The Comprehensive Guide That Anybody Considering Investing In Hearing Aids Should Read

Helping Texans

Hear BetterSince 1989

The ReSound Hearing Aid Buyers Guide

Where Should You Buy Your Hearing Aids?

Now that you understand what hearing aids should do, let’s walk through your buying options.

One of the biggest challenges that you may be facing right now is where to buy your hearing aids.

You’re bombarded with ads from big named stores offering heavily discounted hearing aids on one hand, then you’re being advised that you should visit highly qualified Doctors of Audiology on the other hand.

So, before we look at the different hearing aids and different styles available to you – I want to share an unbiased breakdown of the options available to

you, sharing the positives and negatives of each.

Depending on what you’re looking for when it comes to addressing your hearing loss, you’ll land on a different solution in the following article – but this definitive unbiased breakdown of each option available to you will help you to understand today’s marketplace.

But before we get started …

Before we look at the three key options available to you, you need to understand the process of being fitted with hearing aids and what determines a good experience and a bad experience.

Because unlike buying a new television or some groceries, the decision should never live or die by the price-point.

When you invest in hearing aids, their job is to fit comfortably in your ear and properly amplify the external sounds that your level of hearing loss is preventing you from hearing. This enables the brain to be properly stimulated where it needs to be in order to reduce the risk of auditory processing disorders becoming worse- and these disorders have been proven to contribute to cognitive and emotional decline.

It’s why your hearing loss needs to be tested …

... and why your hearing aids need to be exactly fine-tuned and programmed to your level of hearing loss.

Unless this happens, then you’re essentially putting small microphones and speakers in your ear that just makes everything louder – and while this can be better than nothing – it’s far from what today’s level of hearing technology is capable of.

What You Need To Know About Buying Hearing Aids

Warehouse Club Stores1

I’m sure you have seen the advertisements offering hearing aids at low prices through the national chain stores.

Costco is a great example of this.

With multiple stores to buy throughout the US and their simplicity, there’s a lot of benefits from buying from national chain stores and it’s clear to see why they’re the right option for many Americans.

BENEFITS ● National chain stores are one of the cheapest places to buy hearing aids as they’re able to pass

their bulk-buy savings onto you.

● They have a large range of hearing technology from multiple manufacturers, giving you multiple styles and features to choose from.

NEGATIVES ● Their products are usually “locked”- which means that if you want to take them somewhere that

provides a higher level of service than the club, you will likely be out of luck.

● You’ll likely not be seen by the best in the industry. The fact is, most of the really good profes-sionals in this industry don’t have a desire to work at a warehouse club. You don’t spend years honing your skills and becoming an expert in your industry to listen to cash registers beep and have ice cream thawing in your “lobby”. In fact, Costco commonly puts cashiers and other as-sociates through a streamlined training program for licensure- which means the person fitting your hearing aids there may be a guy who was stocking the dog food aisle 6 months ago, and who’s entire industry experience is based on the environment of a warehouse club.

● Wait times for service appointments- while Costco’s services are streamlined as best they can be, they stay booked up- which means if you need service on your hearing aids or counseling on their use, you may have to wait weeks for an appointment and still be treated like you are being run through a cattle mill. I’ve heard horror stories. Cheaper is not necessarily a better value.

If price is the most important thing to you, then national chain stores may be the best option for you. You likely won’t experience the best performance from your hearing aids, but they are a much better option than not treating your hearing loss. However, know what you’re getting into. I don’t consider this to be your best option. Getting a lesser level of technology with a higher level of care is typically a better choice for most users.

VERDICT

You’ll have likely come across some hearing aid franchises- they typically have a large number of locations and local owners with a small friendly local team- or sometimes are owned by a hearing aid manufacturer directly.

Like national stores, they often don’t have any doctors of audiology available for consult, yet their sole focus is hearing loss and hearing aids – giving you a much more personal service than the Warehouse Club stores.

BENEFITS ● They have a large network of locations.

● They have a range of good hearing technology- but typically just from one manufacturer.

● They offer comprehensive hearing assessments – your hearing will be thoroughly tested ensur-ing that your hearing aid will be perfectly programmed to your level of hearing loss.

NEGATIVES ● Limited Product Selection.

● Many devices are still “private labeled”, so you can’t have them adjusted by anyone outside of their network.

● Franchise fees are expensive- so the costs are often passed on to the consumer- you could easily pay more for the same product than you need to, and the products can often be hard to compare in the open marketplace.

Chain stores can be a good choice if it’s your only choice, but dealing with someone who is manufacturer direct (while not being wholly owned by a manufacturer) may be a better choice.

VERDICT

Hearing AidFranchises & Manufacturer

Owned Clinics2

Audiology Clinics3

Audiologists hold either a masters degree in Audiology or an AuD (doctorate of audiology), and are generally well educated in disorders of the ear.

Most audiologists work in either private practice or in conjunction with an ENT office (ENT’s are true medical doctors).

BENEFITS ● Your hearing health is cared for and treated by a doctor of audiology who has a graduate degree.

● You receive an in-depth professional hearing assessment.

● If you have medical balance concerns, then they can offer the right level of health care to help or a referral to a medical doctor.

NEGATIVES ● Due to the typical “medical model”, you will typically pay much more for care over time, and at

the end of the day, an advanced degree by itself has never made anyone hear better.

If you have concerns about a medical problem causing your hearing loss, you should start here. Also, medical practices are not typically a model that anyone looks to for exemplary customer service or technological expertise. When was the last time you walked out of a Doctor’s office thinking about what a “great experience” you just had?

VERDICT

I wanted to include ‘Hearing Aid Express’ in this list because the reason that thousands of Texans choose us each year is because we’re a combination of all three

previous options, taking the best parts of each without the downsides.

BENEFITS ● Hearing Aid Express offer some of the most competitive prices on the market, ensuring you’re

getting great technology.

● The team consists of a mix of Doctors of Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers ensuring that you have access to highly-qualified hearing care experts along with the convenience and great relationship with a dispenser that knows everything about your hearing aid technology

● You will receive a comprehensive in-depth hearing assessment ensuring that your hearing aids are programmed to your exact level of hearing loss to give you the best performance- all as part of a treatment plan that is overseen by a Doctor of Audiology with over 20 years dispensing ex-perience- and an owner that is a 3 time US patent holder in hearing technology that is focused on making sure that the process is comfortable and that each client is taken care of in a way that simply stands out as “WOW”.

Chain stores can be a good choice if it’s your only choice, but dealing with someone who is manufacturer direct (while not being wholly owned by a manufacturer) may be a better choice.

VERDICT

Hearing Aid Express4

Helping You Choose The Right Hearing Aid For YouBased on Your Unique Circumstances, Budget and LifestyleWith multiple styles and various features of hearing aids, this will give you a comprehensive breakdown of everything that you need to know to decide what option is right for you.

The style of the hearing aid refers to the size and shape of the hearing aid.

Some hearing aids hook over the top of your ear and rest behind the ear, and others fit completely inside the ear canal.

Your hearing examination results and your listening needs are both taken into consideration when deciding the appropriate style of hearing aid.

Let’s take a look at the different styles …

This first section will detail the pros and cons of the different hearing aid styles that fit completely in the ear.

These hearing aids are custom molded using impressions of your ear canals and are designed specifically for your ears.

The behind the ear style hearing aids are the most versatile style of hearing aids due to the power capabilities and size.

The Style of Hearing Aid

● For mild to moderate hearing loss ● Smallest and least visible ● Less wind noise ● Usually has the least amount of

extra features (wind reduction, volume control, etc…)

● Shorter battery life due to its small size

● For moderate to severe hearing loss ● Has room for volume control and

other features ● Larger battery for extended life ● Most visible due to its larger size

● Appropriate for most degrees of hearing loss

● Most versatile and customizable ● Comfortable and discreet ● Rechargeable options

● For moderate hearing loss ● Larger than a CIC but still discreet ● More features than a CIC

● Protected from wind noise ● Increased word recognition ● Less visible than some other

in the ear options ● Susceptible to earwax clogging

the speaker

● For severe to profound hearing loss ● Typically used with a mold and

sound tube ● Large battery for extended life ● Bulky and indiscreet

Completely in the Canal (CIC) and Invisible in the Canal (IIC)

In the Ear (ITE)

Receiver in the Canal (RIC) or Receiver in the Ear (RITE)

In the Canal (ITC)

Microphone in Helix (MIH)

Behind the Ear (BTE)

The main thing that separates one hearing aid from another is the technology level of the hearing instrument.

The different levels are determined by the technological features present in the instrument. In the past, hearing aids were considered “advanced”

if they had more channels or some form of noise reduction. These days, the number of features in modern hearing aids can be overwhelming.

Here is a basic breakdown of what you need to know ...

Levels of Technology

● Channels – Refers to the range in which the incoming sound is filtered and processed. In the past, the more channels you have would equal to better hearing. In the digital age, channels are utilized differently and “more” does not necessarily mean “better,” but you still want enough to allow your provider to make fine tuning adjustments.

● Noise Reduction – Filters out unwanted noise to better understand speech. Every hearing instrument has noise reduction but how well it works can vary greatly depending on the technology level.

● Bluetooth – Wireless connection to devices such as your phone, TV, and assisted listening devices. Modern hearing aids also use Bluetooth to allow the hearing aids to “talk to each other” to determine where the microphones should focus to understand speech.

● Automatic – This feature will automatically adjust the hearing aids in different listening environments. The hearing aids will assess each environment and decide how much noise reduction to use and even follow the dominant speech for maximum effectiveness in crowds and restaurants.

● Frequency Shaping – The ability to move higher frequencies you no longer hear to a lower range to help with speech discrimination.

● Tinnitus Therapy – This feature presents a “masking” white noise to help the user find relief or ignore the symptoms related to tinnitus such as ringing or chirping in the ears.

Important Features

Still confused? You’re not alone. On top of all the different features, manufactures will have different names for the features, as well. Noise Reduction in one hearing aid might be called Noise Management or Noise Block in another.

The bottom line is…The higher levels of technology will filter more noise and increase speech understanding.

When deciding which level is right for you, considering how often you are in environments with background noise is an important step in the decision-making process.

Basic Level

The basic level will typically include hearing aids with the least channels and features. Fine tuning and Bluetooth capabilities will be limited but will still offer digital signal processing and basic noise and wind reduction. This level is budget friendly and will work well for those who are typically in quiet listening environments.

Premium Level

Premium level hearing aids will have the most channels, strongest noise reduction, and are fully automatic. These hearing aid will automatically determine the best combination and intensity of every feature to locate and isolate the speech you want to hear. Tinnitus therapy, frequency shaping, and spatial awareness will be more effective at this level, as well. Users that rely on accurate speech discrimination, work in noisy environments, and enjoy an active lifestyle will perform at their best with premium level hearing aids.

Advanced Level

The advanced hearing aids will have more channels and levels of noise reduction. Most hearing aids in this category will have full Bluetooth capabilities and will allow direct connectivity to most smart phones. This level also starts to incorporate some of the highly sought-after automatic features. Some tinnitus therapy and frequency shaping features are available, as well. Users who frequent moderately noisy environments will do well with this level of technology.

Level Summary

Budget

Now that you know the different styles of hearing aids and what separates them from a technology standpoint, you still have another important consideration—your budget.

Here are a few things to take into account …

● It is important to find a balance between what you are comfortable spending and the level of technology that suits your listening needs.

● Hearing aid costs are typically bundled. This means that after your initial purchase, all of your cleanings, adjustments, future testing, and in-office repairs are completely free.

● Most hearing healthcare providers offer financing to help avoid the large upfront costs. Hearing Aid Express offers a leasing program, as well.

● ALWAYS check to see if you have insurance benefits that might help. Although most insurance policies do not directly cover hearing aids, it never hurts to check.

● Remember, you will be wearing your hearing aids all day, every day. It is important to choose the hearing aids that you will enjoy wearing. Finding the cheapest option may make wearing your hearing aids difficult to appreciate. Choose wisely!

Helping Texans

Hear BetterSince 1989

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