If you’re like most people and have noticed that hearing is requiring a little bit of effort, you’re probably not thrilled at the prospect of having to purchase hearing aids.
There are so many different choices and opinions on how, where, and which hearing aid to buy. You are not alone, most people that we see are hesitant about hearing aids and confused with the options.
We have seen thousands of people during the 20 or more years that we have been in business. These are the questions we most frequently hear,
- What is an audiologist?
- Should I answer an ad?
- Should I trust a franchise?
- What about online hearing aids, or hearing aids from a big box store?
Below are the most important things to look for when considering purchasing a hearing aid.
Hearing aid technology alone isn’t the problem.
We have found that it is seldom the hearing aid that is the source of the problem. Rather, the problem that we see in our practice is from improper fitting of a hearing aid. Hearing aids have the technology to have almost one million different combinations of programming, which is done by an audiologist. The education, experience, equipment, and the proper use of it is the most important factor in your success and satisfaction with your hearing aids. Our approach has made thousands of patients raving fans.
We have found three reasons for the dissatisfaction with hearing aids that don’t relate to the hearing aid itself. All three of these problems can be solved and they do not involve buying a new hearing aid.
- Improper or poorly fit hearing aid
- Lack of validation using probe microphone measurements
- Education
We welcome patients from other providers who have been improperly fit with a hearing aid and you are disappointed with the performance. Answer yes or no to any of the following questions about what happened when you were fit with your hearing aids:
- I was tested in background noise with words while wearing my hearing aids.
- Small tubes were inserted in my ears with my hearing aids and I learned all about carrots (these are called probe microphone, real ear measurements).
- I learned and practiced techniques with my communication partner that improved our communication.
- I was tested in a sound booth with inserts in my ears and not headphones.
If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then you have been treated by an audiologist, a Doctor of Audiology, who has followed the gold standards of audiology. If not, chances are that you have been improperly fit.
We believe you can achieve better hearing and you deserve better care.