The numbers don’t lie: at some point in your life, you’re more than likely going to require a hearing aid. A quarter of all people between 60 and 75, according to an NIDCD report, have hearing loss and for individuals over 75 this number increases to 50%. The best means to combat age-related loss of hearing is to use a hearing aid, but how can you be sure which style is the right one for you? Advancements in technology over the years have corrected some of the issues usually linked to hearing aids, including too much background noise and susceptibility to water damage. But there’s still a great deal you need to know when selecting a hearing aid to make sure it fits your lifestyle.
Directionality is a Key Feature
One critical attribute you need to pay attention to in a hearing aid is directionality, which has the capability of keeping background noise down while focusing in on sound you want to hear such as conversations. Most hearing aids have different directionality systems, which either focus on the sound directly in front of you, the sound that’s coming from different speakers, or a mix of both.
Can You Use it With Your Phone?
As a country, we’re addicted to our phones. Even if you don’t have a smartphone, chances are you have a flip phone. And for the few who don’t actually have a cell phone, you probably still have a land-line. So, the way your hearing aid works with your phone is an important consideration when you’re shopping for hearing aids. What is the sound like? Do voices sound sharp? Is it Comfortable? Is it Bluetooth Ready? When shopping for new hearing aids, you need to consider all of these.
What is The Likelihood You Would Actually Wear it?
As mentioned above, hearing aid technology has progressed tremendously over the last few years. One of those advances has been the size and shape of hearing aids, which are a great deal smaller nowadays. But there are definitely pros and cons. It is dependant on what your particular needs are. A smaller hearing aid isn’t as obvious and might fit better but a larger one could be more powerful. You can get a hearing aid that fits directly in your ear canal and is basically invisible, but it won’t have many of the functions 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 might be more obvious, but often have more directionality features and have more choices for sound amplification.
Exposure to Particular Background Noises
Wind noise has been an extreme problem for hearing aid users since they were invented. Being outside on a windy day with a traditional hearing aid once meant that you couldn’t hear anything but the wind, which is could drive anyone insane. 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 are free from that annoying wind howl. Looking for more information about how to choose the right hearing aid? Call us.