How to Get The Most Out of Your Hearing Aids

A car isn’t really an impulse buy (unless you’re very, very wealthy). So a lot of research is most likely the first thing you do. You have a good look at things such as gas mileage, overall price, and customer reviews. (You’re on Google a lot.) This amount of research is logical! You’re about to drop tens of thousands of dollars on something and spend years paying for it (unless, again, you are very rich). So you want to make certain your investment is well spent.

You’ll be considering how your purchase best fits your lifestyle and also practical things like safety, gas mileage, etc. What type of vehicle do you enjoy? Do you need a lot of space to carry things around? How fast do you want your car to be?

Put another way, to get the most from your new car, you need to examine your options and make some choices. And that’s the same mindset you should take when selecting your hearing aids. They’re still an investment although they cost much less than a new car. Identifying which device will fit your lifestyle best and which device works best overall, is the best way to get the most out of your investment.

Hearing aid advantages

In exactly the same way that you can talk about the benefits of a car in very general terms, you can also discuss the benefits of hearing aids in a similarly broad way. Hearing aids are a wonderful investment!

The advantages of hearing aids, for most individuals, are more tangible than merely helping you hear. Staying involved with your friends and family will be much easier with a good set of hearing aids. You’ll have an easier time chatting with the clerk at the pharmacy, listening to a story about dinosaurs over dinner with your grandchildren, and engaging in conversations with friends.

With all these benefits, it stands to reason that you’d begin to ask, “How can I make my hearing aids last longer?” You want to keep those benefits coming!

Are higher quality hearing aids always more expensive?

There might be some individuals out there who would presume that the most effective way to make your hearing aid work better and last longer is to just purchase the most expensive device they can.

And, to be sure, hearing aids are an investment. There’s a reason why some devices are expensive in the first place:

• Hearing aids are made to include very advanced technologies, and they have to make those technologies as tiny as possible. So the package you’re paying for is very technologically potent.
• They’re made to be long-lasting. Especially if you take care of them.

But that doesn’t mean the most costly option will inevitably work best. How severe your hearing loss is and, obviously, what you can afford are a couple of the factors to think about. Do some hearing aids last longer than others? Of Course! But the price of the device isn’t always the deciding variable.

In order to keep your hearing aids in good working order, as with any other investment, they will need routine care and maintenance. What’s more, your hearing aids will have to be calibrated to your ears and adjusted for your unique level of hearing loss.

Make sure you get the right hearing aids for you

What choices do you have? You’ll be able to pick from several different styles and types. You can work with us to determine which ones are ideal for you and your hearing goals. Here are the options you will have to pick from:

• Completely-in-the-Canal Hearing Aids (CIC): These types of hearing aids can provide high-quality sound and are generally quite discrete (perfect for people who want to hide their hearing aids). But with this kind of hearing aid, battery life, and overall lifespan tends to be shorter. The small size also means you won’t get some of the most sophisticated features.
• In-the-Canal Hearing Aids (ITC): These hearing aids are custom molded to your ear canal, which makes them mostly discrete. They will often include more high-tech functions being slightly larger than CIC models. Some of these functions can be a little tricky to adjust by hand (because the devices are still rather small). If you want your hearing aid to be discrete but also include some advanced features, this style will be appropriate.
• In-the-Ear Hearing Aids: These devices are also molded to your ears. No part of the hearing aid sits inside your ear canal, it all fits in your outer ear. Two styles are available (full shell, which fits the entirety of your ear, or half shell, which fits in the lower ear). If you have complex hearing problems or need more powerful noise control, the more sophisticated technology and larger microphones will make these hearing aids a great option.
• Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids (BTE): The speaker of this device fits in your ear and the more bulky electronic part goes behind your ear making them the best of both worlds in a way. The little tube that connects the two elements is still pretty discrete. These hearing aids offer many amplification solutions making them quite popular. These kinds are a great compromise between visibility and power.
• Receiving-in-the-Canal (or in the Ear) Hearing Aids (RIC or RITE): This is much like BTE hearing aids, except the speaker part fits in the ear canal. This makes them even less visible, with the additional advantage of decreasing things like wind noise.
• Open-Fit Hearing Aids: Open-fit hearing aids will let low-frequency sounds enter the ear even while you’re hearing the device. If you have difficulty hearing higher frequencies but low-frequencies aren’t really a problem, these hearing aids will be a great fit for you. Though it works well for many individuals, it won’t be a good option for everyone.

What about over-the-counter hearing aids?

Over-the-counter hearing aids (or OTC hearing aids, to keep flooding you with acronyms) are yet another alternative to think about. OTC hearing aids work fine in general, much like OTC medications. But it’s likely that OTC hearing aids won’t have the power you need if your hearing loss is more advanced or complex. Prescription hearing aids can be calibrated to your specific hearing needs which is an option generally not available with OTC hearing aids.

The best way to figure out what type of hearing aid will be best for you, you should consult with us.

Repair and maintenance

After you choose the best hearing aid for your hearing needs, taking care of it is crucial. Just like your car needs oil changes once in a while.

So, now you’re thinking: how frequently should my hearing aids be assessed? Generally, you should schedule a regular maintenance and cleaning appointment for your hearing aids every six-to-twelve months. By doing this you can be sure everything is in good working condition.

You should also get familiar with your warranty. You will save some cash when you are aware of what is and isn’t covered. So now you’re wondering: how do I make my hearing aids last longer? The answer is sometimes simple: good upkeep and a strong warranty.

Is there a hearing aid that’s the best?

There isn’t a single best all-time hearing aid. Every hearing specialist may have a different model that they feel is the best.

Which hearing aids fit your hearing loss requirements will be the ones that are best for you. Some families will go for a minivan, others for an SUV. The same goes with hearing aids, it just depends on your specific situation.

But the more you know beforehand and the better informed you are, the easier it will be to get the hearing aids that are perfect for you. Schedule a hearing test with us today!