3 Things to Consider When Buying Hearing Aids

There is a huge amount of choice on the hearing aid market these days. And let’s be clear – when you visit your audiologist for the first time, that choice can be bewildering and confusing. To help you make the right selection, we have broken down the hearing aid basics into three distinct parts, to ensure you know what to look for and ask for your audiologist. Let’s take a look at style, features, and the lifestyle and hearing loss needs for buying hearing aids.

Style

Not everyone is thrilled by the prospect of wearing a hearing aid for the first time. Despite a hearing aid’s ability to improve your lifestyle by a significant amount, the truth is that many people are embarrassed by them – especially those who lose their hearing when young. However, the reality is that not all hearing aids are visible, and by speaking with your audiologist you may find that some fit comfortably in your ear without any danger of being noticed by other people. There is an element of expense, of course – but there are definitely style-focused solutions available for the self-conscious hearing aid wearer.

Features

In general terms, the higher number of features you need, the more expensive your hearing aid will be. With this in mind, it’s important to talk to your audiologist about your genuine needs, rather than simply choosing and all-singing all-dancing aid. For example, some of the latest hearing aids have Bluetooth technology that you can use to watch TV, but if you don’t watch a lot, then you have to question whether or not this is really worth the extra expense. Similarly, there are hearing aids available for people who work out a lot, but if you don’t plan to exercise often, is the extra expense worth it? Overall, it’s best to focus on the features that you need and try to avoid thinking about the cost. It’s the big differences that your hearing aid can make to your life that are important – not necessarily the price in the shop window.

Lifestyle and hearing loss needs

Unfortunately, not every hearing aid will work for your particular hearing loss problems. Everyone is unique, and there are aids built to meet a variety of needs and levels of hearing loss. You also need to take into account your lifestyle requirements. If you enjoy being sociable, for example, you may need to consider a different hearing aid to someone who enjoys a sporty lifestyle. Similarly, if you enjoy traveling the world to exotic locations, your audiologist may suggest that you get a hearing aid equipped with dust-proof and water-resistant features. Ultimately, it’s a good idea to write down all your lifestyle needs before seeing your audiologist, and then try and find a solution that covers your level of hearing loss.

The best possible advice to give anyone getting a hearing aid for the first time is to not focus on price alone. While it’s possible to spend a lot of money on hearing aids, the key takeaway is that the lifestyle improvement the right model with the right features can have could be extraordinary.