So you know you need a hearing aid, but they are quite expensive. When something is that expensive and so personal and unique to you, you want to make sure you are getting the best deal. In the 20 years that I have been an audiologist, I have compiled this short list of 6 things you can do to make sure you are getting a good deal.
1) Self Prescribing - You have a friend that wears hearing aids, and they love it, so you want the same one. The problem is your hearing loss and lifestyle needs may be different than your friends. When it comes to choosing the right hearing instrument, listen to your hearing professional, not your friend. Hearing specialists have the training and the education that make them uniquely qualified to help you with your hearing. Listen to your friend if they recommend a professional with whom they have had a good experience.
2) Giving up - This is a huge mistake. We've all heard of or know people with hearing aids in their drawer. They bought aids, but they didn't like them for some reason. Being fit for hearing devices is not as easy as being fit for a pair of shoes. It can often take several follow-up visits before the programming and physical fit of the hearing aids are correct. Always buy hearing aids with a trial period. That way if they aren't right for you, you can return them. Try something different before you give up. You may have try a few different products. No one hearing instrument works for everyone. This is because hearing happens in the brain and we are all unique. There's no way to accurately predict how your brain will perceive the sound of the hearing aids. Hearing instruments can sometimes take months to completely adapt to after they have been properly fit, and that only happens when you consistently wear them.
3) Buying Hearing Aids in a Physician's Office - This sounds like it should be the best place to buy, it is a Physician's office after all. Wrong - even though you are in a Physician's office and probably working with an Audiologist, this is often not the best place to buy. Physicians generally know nothing about hearing aids. They prescribe medications and perform surgery, they do not fit hearing aids. Audiologist in Physician's offices may be capable of fitting hearing instruments, but they are generally far too busy to provide the time and care necessary to help you through the process of adapting to hearing devices.
This is also a problem when it comes to service afterwards. Have you ever tried to just drop by your Doctor's office without scheduling an appointment? Doctor's offices often do not have the equipment and supplies needed to maintain your hearing devices, nor are they generally set up to provide routine repairs and maintenance. Their prices are often higher too. Get medical treatment from a Physician, get your hearing aids from a private practice Audiologist or Hearing Instrument Specialist.
4) Putting Off Buying Hearing Aids - People often wait until their hearing loss is worse to get the help they need. The longer you wait to get help, the harder it is to adapt. This is because your brain becomes accustomed to not hearing and " forgets " how things are supposed to sound. When you start wearing hearing aids, things often sound different then you remember and you have to retrain your brain. The worse your hearing loss becomes, the harder this retraining is to accomplish. Research has shown that the when the brain is left unstimulated, its ability to understand speech can degrade. This is called auditory deprivation. Auditory deprivation can occur when someone does not wear any hearing aids, or when they wear one, but need two aids. Just like the old saying goes, "If you don't use it, you lose it."
5) Buying Hearing Aids Mail Order or Direct Online - Avoid this like the plague!! We're not referring to companies that include local professional care, these are fine. The companies were talking about are the ones that sell the cheap $19.95 products, or quality hearing aids without professional care. Not one major hearing aid manufacturer authorizes the sale of their products without direct professional care.
Some companies sell inferior, but less expensive, products to unsuspecting consumers this way. After trying these, many people reach the wrong conclusion that hearing instruments cannot help them. The unfortunate reality is that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Cheaper hearing aids and hearing aids that are fit incorrectly will not help you.
Perhaps worse are those companies that sell quality hearing aids direct to patients. Sure you paid less, but you sacrifice the most crucial part of the hearing aid fitting; having the hearing aid fit and programmed while you wear it by a trained professional. There is no way they can tell through the mail if the hearing aid is physically fitting properly or if you are getting the benefit you should. They can't make sure your putting it on properly. They can't even tell if you have wax in your ear! The vast majority of patients end up extremely frustrated and give up, thinking that hearing aids cant help them. Others try to find a professional to help them and often spend more money than it would have cost them had they done it right from the beginning. This is wrong and very unnecessary.
Research information on different hearing aids and find a good local professional in your area, and you will be on the road to good hearing again.
