids developed for mild to moderate hearing loss only. They cannot be adjusted to your individual hearing, but simply enhance the volume of the sounds around you. Some OTC devices contain mild noise reduction features as well. Click here to learn more about OTC hearing aids and our subscriptions available to service them.
Overall, filling out our Hearing Aid Priorities Form prior to your appointment can help your audiologist suggest the best style and technology for you and your preferences.