How To Find The Hearing Aid Thats Right For You
Hearing aids come in several shapes, sizes, and tones, according to Mayo Clinic. They can be Bluetooth compatible, filter out background noises, and be inserted within or behind the ear.
âSome patients who are very active prefer a completely-in-the-canal style aid,â Lockhart says. âOthers prefer the great cosmetic and connectivity options of a receiver-in-canal style.â
In-the-canal hearing aids go completely in the ear, while receiver-in-canal hearing aids are attached to a thin wire and speaker, Mayo Clinic reports.
According to Lockhart, things your audiologist will consider when recommending hearing aids include:
- Where you have most trouble hearing
- Lifestyle
- Your manual dexterity, which is your skill with using your hands
- Technological preferences
- Financial concerns like insurance, trial periods, warranties, and return policies
âI would recommend that someone come along with you to that visit,â Lockhart says. âA lot of information will be shared and decisions made and itâs a great idea to have a significant other, family member, or close friend there to be an extra pair of ears.â
How Do I Know If Hearing Aids Work For Me
It takes time and patience to get used to hearing aids. You should wear your aids regularly to help you maximize the benefits of your hearing aids. Get familiar with your hearing aids and their features. Practice putting the hearing aids in and taking them out. Learn to adjust the volume in different listening environments. Test your aids in various listening environments and determine where you have problems hearing. The FDA recommends talking to a hearing healthcare professional about any problems hearing with your aids, and have changes made to your hearing aid settings if necessary. We recommend that you work with a hearing healthcare professional until you are comfortable and satisfied with your hearing aids.
Evaluation For Hearing Aids
There are several steps that are part of a hearing aid evaluation. If you suspect that you might need a hearing aid, you will first need to have a hearing evaluation. At the time of the hearing evaluation, a case history will be taken to determine how much your hearing problem impacts your day-to-day life as well as the lives of your family. You may also have to provide some basic questions about your general health history.
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What Is A Hearing Evaluation
When you come to a UW Health audiology clinic for a hearing evaluation, there are certain things that you can expect. We will take the time to obtain a comprehensive hearing case history to determine how long you have been having trouble, if one or both ears are affected and if you have symptoms other than hearing loss .
How Hoffmann Audiology Recommends The Perfect Hearing Aids For You
During the hearing aid evaluation, Dr. Hoffmann helps you select the best hearing aids for your hearing loss, your lifestyle, and your budget. During the appointment, you can examine different styles of hearing aids and can even try them out in the office. Some features and styles of hearing aid may be more appropriate for your particular occupations and hobbies, so make sure to explore different hearing aids before selecting yours.
Once you have made the decision, Dr. Hoffmann will take physical measurements of your ears and make ear impressions if required for your style of hearing aid. She also will program your hearing aids to meet your unique hearing requirements, make adjustments to ensure the best listening experience, and ensure that you are completely comfortable with the use and care of your new hearing aids.
Want a recommendation for hearing aids or need help selecting the right hearing aids for you? Call us at to schedule an appointment with Dr. Chris Hoffmann today!
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One Or Two Hearing Aids
When a person has hearing loss in both ears that can be helped with hearing aids, research has shown that two hearing aids provide superior benefits for sound quality1, understanding words in quiet2, and noisy places3. Research has also shown that when both ears are hearing aids candidates, but only one hearing aid is used, the other ears word understanding ability may deteriorate more than the fitted ear over time. Your audiologist will inform you if you are a candidate for one or two hearing aids4.
Contact Bay Area Audiology Today For Your Hearing Aid
If you are concerned about hearing loss or seeking hearing evaluations, tinnitus evaluations, or hearing aid assistance, our doctors are ready to help. We are passionate about helping all of our patients improve their quality of life through better hearing. We also believe that patient education is critical, so you wont be lead through endless sales pitches at our office. If you are interested in hearing how we can help you hear even better, contact us at 838-4327 or online. For more hearing tips and articles, follow Bay Area Audiology on ,,+,, and.
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Five Elements Of A Properly Fitted Hearing Aid
Bluetooth Hearing Aids And Wireless Connectivity
In the near future, a hearing aid most likely wont be considered a true full-function hearing aid if it fails to connect easily and seamlessly with the outside world through a variety of wireless options. Most manufacturers offer Made-for-iPhone hearing aids that enable wireless streaming of audio and phone calls from the iPhone. And others are starting to offer Made-for-Android hearing aids that provide the same capabilities with Android phones, which account for more than 80 percent of smartphones sold worldwide.
Phonak, the largest hearing aid manufacturer, has introduced universal Bluetooth compatibility with new hearing aids that allow you to make and receive wireless calls with any Bluetooth-enabled phone. They also pair with the millions of other Bluetooth-enabled electronic devices available today.
At the same time, makers of premium hearing aids have also long offered proprietary wireless accessories, including devices that stream audio from the TV and from MP3 players, and clip-on or table-top microphones that provide transmission of clear audio to hearing aids. These propriety solutions utilize 2.4 GHz transmission technologies and often require an intermediary streamer to transmit audio signals to the hearing aids. But they also provide high-quality sound, which can be a big help to people with severe hearing loss.
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Getting The Most From Your Appointment
At your appointment, you should be prepared to talk about all of the issues you have with your hearing and whether you also experience any other problems associated with hearing loss . Its important to talk openly about the different situations where you find it difficult to hear clearly .
It might be useful to take someone else with you to this appointment. There is often a lot to remember and two heads are better than one!
Why Would I Need A Hearing Test
Some people may suspect that they have hearing loss. They have trouble hearing people talk to them when theyâre in a crowded room, or theyâve been told they raise the volume on the TV way too high.
But not all people know that they have a problem. You may not realize that you have hearing loss, because itâs often a gradual process. Thatâs why itâs important to have your ears checked when your doctor says you should, even if you think youâre fine.
There are many causes of hearing loss in adults:
- Taking certain drugs
- Problems with hearing that run in the family
Older adults who donât do anything to address their hearing loss are more likely to feel left out of social events that theyâd normally enjoy, because they canât hear whatâs happening. They might even stop seeing their friends or family as often because theyâre embarrassed that they canât hear well. Isolation makes people more likely to become depressed, unless they get help for their hearing loss. Learn more about the different types of hearing loss tests and what you can expect from each.
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What An Audiogram Looks Like
Your results will be plotted in decibels of hearing threshold level . These units are unique to hearing testing but are based on the perception of sound pressure levels across all frequencies. For each tone you heard during the test, there will be a mark on the audiogram at the appropriate decibel level. Each ear is plotted separately and represented by two different lines. The lines may be quite similar and follow the same pattern or they may be very different.
Hearing loss is measured in decibels and in the following categories:
- Normal hearing
- Mild hearing loss
- Moderate hearing loss
- Severe hearing loss
- Profound hearing loss
Although some people talk about hearing loss in terms of percentage, it is not an appropriate or meaningful measure of hearing loss. It is very common to have more hearing loss at some frequencies than for others, so the percentage of hearing loss would be different at each test frequency, making it virtually meaningless when describing the overall hearing loss or determining a course of treatment. In a clinical setting, hearing loss is not described in percentages. However, it can be expressed in percentages for specific legal situations. In these cases decibels of hearing loss are converted using a recognized formula to create a “percentage of hearing loss” for legal purposes.
Fully Licensed And Certified Audiologists
Certified Hearing Aid & Audiology Associates, affiliated with ENT and Allergy Specialists, is staffed by fully licensed, certified and dedicated audiologists. Since 1985 the audiologists of Certified Hearing Aid & Audiology Associates have served the Northern Kentucky Region and Greater Cincinnati Region with the latest technology available for diagnosing and rehabilitating hearing deficits well be there when you need us!
The audiology staff of Certified Hearing Aid & Audiology Associates are very experienced, and utilize the latest technology to analyze complex hearing problems. We fit the latest technology in hearing instruments, and work with you beyond the initial fitting of a hearing aid in the tuning and rehabilitation of hearing problems.
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How Do I Care For My Hearing Aids
- Proper maintenance and care is important in extending the life of your hearing aids.
- Avoid using solvents, alcohol, or water on hearing aids because they can cause damage to the internal electronics of the hearing aid.
- Avoid exposing hearing aids to heat because this can damage them. For example, leaving them in sun or in the car, placing them in or near a microwave or conventional oven, or using a hair dryer on them.
- Clean hearing aids as instructed. Earwax and ear drainage can damage your aids.
- Avoid using hairspray and other hair care products while wearing your hearing aids.
- Turn off your hearing aids when not in use.
- Replace dead batteries immediately.
- Keep batteries and hearing aids away from children and pets.
- We recommend visiting a hearing healthcare professional on a regular basis to have your hearing aids inspected.
Completely In The Canal Hearing Aids
CIC hearing aids sit more deeply in the earcanal and are almost invisible. They are best for mild-to-moderate hearing loss and are popular with consumers concerned about appearance and stigma. Because of their small size they often lack features in larger models, such as directional microphones and wireless streaming, and some consumers find it difficult to change their small batteries.
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The Questions May Include Things Like:
- What kind of job do you have? Is it a noisy environment? Is it physical? Do you communicate with people a lot during the day?
- Whats your lifestyle like, outside of work? Do you go to the gym? Do you have any hobbies or activities that are physically demanding?
- What kind of lifestyle do you have verbally speaking? Do you go to sporting events and sit in large crowds? Do you like to travel? What kind of household do you have, i.e., how many children do you have?
The Hearing Aid Fitting
When a final decision is reached, an impression of your ear may be taken and sent to the hearing aid lab to create an aid specifically for you. Some styles of hearing aids are non-custom and do not require a mold. The hearing aids will be personally set for you during the hearing aid fitting. You will also be counseled on how to care for the aids as well as what to expect while using them over the next week.
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Ask For A Hearing Test Or Screening
Hearing aid evaluations include several steps, yet the first and most important is a test. Without screening, its difficult to tell whether you require hearing assistance. If you do, your audiologist needs to understand the level of hearing loss. This allows them to equip you with a high-quality hearing aid thats tailored to your individual needs.
A basic screening includes questions regarding your day to day life. So, you can expect inquiries about when and where the issues started, the regularity and how much the problems affect your lifestyle. This, along with questions about your medical past, is known as taking a complete case history. Its crucial that you answer as truthfully as possible, as your responses help form the foundation of your evaluation. Anyone unsure about their medical history can obtain a copy from their doctor before attending an assessment.
The audiologist will plot the results of your screening on an audiogram to highlight which pitches and frequencies you struggle with and to decide whether a device is necessary.
What To Expect During The Test
The whole process should take about 30 minutes, and itâs painless.
Most adults who get hearing tests are asked to wear earphones and listen to short tones that are played at different volumes and pitches into one ear at a time. Whether or not you can hear each sound shows whether or not you can hear high-pitched or low-pitched sounds, quiet or loud sounds, and whether your left or right ear has hearing loss.
During some hearing tests, you may also be asked to listen to speech at different volumes, which will be played into one ear at a time. The voices will be played quietly through your earphones, and youâll be asked to repeat what words were just said. This test is done in a soundproof room, since some people have trouble hearing voices when thereâs background noise.
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Creating A Treatment Plan
When the patient has decided which hearing aid style is best for them, you can begin a treatment plan. In this step, you talk about arranging the hearing aid to be delivered and work out a suitable time for fitting. You will also need to discuss aftercare factors, as well as any expectations that both you and the patient have regarding the use of the hearing aid.
The treatment plan will also include information about getting used to the hearing aid and how to look after it. Audiologists should also ensure that they encourage regular checkups, especially at first, as the patient gets used to using the hearing aid. This also gives you the chance to make any changes to enhance the overall experience.
Learning About Hearing Aids
The hearing aid evaluation contains a lot of important information about hearing aids and hearing loss. The audiologist will go over expectations for first time hearing aid users. This includes how hearing aids enhance social situations and the best way to adjust to hearing the world around you again.
Maintenance and cleaning will also be discussed, along with any warranty information that needs to be disclosed. All of this can seem a bit much at first, but the patient never loses control of their choices in the matter. They will make the decision on which of the hearing aids work best, and which features are the most appealing. To ensure the device ordered from the manufacturer is the best-suited hearing aid for the patient, the audiologist will also take into consideration their aesthetic and lifestyle wants. This includes brand, colors, styles and even accessories.
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What Questions Should I Ask Before Buying Hearing Aids
Before you buy a hearing aid, consider asking a hearing healthcare professional these questions:
- Which type and style of hearing aids would most meet my needs?
- What special features do my hearing aids need to have to fit my lifestyle?
- Will I need one or two hearing aids?
- What is the total cost of the hearing aids?
- Do the benefits of newer technologies outweigh the higher costs?
- Is there a trial or adjustment period for me to try out the hearing aids?
- What fees are nonrefundable if I return the hearing aids after the trial/adjustment period?
- How long is the warranty? Can it be extended?
- What is covered during the period of warranty? Does the warranty cover future maintenance and repairs? Will loaner aids be provided when repairs are needed?
- How should I care for my hearing aids?