Choosing The Best Hearing Aids

Wondering which hearing aids are the best is a common thought among patients who have just been diagnosed with a hearing loss.

It would be natural to assume that the answer would be immediate on our part because our team of hearing care experts has helped thousands of patients across our beautiful state of Virginia since 2009.

But the answer is not as straightforward as you might think.

It’s like asking, “Where is the best place to go on vacation?” Hot or cold climate? Mountains or beach? Fly or drive? Luxury hotel or camping? The answer depends on your personal preferences and circumstances.

However, there are several things I can lay out here that can help you to choose the hearing aids that are right for you.

WHICH HEARING AID MANUFACTURER IS BEST?

Just like choosing a vacation, the better hearing aids are the ones that fit your list of preferences best. It’s a matter of making your list first and looking at the manufacturers, and their hearing aids second.

Because we have spent the last twelve years fitting patients with what we believe are the best hearing aids for them. We choose to work predominantly with ReSound, Phonak, Widex, Unitron, Signia, and Oticon, but ReSound and Phonak are mostly what we’ve recommended here lately.

Our patients seem to rely on the recommendations made by the hearing expert treating their hearing loss, so as far as our practice goes, we really love the support, education, and all-around fantastic service we have been getting from ReSound. I can’t praise them enough. We have a fantastic team backing us.

Some prefer the way one hearing aid model or brand manufacturer sounds over another, and we agree that hearing aids should be tried on and tested with different sounds before purchasing. So we offer a 7-day “test drive” of the hearing aids you like to make sure they’re the right choice for you.

Your hearing is unique to you, so your hearing aids and how they process the sounds that are important to you should be too.

BUYING HEARING AIDS – KEY THINGS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION

#1 The type and degree of hearing loss – Your hearing loss might be mild, moderate, or severe, and there are brands and models available for each. Some hearing aids specialize in delivering precise sounds even when there is a lot of background noise, while others specialize in processing speech in a quieter setting.

#2 How active the patient’s lifestyle is – A sedentary lifestyle means your hearing aids won’t move around a lot in/on your ear, while an active lifestyle means you need to be sure your hearing aids will stay in place and not be affected by sweat.

#3 Patient’s dexterity and concerns about vanity – You might prefer to have an invisible, visible, or partly visible hearing aid (BTE or ITE). We can direct you to your options in each category.

#4 Patient preferences and requests (Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable, etc.) – The technology available in hearing aids today is incredible. Just open your phone to your hearing aid app and adjust whatever you want with one tap. Stream your TV, music, and audiobooks straight to your ears. Adjust the settings based on the sound environment you are in.

#5 Affordability – There is a wide range of prices to choose from when it comes to your hearing aids. We do whatever we can to facilitate the purchase of the best hearing aids for you, and our patients are often happily surprised at our prices.

CHOOSING YOUR HEARING AIDS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

As you can see, we can’t recommend anyone hearing aid as being the best because your choice depends on your preferences.

To choose the best hearing aids for you, make your list of what is important to you, and then you’ll be able to take your time seeing which manufacturer can meet that list best.

We can help with this. Our team of hearing care experts has fitted patients with the right hearing aids for them for a long time, so we know how to help you find the best fit based on what matters to you and your type of hearing loss.

If you live in Virginia and think you might need hearing assistance, we can come to you to make sure this is the case.

We’ll do a hearing test to diagnose any hearing loss and answer any questions you might have about the differences in hearing aid models and what we might recommend based on our experience.

Take the first step and schedule a no-cost hearing assessment in your home or office today. Also, feel free to call us with any questions.

To check whether we cover your area, click here. We’re happy to help you with this important decision.