When it comes to choosing a hearing aid, it can be tempting to think that hearing aids fall into three categories – poor, good, best. It doesn’t happen this way though.
Since 1986, Acadian Hearing Services has established a reputation both locally, here in Lake Charles, and nationally, as Louisiana’s leading hearing and balance specialists.
Despite this, there is no way we can say that anyone hearing aid is the best for a hearing loss.
It’s like saying there are only three categories of car when the reality is that the best car is the one that best fits your needs and preference of looks and features. It all comes down to you.
With this in mind, I’ll share below what to consider when you are looking into your choice of hearing aids and how to come to your final decision.
Hearing Aid Manufacturers
Just like car shopping, we understand how personal choosing a hearing aid can be.
We’ve been helping our patients with their hearing and balance needs for over 32 years, and all this experience has helped us to choose which hearing aid manufacturers to work with.
We work primarily with two to three prominent hearing aid manufacturers so that we can have all the options we need for each patient’s unique circumstances: ReSound and Signia/Siemens. We also work with Phonak, Oticon, and Starkey.
All these manufacturers constantly upgrade the technology and features in their hearing aids.
Anyone with a hearing loss can avail of a device by any of these manufacturers that will help them have the best short- and long-term hearing health.
It’s not that one manufacturer is better than another, but we have found that by keeping it small, we are able to become extremely adept at troubleshooting or finetuning patients’ hearing aids for special circumstances.
The newest hearing aids are impressive. For example, ReSound LiNX Quattro has exceptional sound quality and is easy to adjust and use for streaming smart devices. Signia Active Pro has excellent sound processing, Bluetooth streaming, and a long charge.
Top 6 Things To Consider When Choosing A Hearing Device
Before recommending a specific hearing device to a patient, we specifically look at the following aspects:
- Hearing loss – Manufacturers have different models available that address mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss, so we need to make sure you are getting the best model for your hearing ability.
- Sound quality – One of the things we care about a lot is how your hearing aid processes all the various sounds you hear. Does it deliver clear sounds no matter where the speakers are or how still they are? Does it clear out background noise and process both low and high pitches clearly? Does it adjust automatically for the different sounds in nature, on TV, or during a concert?
- Lifestyle – You’ll need a hearing aid that will fit properly inside your ear and stay there, even if you enjoy outdoor sports.
- Dexterity – You no longer have to fumble with tiny buttons or wheels on hearing aids. Many of the newer hearing aids work with a phone app, where you can adjust all the settings you want with a tap.
- Budget – We can work with most budgets, and we offer payment plans, leasing, and out of pocket purchases.
- Needs – We are familiar with recommending and fitting hearing aids for any age and lifestyle, including newborn infants, industrial workers, and armed service veterans.
How Do You Choose The Right Hearing Aids?
As I’ve laid out here, there are many things to consider when choosing your hearing aids, so it’s not a decision that should be rushed.
Here at Acadian Hearing Services, our audiology specialists can help you to choose the right hearing aids for you based on your budget, your level of hearing loss, your preferred style, and your lifestyle.
You can test a range of different styles right in our central or south clinic for fit and sound quality, and we’ll answer any questions you might have about each one.
Before hearing aids, though, your first step is to book your hearing assessment at our hearing center so we can evaluate you properly and decide together how best we can help you treat your hearing loss, if needed.
To schedule your hearing assessment, or if you would like a second opinion from one of our audiology specialists, then simply fill out the form on this page or call us directly.
