The ability to hear is vital as it enables individuals to stay connected. Being hard of hearing is challenging and impacts the quality of life. However, hearing aids offer an effective solution to manage hearing loss. With the right hearing aid, you can successfully manage your hearing concern and stay socially active. In this context, choosing the right hearing aid is as important. Hearing aids vary depending on the brand and style. This makes it vital to buy hearing aids that specifically address your problem and suit your lifestyle.
Planning to purchase hearing aids?
Given the huge options available, find the right hearing aid that precisely caters to your type and degree of hearing loss can often be an overwhelming task. We, at Active Audiology, wish to make it easier for you and our experienced audiologists will be happy to assist you in finding the right hearing aid. However, to help you narrow down your search, we have listed a few factors that can guide your hearing aid purchase decision. Make sure to consider the following factors when buying a hearing aid.
Private Health Insurance:
If you are a first-time buyer, it is essential to ask the right questions before making a purchase. A vital question to ponder upon is whether your insurance policy covers the cost of your hearing aid or not. The price range of hearing aids varies and there are hearing aids that are cheap while others are pretty expensive. Having an idea of the coverage offered by your insurance company will make it easier for you to make a choice. Most companies offer a partial coverage but even that makes a difference.
Benefits Offered to Pensioner or Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA):
Are you a pensioner or a veteran? If yes, you may be eligible to avail free hearing services. You can get the fitting done free of cost as the government will pay us for the service.
Buy Hearing Aids that Best Suit You:
Hearing aids can immensely boost your ability to hear and significantly improve the quality of life. Your lifestyle and severity of hearing loss is a big factor when buying hearing aids. Moreover, no two people can have the same experience with a hearing aid as the intensity of hearing loss, the shape of ears also play a role. Your needs may be different and it is important to communicate your priorities to your audiologist so that you can pick the right hearing aid. Whether you wish to go for a hearing aid that allows seamless streaming of music wirelessly or wish to go for one that enables you to communicate better during a one-on-one conversation, your hearing care professional will be able to help you.
A lot of people prefer to go for hearing aids that are the smallest and cheapest. However, there are Behind-The-Ear (BTE) models that are comparatively more reliable, cheaper and are equipped with better features. While smaller hearing aids are not a bad choice, you may miss on a few impressive features.
Have Knowledge About the Features:
You may not be completely aware of the features and terms associated with hearing aids. To make an informed choice, it is vital to ask questions and get an understanding of terms like telecoils, ALD, artificial intelligence, directional microphones, etc. There are features that help you to hear better in a noisy environment. By discussing the features and options available, you will be able to find the best fit.
An Audiological Evaluation from A Qualified Audiologist:
Before you make a purchase, it is essential to get a complete evaluation done by a qualified audiologist. There are a number of places that offer a free test. However, this does not involve a thorough evaluation. With a comprehensive evaluation, you get an idea about factors like the measurement and analysis of the eardrum and middle ear, an analysis of how well you can understand speech, figuring out the exact area of the problem, the functioning of your cochlea and the transmission of signal by the auditory nerve to the brain.
Evaluating Hearing Aid During the Trial Period:
By keeping a record of the sounds that are clearly audible and those that are not, you are better equipped to explain to the professional your exact needs. With these pieces of information, your audiologist will be able to adjust the hearing aid to perfectly suit you. The setting options with modern hearing aids are wide and there is the possibility to significantly improve the sound quality. With several visits, you can program the hearing aid in a way that it best works for you.
Take Care of Your Hearing Aids:
Hearing aids are sturdy but you need to take care of them to prevent any form of accidental damage. Always keep your hearing aids clean and place them in their case. You can even buy a ‘dry aid’ kit. By keeping your hearing aid dry, you can prevent corrosion. Cleans and germ-free hearing aids ensure that there is no infection.
Warranty:
Most hearing aids are covered for a year. So, if there is an issue with the hearing aid, you can get it rectified. Make sure to check for the warranty available when buying a hearing aid.
Need help in purchasing hearing aids that suit your lifestyle, hearing loss and budget?
Visit Active Audiology and our experienced professionals will be happy to help you. We are an independent audiologists and believe in offering unbiased solutions tailored to suit the individual needs of our clients. We have a complete range of options available and can suggest hearing aids that best address your hearing concern, suit your lifestyle and are specifically programmed to your needs. If you wish to know more about our hearing aids, feel free to reach out to our team. You can call us on 1300 364 007. We will be happy to assist you.
