The numbers don’t lie: you will probably require hearing aids eventually. A study from NIDCD states that about a quarter of all people from 60 to 75 have some kind of loss of hearing, and that number jumps up to 50% for people 75 and older. The best way to combat age-related loss of hearing is to wear a hearing aid, but how can you discover which style is the right one for you? Advances in technology over the years have resolved some of the problems usually associated with hearing aids, including an excessive amount of background noise and vulnerability to water damage. But to ensure that your choice of hearing aid is right for you, there are still things you need to consider.
Pay Attention to Directionality
One crucial attribute you need to pay attention to in a hearing aid is directionality, which has the ability to keep background noise to a minimum while focusing in on sound you want to hear including conversations. One, or both, of two types of directionality systems are operating inside most hearing aids, they either focus 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 obvious, we’re addicted to our cellphone as a country. Even if you don’t have a smartphone, it’s likely you have an old-style cell phone. And for those 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 should test how they work with your phone. What is the sound like? Do voices sound clear? Does it feel easy to wear? Are there any Bluetooth connection options available? When looking at new hearing aids, you need to take into consideration all of these.
Are You Likely to Wear it?
In the last few years, as noted above, the technology of hearing aids has vastly improved. One of those advances has been the size and shape of hearing aids, which have moved towards the smaller and more comfortable path. But there are certainly pros and cons. It is dependant on what your particular needs are. A smaller hearing aid is not as obvious and may fit better but a larger one could be more powerful. You can get a hearing aid that fits right in your ear canal and is all but invisible, but it won’t have many of the functions available in larger hearing aids and can sometimes be prone to earwax clogs. On the other hand, better directionality features and more advanced sound amplification choices come with a behind the ear hearing aid even though it’s a little bit larger.
Exposure to Particular Background Noises
Wind noise has been an extreme difficulty for hearing aid users ever since they were invented. Being outside on a windy day with a traditional hearing aid used to mean that you couldn’t hear anything except the wind, which is could drive anyone crazy. If you’re an outdoors kind of person or you live in a windy place, you’ll want to find a hearing aid that suppresses wind noise so you can carry on conversations at an average volume and steer clear of the headaches that are associated with hearing aid wind noises. Inform yourself about the many different hearing aid options available to you. Call us.