What You Need to Know About Hearing Aids

If you have hearing loss, there is a chance that your hearing professional might give you a hearing aid to wear. For many people, this is the kind of experience that you want to know as much about as possible before going in, so that you can feel truly prepared from the very beginning. In this article, we will take you through some of the most important and pertinent things that you need to know about hearing aids, to ensure that you feel prepared to wear one.

Which Type Is Right for Me?

The first thing to know is that there are many different types of hearing aid. Your hearing health professional will take you through a number of options and show you which is right for you, with your input. The main types are as follows:

• In the ear (ITE): These hearing aids sit in the outer bowl, and are not perhaps the most discrete option, as they are a kind of shell that fills the ear. However, they are very simple to operate and tend to feature many more controls than a lot of other types.
• Behind the ear (BTE): A BTE hearing aid is one where the main body fits behind the ear. This is a very traditional kind of hearing aid, but these days they are seamlessly designed to fit in with your hair and skin color, and they can be very small too.
• In the canal (ITC):Hearing aids fit inside the canal, and are therefore known as the most discrete types of hearing aids around. They can also be very powerful, however, so don’t let the size fool you.

How to Clean A Hearing Aid

If you have a hearing aid fitted, you are going to need to know how to clean it thoroughly too, which is something that can actually be a bit of a learning curve. How to do this will depend on the type of hearing aid you have fitted, and it is something you can ask your hearing care professional when you have it fitted.

The Features of A Hearing Aid

These days, hearing aids come with all sorts of features and functions, some of which you might want and some which you might feel are not quite necessary for your particular case. Very often, hearing aids will come with manual volume control, noise-reduction modes, feedback suppression and a directional microphone.

On top of that, you might want a hearing aid that has Bluetooth connectivity for your phone, among other similar features and functions. It’s up to you whether you need those, but if you are not sure you should simply ask your hearing care professional. They will be able to inform you of what features you need and which might be considered extraneous.

If you have an understanding of those essential things at least, you are going to feel a lot better about having your hearing aid fitted and you will be able to look forward to making the most of it.

Contact us today

Are you interested in learning more about hearing aids? Beltone Hearing Centre can walk you through the process from start to finish, as well as recommending the perfect set of hearing aids for your lifestyle. Give us a call today at (403) 942-4327.