So you’ve decided to get a hearing aid. But then you see the pamphlets and advertisements and there’s just so many options! Hearing aids can be an expensive purchase for many people so you want to make the best choice! Here’s some advice on how to choose what’s best for you.
Ask your audiologist for help!
Your audiologist will be familiar with your level of hearing loss. This is important when choosing your hearing aid because some hearing aids may not work well if your loss is severe. Your audiologist will also be familiar with the goals you are trying to achieve by getting the hearing aid and will be able to give you the best advice. Our audiologists, Christy and Laura, will be able to help you with every step of the way to ensure that you are happy with what you’re buying.
Let's talk about traditional behind-the-ear hearing aids
BTE hearing aids are worn behind-the-ear. This is the most traditional style hearing aid and what most people think of when they hear hearing aid. These hearing aids have been an all time favourite due to their many good qualities.
- BTE hearing aids have many different colour options to suit your personal fashion style. If discreet is what you are after, our top tip is to choose a hearing aid that matches your hair colour. This will blend in more than a beige hearing aid.
- BTE hearing aids are also incredibly easy to use. If you are a first time hearing aid user or are daunted by high levels of technology, this may be the best option for you!
- BTE hearing aids come in multiple different sizes. If you are worried about losing your hearing aid, you may want a larger aid to make it easier to find around the house, but if you were looking for a discreet aid you may be after a smaller size BTE. Luckily, regardless of which group you fall into, there are plenty of size options available.
- BTE hearing aids are also very comfortable to wear. They are made to sit neatly behind your ear and on some days you may not even notice that they are there! There are also plenty of adjustments your audiologist can make to your dome or ear mould to give you the most comfortable fit.
- BTE hearing aids also can provide more power. If you have a severe hearing loss, it may be best to choose a BTE hearing aid because they will be able to increase the volume of the sounds around you much more than other styles.
Let’s discuss the In-the-ear options!
There are a couple of different styles when it comes to in-the-ear hearing aids. We have ITE which are larger and also some completely in the canal which are a lot smaller. So let's talk about why these aids are increasing in popularity.
- If discreet is what you are after these are the best options. Because these hearing aids hide in your ear canal they are very discreet. Some styles are completely invisible while other styles can blend in as bluetooth earphones.
- Many people find these hearing aids more comfortable than a standard BTE aid because they are moulded to directly fit your ear canal.
- These hearing aids are also incredibly easy to wear with masks or glasses. Because these hearing aids are inside your ear, the back of your ear is free for glasses or a mask string. This means that when you take your mask or glasses off you don’t have to be afraid of losing your hearing aid.
One more choice to make…Rechargeable or battery powered?
So maybe you’ve decided on a hearing aid style now, but the question still stands, do you want batteries or rechargeable hearing aids?
Choose rechargeable if:
- You want to be more environmentally friendly: Batteries can be very harmful to the environment, especially if disposed of incorrectly. Rather than needing a new pair of batteries every week, your rechargeable batteries will last years, thus reducing the waste going into the environment.
- You struggle handling smaller objects: Some of us may have shaky hands, others may not see so well…regardless we struggle with putting tiny batteries into a tiny slot. If this is you, choose the rechargeable hearing aids. All you have to do is pop them into their charging slot at the end of the night and they will recharge.
- If you have young children: Small round batteries are very harmful to children and easily swallowed! It may not always be possible to keep normal batteries out of reach of young, inquisitive kids. In this case, choosing the rechargeable option is safer because there are no batteries for kids to reach.
Choose batteries if:
- You travel a lot: The main positive for batteries is that they are much more portable than a big charger and you don’t have to wait hours for the hearing aid to work again. If your hearing aid goes flat in the middle of a movie, you can quickly reach into your bag and switch for a new pair.
- You want a cheaper option: A battery powered hearing aid is a little cheaper than its rechargeable counterpart, however you will have to buy batteries every so often. At Hearing SA we sell these in boxes for $35 which should last you a few months.
Hopefully this information has given you an idea of what you are after. Remember at Hearing SA you can always trial hearing aids before you commit to buying them to see what they are like. Our audiologists will be happy to help you with the entire process from choosing the best style of hearing aid for your lifestyle to bringing you back into the world of sound. We have a great price range to suit every budget too. For more information or advice please call us on 0403 690 980.