Introduction

“What is the right hearing aid for my parents? I read there are many brands, styles in the market; how do I know what is best for me? How does hearing aids work?”
When comes to buying a hearing aid, many new or existing hearing aid users often get confused as there are many brands, style, features and pricing available in the market. How do you decide which one suits you the most or get it right from the start?
Here, we are going to share six key points you should know first before getting hearing aids:
- Understand your Hearing Loss
Understand the nature of your hearing loss: how it happens, where does the damage lies, what are the treatment options available?
Consult a qualified Audiologist to carry out a pure tone audiometry a.k.a. hearing test in a properly calibrated sound treated test room for you. The test is simple, painless and can be completed within 20 to 30 mins. Your hearing test report will be available on the spot.
If hearing loss is detected and the cause is due to ear infection or impacted ear wax, this hearing loss is reversible once fully treated. In the case of hearing loss due to aging, hearing aids are known to be the most effective solution and your Audiologist will go through the hearing aid evaluation and experience together with you.
- Hearing aids Knowledge and Selection’s Consideration
Is the size of hearing aid, the look matters the most? Understanding your hearing condition, needs and prioritising hearing lifestyle needs will help you to identify and narrow the range of suitable hearing aid options for you.
It is important to know the main objective is to hear better in terms of sounds clarity and activities you used to enjoy such as chatting over phone calls, listening to music or watching TV dramas.
This requires a detailed consideration process to assess, diagnose and evaluate factors such as hearing level and difficulties, ear canal size, shape and condition, dexterity, eyesight, expectation and the list goes on. An experienced Audiologist will assess and help you and your family understand your condition, recommend a suitable model and partner you in the progressive adjustment journey towards successful hearing outcome
- Benefits of Wireless, Bluetooth Connectivity
Hearing aids are effective solutions but cannot restore hearing back to normal. Through our clinical experiences, we realize many users wonder or do not understand the importance of wireless, Bluetooth application in hearing aid technology. They think of it as a high technology option or is difficult to use for their parents. After a simple setup, the wireless streaming process is transparent to the user – sounds from TV shows will stream automatically to his/her hearing aids when the hearing aid user is sitting in front of the TV. This allows them to enjoy what they like again such as watching their favourite shows together with the family, hear better and not at the louder TV volume like before.
- Benefits of Binaural Fitting
A lot of people think that if both ears not good, they just have to put on one hearing aid in order to hear well. It is true that if you put on just one side, you can hear better than nothing, but the effect can never be the same compared to if you wear two hearing aids.
You can experience the differences between one hearing aid and two hearing aids through a simple method at home: blocking one of your ears using your index finger and ask someone to talk to you (as if you are using only one hearing aid), not just his/her voice becomes softer, but also more muffled! Don’t you know, both ears hearing allow you to localise sounds too, know exactly which direction the sound is coming from!
- Solution for Single-sided Deafness
Do you know that there is a solution for those who has one dead ear to hear back sounds coming from the deaf side? In the past, unless patients go for surgical method, they cannot hear people talking from the deaf side, especially in noisy places.
With the technology advancement, without undergoing surgical method, patient can just put on an external device on the dead ear, the device will pick up sounds and then transfer wirelessly to the opposite ear. Now, with the better ear alone, patients can hear sounds coming from all directions.
- Solution for Tinnitus (Ringing Sound in the Ear)
Often, patients described that they hear tinnitus – ringing, buzzing or roaring sound that turns louder especially at night, causing them unable to fall asleep. The condition worsened as some might think that it is a sign of brain tumour. In fact, tumour is always associated with other symptoms and can be easily ruled out through a brain scan.
In fact, most of the tinnitus cases are simply due to hearing impairment. When the external sounds heard is less, internal brain noise becomes louder, that’s why tinnitus becomes more obvious in quiet environment. When the patients can hear back more sounds, there is possibility that tinnitus can be suppressed. Today, hearing aids not only improve hearing ability, they are even equipped with tinnitus masking function to help to mask out tinnitus more effectively. With proper explanation of tinnitus mechanism and use of masking sounds, patients are able to cope with tinnitus better in daily life.
Please get in touch with us for more information or for assistance with any other hearing questions you have.
Contact us:
Hotline 6346 0858 or email info@thehearingspecialist.com.sg.