Advanced Ear Care shares how to select your first hearing aid.
The best hearing aid sales, fitting, service and repair provider in Laguna Woods, CA. See us for hearing tests, hearing aid repair, batteries, and accessories. Great reviews.
Influencing policy (training slides from Fast Track Impact)
Considerations for Your First Hearing Aid Purchase
1.
Advanced
Ear
Care
| (949)
777-‐6521
| http://advancedearcare.com
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WHAT TO CONSIDER IN A FIRST HEARING AID
PURCHASE
The selection and purchase of a first hearing aid can be an overwhelming task for anyone.
The publication Consumer Reports followed a dozen people over a period of six months as
they shopped for their first hearing aid, and reported on it. What they found was less than
satisfying; because they found that two-thirds of the aids were either improperly fitted or
that they provided either too much or too little volume. Even within this small group of
people the price range for these hearing aids was huge and the retailers did not always
provide them the best information. To spare you this experience, in this article we’ll try to
provide a few tips to help you when
shopping for your first hearing aid. We can’t
provide all of the information that would be
useful to cover in such a short set of tips,
so we refer you in advance to an excellent
set of guidelines at Your Guide to Buying
Hearing Aids. It is an article provided by a
non-profit corporation called the Better
Hearing Institute (BHI), which provides
educational materials about hearing loss
and how to correct it. In addition to their
suggestions, here are ours:
SEE AN AUDIOLOGY PROFESSIONAL
You can do this either by calling us for an appointment, or by consulting another certified
hearing specialist in your area; either way we suggest you read the BHI guidelines before
your first appointment. It will help you to ask the right questions and know what the right
answers are.
SELECT THE HEARING AID THAT BEST SUITS YOUR NEEDS
AND LIFESTYLE
2.
Advanced
Ear
Care
| (949)
777-‐6521
| http://advancedearcare.com
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This depends on the type and severity of your hearing loss, and should have
been determined by tests performed by specialists during Step 1. The type of
aids you choose should reflect which type is best for your particular hearing problems, and
for your budget.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
After selecting the type of hearing aid that is best for your situation use the Internet to
research different models. Look for price comparisons from different vendors, reports on
the frequency of problems and repairs, and most important, reviews from users as to the
unit’s comfort and reliability.
LOCATE A REPUTABLE VENDOR
This may be the hearing specialist you went to in Step 1, or someone recommended by
them. The vendor should be able to make molds of your ears and fit the aids properly.
Though it is tempting to purchase your hearing aid over the Internet, you would be
skipping the critical step of having a custom fitting that would increase the likelihood of
your hearing aid’s comfort and suitability.
ENSURE PROPER FIT AND PERFORMANCE
Your first fitting should include tests by your vendor to ensure comfortable fit and good
function of your new hearing aid. A “satisfaction guaranteed” warranty and free follow-up
appointments for fine-tuning and adjustments are standard with reputable vendors.
Good luck, and know that our specialists are here to help you in any way that we can.