How to Select the Right Hearing Aids for You

If you’re concerned about hearing loss or have recently been diagnosed with hearing loss, then you might be thinking about how to choose the best hearing aid for your needs. It’s something that you have a surprising amount of control over and your audiologist will listen to your needs and help you choose one that best suits you.

But to help assist in that process, we’ve put together a couple of tips that will help you pick the right hearing aids, and also give you some details on what you should be thinking about during the process of choosing your hearing aids.

1. Consider what you’ll be using your hearing aids for

If you’ve never seen or used hearing aids before then you might assume that they’re all very similar. The reality is that there are many different types of hearing aids to choose from and discussing what you’ll use your hearing aids for is a good starting point to help you select the best ones.

For instance, if you’re an active person and love to exercise, then you may want a pair of lightweight hearing aids that will fit comfortably so that they don’t fall off during exercise. Alternatively, if you want your hearing aids to be discreet so that they don’t stand out during a meeting or social gathering, you can pick hearing aids that match your skin color and are out of the way.

2. Consider your level of finger dexterity

Finger dexterity is a bigger concern than most people think when using hearing aids. If you feel like you’d struggle with smaller hearing aids, then you may want to consider a larger hearing aid that hooks behind your ear and has buttons that are easier to press.

Some hearing aids are very small and will frequently require battery swaps. If you’re not confident in swapping small parts in finicky devices, then you may want to consider a larger hearing aid that won’t pose any problems when you perform maintenance on it.

3. Consider the features you need

Hearing aids have improved drastically over the past couple of years, leading to some very convenient features that could affect your choice. For instance, some hearing aids now come with wireless technology to double as earphones and can even be used to answer calls. Other hearing aids come with sound generating features that can help you mask the effects of tinnitus, and others come with rechargeable batteries that don’t need to be replaced as often.

Your audiologist will discuss the choices with you and help you pick something that meets your needs. However, you should expect to pay a little more for advanced features, so if you’re not too bothered about the latest technology then you can save a bit of money by picking hearing aids with basic features instead.

Hearing aids come in all different shapes and sizes, so don’t be afraid to speak to your audiologist about your personal needs so that they can help you find the perfect pair of hearing aids.