Tips & Tricks when Considering Hearing Aids
Shopping has never been easier. With big retailers offering great prices with next-day, and in some cases, same-day delivery with the click of a button, it brings a whole new dynamic when considering hearing aids.
Unlike many products, however, successfully purchasing a hearing aid requires several considerations. Their are many avenues nowadays that offer enormous savings potential in regards to time and money, but it is imperative that these savings do not come at the expense of quality, value and professional care. A hearing aid should always be serviced by an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist after a thorough diagnosis of your hearing loss. The following will illustrate considerations to be made before you buy hearing aids.
Make Sure the Hearing Aids come with Professional Care
The customization of a hearing aid is detailed and exact. Characteristics of a hearing aid, that vary significantly from one person to the next, include form factor (design), receiver strength, prescribed programming, and necessary adjustments. There are even cases in which a silicone cast of the ear must be made to ensure a proper fit. Do not take this important investment lightly: be sure that the hearing aid retailer integrates an audiologist or board-certified hearing instrument specialist (BC_HIS) into your unique hearing health plan, in order to ensure that your specific needs are met. Without professional care, a hearing aid is no better than a simple “widget.”
When buying hearing aids, be sure that the company offers personalized care, whereby the hearing aids are adjusted programmed specifically to your unique Audiogram and all follow up adjustments, repairs and counseling are included with the purchase.
Receive a Hearing Test before Purchasing Hearing Aids
The programming of your hearing aids will only be as good as your test results and the professional who programs them. Audiologists, Hearing Instrument Specialists, or Otolaryngologist (an ear, nose, and throat doctor, or ENT) are trained to thoroughly examine your hearing profile and diagnose your hearing loss, so be sure to provide them with a quality Audiogram. Due to advancements in technology, there are new methods to retrieve an Audiogram remotely. For instance, we utilize a clinically validated tablet audiometer with calibrated headphones, so customers without a test can simply use this device free of charge. Upon receipt of your hearing test results the Doctor of Audiology will then recommend next steps for your hearing health, which can often, but not always, be hearing aids
Our ears and the hearing organs are complex systems that can be compromised or damaged with carelessness. Hearing aids are designed to balance or fix a specific area of concern. One hearing aid to cure all hearing loss does not exist, so be sure to attain an Audiogram and ensure that professional assessment is included with any purchase.
Buying Hearing Aids is not a Quick Fix
Like other medical processes, it will be necessary to have periodic check-ups to ensure your hearing aids are working properly. If you find a great deal on hearing hearings, be sure that the retailer includes all follow up care. If no follow up care is available, you have disconnected yourself from a hearing healthcare professional that you will need to utilize if or when anything goes wrong. Beyond traditional in-person care, hearing aid manufacturers have recently designed and implemented remote programming applications that are allowing for remote hearing care services. Be sure that the company you choose offers local office visits or remote visits.
Adapting to hearing aids is not a quick fix. It is a process that takes time and needs the guiding hand of a professional. If it begins to make strange noises or you begin hearing sounds too loudly or it quickly becomes uncomfortable, these are instances when your hearing doctor would step in to adjust your fitting.
Visit with a Hearing Aid Professional
A simple consideration to be made is that if it’s too convenient, it’s probably too good to be true. You do not want to disconnect yourself from a hearing healthcare professional and all of the information and support they have to offer. At FitHearing, we have developed the most convenient, cost-effective solutions online, so we can offer you an exceptional online price and connect you with a Doctor of Audiology. Be they an audiologist, ENT, or BC-HIS, there is a wellspring of knowledge available to you—all you have to do is visit your hearing healthcare provider to get on the right track.
