How to Select the Right Hearing Aids for You

When diagnosing and treating hearing loss, a good hearing aid is one of the most common recommendations an audiologist will make, purely for the reason that they are as effective as you would hope. But what goes into picking the right hearing aid for you? Here are a few things to take into consideration when making your choice.

Consider the different types

There’s a wide range of different shapes and styles of hearing aids, from larger outside the ear devices to the much more compact invisible in the canal devices. Your level and type of hearing loss may play one of the most important deciding roles on which is best suited to your needs, as some are known to be less effective with higher severities. Otherwise, aesthetics, discretion, and comfort will all likely play a part in your decision.

Choose the best fit for your lifestyle

Your choice of hearing aid may also boil down, in some part, to the kind of environments you’re expected to spend your time in. Someone who spends a lot of time alone will need a different kind of amplification than someone who works in a busy environment surrounded by people. Certain features may also be more beneficial to those in certain environments, as well. For instance, wind noise reduction is likely to be much more useful to someone who regularly spends time outside than those who don’t. When meeting your audiologist to talk about hearing aids, try to think about what kind of lifestyle you live, including the home environment, workplace, and any hobbies or interests you want to continue engaging with.

Consider convenience

Making sure that you’re as comfortable as possible with using your device is likely to play in your final decision, as well. Finding the right fit is always important. Manual dexterity is an important factor to consider, as well. If you’re not as dexterous as you once were or your hand mobility is impacted by a disability, then a larger device with manual controls that are easier to reach may be worth considering, or your audiologist may recommend a device with a wireless control panel through your smartphone. Either way, ensuring that you are able to take the hearing aid out, put it in, and handle with safely must all be considered.

Ask about helpful features

Modern hearing aids are sophisticated pieces of technology indeed, with a huge selection of different features that you may or may not find useful. Noise reduction is one example already listed. Another is Bluetooth connectivity. This could help you connect to your smartphone so you could change the settings of your hearing aid through a digital control panel, or it could help you connect to devices like smart TVs and laptops so you can have their audio output transmitted directly to your hearing aid. Make sure to ask your audiologist about features they might recommend based on your needs, lifestyle, and interests.

Choosing the right hearing aid is always easier when you have the help of your audiologist. They know not only the particulars of your needs but also know all the best models and features to recommend based on that knowledge, as well.