Hearing Health Series: Part Three
Hearing Health Series: Part Three
How To Select & Program The Perfect Hearing Aids for Your Needs
Hearing is quite possibly the most complex of our five senses. So it should be no surprise the complexity involved with fitting and programming a set of hearing aids to recover your hearing. For instance, your neighbor may have the same degree of hearing loss and purchase a top-end, high-tech pair of hearing aids with ALL the bells and whistles. But if you were to try and use them, it’s doubtful that they would work for you.
Why? Because everyone’s audiogram (hearing test) is different depending on the pitch and frequency of your hearing loss and how your brain interprets sound. Not to mention your lifestyle, personal preferences, including how you like to hear the world, and your ears’ size and shape. [1]
Hearing Aid Consultation
All of these factors make a thorough hearing aid consultation essential. We’ll discuss them each a bit further, but it’s also important to note that during this consultation, your audiologist will also be counseling you on what you can expect with the use of hearing aids.
Factors that go into prescribing hearing aids.
Your hearing loss.
What do your results from the hearing evaluation tell your audiologist about your hearing loss? This is the baseline for your audiologist to know what course of action is needed and what options are available in a hearing aid to ensure your hearing needs are met. For example:
What is your degree of hearing loss?
Do you need one or two hearing aids?
What are your specific amplification needs?
What type of hearing aid is best suited for your situation, including health aspects such as vision and cognitive ability, and your degree of hearing loss?
Your personal preferences.
There are a few key things to consider here.
What do you want your hearing aids to feel and look like? Do you want them to be discrete and small, or is it OK if others will see them? Do you have the ability to work with smaller hearing aids? Larger ones may be easier to handle but show more. This is a biggie as you’ll be working with them daily to keep them clean and in tip-top shape.
At Audiology NW, I like to discuss this and let you handle a couple of options to get a feel for it.
Next on the list would be batteries. Do you want to change batteries on your own, or would you rather use rechargeable batteries? Keep in mind, the smaller the hearing aids are, the more batteries you will go through. And, of course, there are the less technical elements such as what color you want.
There are so many options, and sometimes you might be left feeling like you are comparing apples to oranges. It’s ok, we understand, and we’re here to help navigate the possibilities.
Your lifestyle, daily activities, expectations, and wishes.
We want to know what you need and want to do or enjoy when it comes to hearing and living. For example:
What is your living environment like?
What is your social life like? Do you spend time in large crowds like at church or the casino?
What technology do you need and want to use? TV? Cell Phone? Video Conference Apps?
Are you a musician? Or do you love listening to music?
And especially right now, how does the use of face masks affect your ability to hear others?
These types of things will determine features that are must-haves like more advanced Bluetooth or noise-reduction technologies. And believe it or not, one manufacturer, Signia, was working on a feature that cleans up the sound of someone speaking with a mask on like is often experienced in the medical field — and then COVID-19 hit. Talk about a providential twist of fate.
Your budget.
Quality hearing aids are pricy. But take into consideration what you’re actually paying for[2]:
The Hearing Aids
The advanced technology that goes into designing hearing aids in a market where the demand is comparatively low (not for lack of need; many people suffer hearing loss but never take action). Yet manufacturers spend MILLIONS every year in research and development to come up with hearing aids you’re going to love!
A 30-day trial period, especially on custom hearing aids, adds to a more considerable loss margin for the hearing aid companies. But on the bright side, you’re paying a tiny bit more for the peace of mind knowing that you’re not going to be stuck with hearing aids that don’t work right or aren’t comfortable for you, and therefore you won’t wear — which makes your purchase a complete waste of money.
Your Audiologist’s Professional Services
Ask your audiologist what their policy and practice is as some don’t offer as much while others may offer more. Usually, you can expect about three years covering the span of your hearing aid’s warranty. Think about it. No copays. No service charges (of course, unless it falls outside the range of ordinary care, but that seldom happens in my experience). No hassle.
Especially if you’re an Audiology NW patient, and you’re benefiting from in-home visits for your hearing health care!
PLUS, I offer my services for the life of your hearing aids so long as you’re using them. Seriously, I often tell my patients, “I come with your hearing aids!” Now, that doesn’t mean there may not be an expense if something needs to be repaired or replaced by the manufacturer.
Improved Health, Longevity, and overall Quality of Life
But we’re talking about a budget, right. If there’s no money, there’s just no money.
Or is there? Your audiologist should be able to steer you in the right direction for getting financial assistance. They may even offer in-house payment plans that allow you to pay over time.
Visit Audiology NW Services & Financing for a link to apply for CareCredit or an Assistive Technology loan made available to persons with disabilities through the Northwest Access Fund.
Healthyhearing.com published a fantastic article covering Sources of financial aid and insurance for hearing aids. Among everything else they cover, they also provide a list of questions to ask your insurance concerning your coverage when it comes to hearing aids[3].
Prescribing hearing aids.
Your audiologist will give you a few options discussing the pros and cons of each based on what you’ve told them is important to you and your budget.
The type of hearing aid you select and the degree of customization will determine the turn-around time before your audiologist receives your hearing aid from the manufacturer and your first fitting appointment.
At Audiology Northwest, you get the added benefit of trying out a pair of hearing aids.
While they may have all the bells and whistles you want (or perhaps they’ll have even more), they will provide you with experience using hearing aids, which is a significant part of the adjustment phase. In some senses, you’re literally relearning what it’s like to hear again.
The adjustment phase is not just about re-engaging and communicating with others or being in tune with your environment. You’ll be learning what it’s like to fully hear your voice again as it too gets amplified through your hearing aids — you might be quite shocked to learn how loud you’ve been talking. And you’ll hear sounds you haven’t heard for a very long time like the crinkling of leaves underfoot, the tic-tock of a clock, or the drip, drip, dripping of water from a leaky faucet.
It’s a very ear-opening experience!
Programming hearing aids for your specific needs.
The initial hearing aid fitting.
Once your audiologist has your hearing aids in hand, you’ll meet with them again for what we call the initial first fitting, which involves far more than simply fitting them in your ears.
The physical fit and programming.
First, we’ll program your hearing aids to the preliminary settings for your specific hearing loss. This is done via computer software and takes us just a few minutes.
We’ll then test specific sounds, including how your voice sounds and whether certain sounds are too soft or loud, too noisy, etc. We might use pre-recorded sounds we’ll play to help cover the full gamut of potential scenarios that might cause issues for you. Sometimes, we’ll even run through another series of hearing tests, this time with your hearing aids on to help ensure we’ve dialed them in perfectly for your needs.
Sounds simple right? For you, absolutely. For your audiologist, well, this is their time to shine. They’ve been working diligently at every step of the process to provide you the magical experience of rediscovering your hearing — this is the moment you’ve both been waiting for.
Training for everyday maintenance and troubleshooting of your hearing aids.
Another advantage of working with an audiologist is the training you receive. And when you forget, don’t worry, you’re in good company and certainly not the first — so please just ask.
We’ll teach you how to position them correctly in your ear and clean and inspect them. You’ll need to do this daily to ensure your hearing aids continue to work correctly.
Did you know that the leading reason well-fitted hearing aids cause their users’ grief is ear wax build-up? The second most common reason your hearing aid isn’t working right — the battery is low or dead.
We’ll also help you connect to Bluetooth compatible devices and train you to use them properly.
Most importantly, don’t feel like you have to do this alone. Have a close friend, loved one, or caregiver present for this fitting so they can learn with you and be able to help if needed.
The 30-day trial period for hearing aids.
It usually takes two to three weeks before you begin to adjust to using hearing aids and hearing all the environmental, social, and technological sounds. Follow the instructions and schedule as directed by your audiologist if they prescribe one. But personally, I have my patients just jump in and use them as often as possible.
You want to experience them in as many situations as possible, especially in this 30-day trial period. Ultimately, you want to know you’re going to be happy and successful in using them.
Now’s the time to be picky!!
Hearing loss is complicated. So are hearing aids. With so many individualized factors and preferences based on lifestyle, getting everything just right for your hearing needs can be a process. And sometimes, the best fit on paper just doesn’t pan out.
Your audiologist understands this, which is why our services come with your hearing aid purchase — for the life of your warranty, we’re there to help. The manufacturers also understand which is why it’s an industry standard to have a 30-day trial period.
The most important thing is YOU. You have to use them. Ask questions. Use them. Ask for help. Use them. Clean them. Ask for more help.
And don’t forget to keep them charged so you can what???
That’s right, USE THEM!
Follow-Up Visits
We’ll be talking in more detail about follow-up visits and all that entails in the fourth and final part of this Healthy Hearing Series. But this is another reason you painstakingly sought out your hearing health care provider; you will be working closely with us to continue monitoring and navigating your journey to better hearing health.
The Audiology Northwest Advantage:
I fit your hearing aids in your hearing place. This allows a more accurate fitting, and we often reduce the need for an immediate followup fitting because of this. But that doesn’t mean I won’t come if you call, after all, that’s my job!
