Ask The Experts

HEAR WELL AGAIN - ASK THE EXPERTS

These questions and answers are commonly asked questions by many of our patients and recently seen in the Town Crier. We hope these help you. Please feel free to call our office if you have other additional questions.

With so many places to go to buy hearing aids, how do I choose the right one and know that I will be satisfied?

When purchasing hearing aids, make sure to ask lots of questions. The education and experience of the audiologist is very important. Hearing aid satisfaction depends more on the skill and expertise of the audiologist than on the manufacturer or style of the hearing instrument. Satisfied patients will recommend hearing aids and the audiologist who fit them to friends and family members with hearing loss. Work with your audiologist until your comfortable. Schedule follow-up visits and fine tuning adjustments to ensure your highest level of satisfaction. PROPERLY FITTED hearing aids DO HELP!!

My father’s declining hearing puts a strain on communication with family and friends. We must speak quite loudly and repeat things so frequently that we feel exhausted after each visit. He has refused to do anything about his hearing. Can ignoring hearing loss be harmful?

As you have seen, untreated hearing loss causes communication problems which can strain relationships with family and friends. If left untreated for long, hearing loss can lead to withdrawal from social events, social and emotional isolation and sometimes even depression. The longer someone lives in their unnaturally quiet world, the harder it is to make the adjustment back to the world of sound when they do decide to correct their hearing. At the very least, try to talk your father into an ear examination by a physician or audiologist to be surer the ears aren’t just clogged with wax. Most insurances cover a diagnostic hearing evaluation performed by an audiologist. Call one of our offices today to schedule an appointment or to speak to an audiologist. We have answers for your hearing
problems.

I’m afraid to get a hearing test because I’m sure it will be very expensive and that I will be forced to buy hearing aids. How much does a hearing test cost?

Often the cost of is minimal or nothing! Because it is a diagnostic procedure used to diagnose the degree and cause of hearing loss, hearing evaluation by an audiologist is covered by many health insurance plans (including Medicare, Blue Shield, and most HMO’s). Audiological evaluation is the only way to get answers to the following questions:

• Is there really a hearing loss or people are just mumbling?
• How severe is the loss and how will it affect me?
• Is the loss medically correctable or permanent? (Sometimes it’s just earwax)

An audiologist’s professional code of ethics prohibits strong, pushy sales tactics so you will never be forced into buying hearing aids against your will if you deal with an audiologist. We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all hearing aid fittings with 30 day return for refund privileges. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to get your hearing tested to find out the facts about your hearing. Call us for more information.

My hearing aid worked great for 7 months, but for the last 2 months they shut down frequently, often in the middle of exercising. Could it be due to my perspiring?

That would be a very likely cause. Moisture is a major cause of hearing aid breakdowns, second only to earwax clogging. In hot humid weather, moisture can accumulate in the hearing aid and trap the sound, so that it cannot reach the ear. You think the hearing aid is dead, when in reality the sound is stuck behind a drop of perspiration. When you take out the hearing aid and let it sit for a while, usually it works fine later after it has had a chance to dry out. The problem worsens when this cycle continues and moisture finds its way inside the electronic parts, causing corrosion tom build up on the components. When this point is reached, electrical components may short out, requiring repair back at the factory. Preventive maintenance will eliminate such problems. Store your hearing aids nightly in an inexpensive hearing aid dehumidifier kit (Dri-Aid Kit), which rids hearing aids of daily accumulations of moisture so that corrosion doesn’t begin. If you have behind the ear hearing aids, a tube blower will unblock moisture droplets in the tubing. Both devices are in stock in our office.

With my new hearing aids, I can hear better, but I still have trouble in a noisy room. Am I doing something wrong, or aren’t hearing aids any help in noise?

Hearing within background noise has always been difficult for both hearing impaired as well as people with normal hearing. Until recently, hearing aids did not have the capability to reduce background noise successfully without also reducing the desired speech signals, making communication very frustrating for the wearer.

This year a new technology has introduced a breakthrough product that is designed to significantly improve speech in noise capabilities. Implementing this new technolgy with a directional microphone system built in to the hearing aids have been clinically proven to preserve speech understanding while reducing the users listening effort and mental fatigue in noisy environments.

We are so excited to fit this new product because we have seen that is significantly enhances speech and diminishes background commotion, so our patients can join the conversations and going out can be fun again!

My hearing aids are six years old. They work fine, but they are getting old. Should I replace them with newer hearing aids?

People tend to trade or upgrade their hearing aids the way they trade in their cars. Some people upgrade every three years, even if the hearing aids are still going strong. Others wear their hearing aids until they quit from old age. There is no pat answer as to when you should get new hearing aids. Obviously, finances are a consideration. So is the amount of care you give your hearing aids and their present “health”, The average life span of in-the-ear hearing aids is three to five years, but few people take really good care of their hearing aids. The average lifespan of behind-the-ear hearing aids is five to seven years, again depending on care. With good care, your hearing aids will last longer, but maybe there is some new technology in hearing aids that would help you hear better and which you consider justifies the cost. Another consideration is repair cost. After a hearing aid five or six years old, more things are bound to go wrong with it. You may find it more economical to replace your hearing aids than to keep putting money into repairs.

Thank you and feel free to contact us directly with additional questions regarding you hearing care.

888-866-4327