Show #484 Airing Sunday, 7/14/09
So, you’ve never had a hearing aid before – but I bet you’ve heard an “earful” of second-hand stories, meant to aid you when you select one. I know from experience that they DO work, as a family member uses them. Audiologist Marvin Lewis has four tips you must hear before you buy. Dr. Lewis is the owner of Echo Hearing and Audiology.
Question: We've all hear horror stories about buying a hearing aid: They cost a fortune, they don't work. I don't need to tell you, I'm sure! So, what's the first tip folks should really know when they discover they need a hearing aid?
Answer: The first tip to know is – forget what anyone else tells you about hearing aids, because the information is often 3rd or 4th hand and incorrect.
There are millions of hearing aids in use every day, and that’s because they help people. Everybody’s hearing loss is different and your own experience is what matters most.
Let’s take the example of cost:
I had a patient who came in saying, “All my friends have paid $5,000 for their hearing aids. I can’t afford that! Is that what it’s going to cost me to buy one?”
He was pleasantly surprised to hear that the hearing aids I carry begin under $800.
But the first step is to have an evaluation that includes the hearing test and questions about your daily life.
You need to know your specific needs before even thinking about a hearing aid – or its price.
People like to talk about cost, but you have to remember you are buying a medical device.
You can’t shop for it in the same way you might shop for an appliance, or even glasses.The Audiologist will recommend models based on your specific hearing loss and listening needs.
Question: What else might surprise folks who've never has a hearing aid?
Answer: I like talking about how the electronics in hearing aids are better than they have ever been before.
These are not like the hearing aids your parents used. These are digital, which means they are controlled by a mini computer inside, and the settings are much more precise, resulting in a clearer, more natural sound.
Digital electronics allow us to distinguish between background noise and the human voice. This means:
- Background noise is reduced
- Speech and music is clearer
- Whistling rarely occurs
The electronics are so sophisticated that it can tell the difference between different types of background noises: i. It can tell which are mechanical noises – like your refrigerator – and which is the “hubbub” in your surroundings that you might actually need to hear. Many of them work automatically; you don’t have to constantly mess with a volume switch.
Question: It's great that they work better than ever before - but how do they look?
Answer: And that’s the third tip – the new styles of hearing aids makes them much less obvious. Again, thanks to electronics, we can use very small hearing aids for even severe hearing loss. Electronics became smaller so they could fit into smaller cases. There are hearing aids that are completely in the ear canal. And there are miniature, over-the-ear, open fit hearing aids. They are hidden – practically invisible. Since they aren’t completely covering the canal., this eliminates the “stuffed up” feeling of previous in the ear hearing aids. And this is all done without compromising comfort.
Question: And what's the fourth tip we need to know before buying a hearing aid.
Answer: We hinted at it earlier – be sure to be evaluated – and have that evaluation done by an audiologist.
This is someone who has been medically trained in this specialty – in the same way an optometrist has been trained to evaluate your sight. Audiologists have either a Master’s degree or Doctorate in Audiology.
Just like your eyes change with age, so can your hearing.
In general, most patients have nerve hearing loss, which happens with aging and/or noise exposure, like guns or machinery.
And, if by some chance the hearing loss is related to a medical component, for example, an ear infection, the audiologist will alert you, and refer you to see your own physician.
The reason to see an audiologist as soon as possible is for treatment.
It’s best to get the hearing aids as soon as possible.
The younger you are, the easier the brain adapts to the aid.
Follow Dr. Lewis’ four tips and you’ll find hearing is believing! Need to hear more? Give Dr. Lewis a call. His number is next.
