There’s no time to wait on the hearing aid process… otherwise it may become haunting!

Happy Halloween!!  I was going to get a great picture of a great audiology costume but I’m sad to report there weren’t many ideas or great costume ideas so this is what I had to settle for to wish you all a very Happy Halloween!

Lately I have been having a lot of questions from family and friends about the hearing aid process.  Getting hearing aids to help with hearing loss can be an overwhelming process especially if the spouse, children or caregiver notices the hearing loss more than the patient does, which is usually the case.  I’m hoping that this information will keep you from being spooked by the process and rather see it as a treat toward better hearing!

Below are a 5 tips that I have told my friends and family about the process:

A personal touch

1.  A lot of success with hearing aids is about the relationship between the patient and the professional so make sure you feel comfortable with the professional.  I encourage our patients to look at our website as well as Yelp.  As a patient, you may be with your audiologist for 20 years so finding someone you can trust, is dependable, is established and professional are all things that are important.

A professional audiologist

2.  Make sure to go to an audiologist and not a hearing aid dealer.  Audiologists are university trained professionals whose role is to diagnose and non-medically treat hearing loss.  They want you to hear better and not looking how to just sell a product.

Hearing aid quality

3.  Overall, there are six hearing aid companies that make great hearing aids.  The brand of hearing aid is important but more importantly is the professional who is fitting them.  If the professional is recommending a certain brand it is for good reason.  Many factors go into a hearing aid fitting and having the professional know about the products and fit the most appropriate brand is vital to the success.

Pricing hearing aids

4.  Hearing aid price is not based on what they look like (usually) but rather on the technology chip on the inside of the instrument.  I always tell my patients that the price of vacuum cleaners is not what they look like but their ability of what they do and the insides of the vacuum.  With that being said, hearing aids are very small and can do a very good job overcoming issues with hearing that was not doable even 5 years ago.

Do not wait

5.  There is no reason to wait!  The average person waits 5-7 years before doing something about their hearing loss.  The longer a person waits the more changes happen in the brain and the harder it can be to get accustomed to hearing again.

When the little children are standing at your door tonight with their masks on and they say “trick or treat” I want you to be able to hear them!  I hope this post will make the daunting task of getting hearing aids a bit more easier.  Stay tuned for future posts that will delve deeper into these tips as well!