The numbers don’t lie: at some point in your life, you’re most likely going to require a hearing aid. A report from NIDCD estimates that around a quarter of all people between the ages of 60 and 75 have some kind of loss of hearing, and that figure goes up to 50% for those 75 and older. But how can you be certain which model is correct for you when you recognize it’s your best chance of combating loss of hearing? Hearing aids used to have problems such as susceptibility to water damage and excessive background noise but modern hearing aids have solved these types of issues. But to ensure that your choice of hearing aid is right for you, there are still things you need to consider.
Look Closely at 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 noise you want to hear such as conversations. Most hearing aids have different directionality packages, which either focus on the sound directly in front of you, the sound that’s coming from different speakers, or a combination of those two.
Can You Use it With Your Phone?
It’s become apparent, we’re addicted to our phone as a nation. 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 own a cell phone, you probably still have a land-line. So, when you’re testing different hearing aids, you should test how they connect to your phone. What does it sound like? Do voices sound clear? Does it feel comfortable? Are there any Bluetooth connection options available? When looking at new hearing aids, you need to consider all of these.
Are You Inclined to Use it?
In the past few years, as mentioned above, the technology of hearing aids has vastly improved. One of those advances has been the size and shape of hearing aids, which are much smaller today. Nevertheless, there are always going to be some trade-offs. It depends on what your specific needs are. A smaller hearing aid isn’t as obvious and may fit better but a larger one may 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 features available in larger hearing aids and can sometimes be prone to earwax clogs. On the other side of it, better directionality functions and more sophisticated sound amplification choices come with a behind the ear hearing aid even though it’s a little larger.
What Type of Background Noise Will You be Exposed to?
Wind noise has been an extreme difficulty for hearing aid users ever since they were developed. It could have driven anyone crazy to go out on a windy day and hear nothing except the wind. If you’re an outdoors person or you live in a windy place, you’ll want to find a hearing aid that suppresses wind noise so you can have conversations at a normal volume and steer clear of the headaches that are linked to hearing aid wind noises. Looking for more information about how to pick the correct hearing aid? Get in touch with us.