Last month, AARP bulletin featured an article titled "Buying a Hearing Aid". They described different styles of hearing aids, listed pros/cons of each and even listed a price range per style. The article also went on to give 10 Tips for purchasing hearing aids. Here are just a few of the helpful tips they suggested and our thoughts about them:
#1 Don't go it alone. Hearing HealthCare Centers always suggests bringing someone with you to your hearing evaluation/consult. After your hearing test, we take time to explain your audiogram and how the results effect your hearing. If appropriate, we will also discuss amplification. There is a lot of information going around and for someone new to hearing/hearing loss, it can be overwhelming. We like to tell patients that "four ears are better than two"
#2 Interview a provider. Simply wearing hearing aids won't "correct" your hearing. The brain processes hearing very differently than other senses. Hearing professionals are trained to help you have the best experience you can with your hearing aids. There are many adjustments that can be made to the aid itself as well as to the programming to help you get the most benefit from your hearing aids. You'll be working with these hearing professionals for as long as you wear hearing aids, so it is important to work with someone who's abilities you trust.
#4 Have your hearing tested. It is important for the hearing professional to know what your hearing loss looks like. It helps us determine the technology and at times, the style of hearing aid that we recommend for your hearing loss. We get calls all the time from people asking for the price of hearing aids. It's not as simple as naming a price, so much more goes into fitting hearing aids. A hearing evaluation is valid for 6 months. If you get your hearing tested, ask for a copy. Any hearing professional can read at a valid hearing test and along with your history and priorities, make a recommendation.
# 5 Try before you buy. With today's technology, we can now fit a patient with non-custom hearing aids to demo. In the past, patients would purchase the aids, wait approximately 2 weeks and then be fitted with them. Now, patients can experience hearing aids the same day they are tested. We can also arrange an extended demonstration so patients can try hearing aids in their everyday environments and not just in the controlled setting of the office.
Entering the world of hearing loss and hearing aids can be overwhelming. Remember that you are not alone in gathering information. Hearing HealthCare Centers offers free baseline hearing screenings and consultations. We are here to help! Come visit us in either of our convenient locations. Please call Longmont (303) 776-8748 or Boulder (303) 499-3900 to schedule an appointment.
There are six more helpful tips to "Buying a Hearing Aid". For the complete article, you can visit http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-05-2011/getting-the-right-hearing-aid.html
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