Posts Tagged ‘hearing aid’

Treatments For Hearing Loss

The most common form of Hearing loss in adults usually occurs gradually over a long period of time and is not immediately noticed by the person involved.

The main symptoms you will have if you have a hearing loss are that:

You find it difficult to hear individual voices in a crowd. You continually ask people to repeat what they have just said.
You have to turn the TV sound up which may be too loud for others in the room.
You find it difficult to hear high frequency sounds in music or low frequency sounds.

To treat this type of hearing loss a Hearing Aid is usually recommended. If your hearing loss has progressed so that a Hearing Aid would be necessary it must be understood that no Aid will ever replace normal hearing in all situations. Before choosing the most suitable Hearing Aid, a hearing test should be undertaken to decide the particular difficulties you are experiencing. The Aid can then be programmed to overcome particular hearing loss areas. You will also need time to get used to the Hearing Aid as it may dramatically change what you are used to hearing. Read more…

Hearing Aids Revolutionize the Life of the Hard of Hearing Population

Technological innovations in every field have impacted the life of those people including those who are hard of hearing. Only a few years ago, it was not possible for hard of hearing people, especially those with severe hearing loss, to hear but a faint word. Everyone has heard of hearing aids, but exactly how do they work? And scientist’s essentially, digital hearing aids are made up of one or more microphones, a computer chip called a digital signal processor, and a receiver that amplifies the sounds to the ear drum. A little know secret in the hearing aid industry, is that many components in various hearing aid companies hearing aids come from the same component manufacturer, so in many cases, the only difference between the hearing aids from one manufacturer versus the other is just how they assemble the components and how they program the digital signal processing chip. Read more…

Hearing Aids – 5 Ways to Avoid Getting Ripped Off

In every profession there are, unfortunately, people who will try to take advantage and rip you off. While the vast majority of the professionals in the hearing aid world are fantastic, there are always exceptions to the rule. Below are five ways that you can do so that you can avoid getting ripped off:

1) Overpaying. This is probably the most common mistake. We have heard the horror stories of people paying $8,000 or more for a pair of hearing aids. One of the ways you can avoid this, is to simply tell the specialist that you want to think about hearing aids before you buy them and then go shopping around. They shouldn’t have a problem with you doing that. Ask them for how much they will sell you the aid and what’s included such as warranty, return privilege, return fees, loss and damage fees, service fees, etc. Be specific as to the make and model so you can make certain you’re comparing apples to apples.

2) Buying More Hearing Aid Than Necessary – Some offices only seem to tell you about the latest, most advanced hearing devices on the market. They don’t mention that in many cases these products are more hearing instrument technology than you really need. Sometimes your lifestyle or hearing loss is such that you will not benefit any more from the most advanced hearing aid circuitry than something less advanced. Most offices allow trial periods on hearing devices. Unless you just know you want the top of the line, try hearing aids a step or two down first. Then, if you feel you still need more help, you can upgrade. Make sure they give you a new trial period!

3) Not Buying a Good Enough Hearing Aid – Just as buying top of line is not always best, buying a bottom of line hearing aid can also be a mistake. Often it would be well worth a couple of hundred dollars extra to buy a hearing aid more suitable to your needs. It will make your hearing aid experience, and your life, much better.

Read more…

Bluetooth and Hearing Aids

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that connects electronic devices to transfer information. For hearing aids this means that you can finally connect directly with your cell phone, television, computer, iPod, or any other Bluetooth enabled device. This means that you can hear your TV or cell phone as if you were directly wired to them without any sort of background interference. While its not a necessary option, it is very nice and extremely convenient – especially in the car.

The connection is accomplished by using a another piece of equipment to link the cellphone to the hearing aids. These devices are generally worn around the neck, but a few manufacturers have designed devices that you can carry in your pocket. The device that you wear around your neck has a microphone in it so that you can talk on the phone. The wire around your neck is what sends the sound to the hearing aid.

Depending on your lifestyle, Bluetooth may be a great option for you. If you talk on your cell phone a lot, it will be a great option for you. If you don’t need Bluetooth for the cellphone, you probably don’t need it for other things like TV or iPods. For many patients the extra equipment is a little overwhelming and many do well on the TV and Cell phone without Bluetooth. Bluetooth is simply for connection to other devices only and doesnt make the hearing aids any louder, but it is a nice convenience factor if you spend a lot of time on the cell phone.

Read more…

The Best Hearing Aids?

Hearing Aids have advanced tremendously even since just a few years ago and there are even more options now than ever! How do you know which ones are the best though? Your friend told you that they love their hearing aid, but the office you went to suggested another type and another one of your friends is wearing yet a different type altogether. If you go to the manufacturer’s websites they willl all claim that theirs is the best.

With so many different opinions, it’s difficult for you to decide what to buy. The best hearing instrument for you is one that is within your budget, helps you hear as well as possible, and is comfortable to wear. Brands and technology don’t matter as much as your own preferences. If a hearing aid has the most amazing technology available, but you won’t wear it because it looks horrible or you can’t stand the way it sounds, that hearing aid is no good for you! If you can’t afford it, then it’s no good either. A hearing professional will guide you to the hearing device that best meets your hearing needs and fits within your lifestyle.

The real decision is not what hearing aid to buy, but where to buy it. There are 4 types of places where you can buy hearing instruments: Private Practice Hearing Professionals (Audiologists and Hearing Aid Specialists), Online companies such as AidRight.com, ENT Physicians, and Chain stores like Miracle Ear and Beltone.

Private Practice Hearing Professionals:
1. Usually they are the best trained and most experienced.
2. They generally carry a wide variety of hearing aids from different manufacturers.
3. Prices are more reasonable as a rule.
4. More customer service oriented, you are usually dealing with the owner.

Read more…

Buying a Hearing Aid – Have You Thought it Through?

Before you consider buying a Hearing Aid it is most important that you have been assessed by your GP and taken a hearing test. A hearing test will determine if your hearing loss is mild or profound, which can help decide the type of Aid most suitable.

Before purchasing any Aid you should consider the following factors:-

How severe is your hearing loss in both level of sound and at which frequencies.

To determine the exact hearing loss characteristics a hearing test is advisable by an Audiologist who will produce an audiogram of your hearing. A great deal will depend on the type of lifestyle the wearer will be using the Aid for. Elderly people generally want to be able to hear conversations better without interference around them, whereas musicians would want to be able to hear a wide range of frequencies especially the high notes. Read more…