If you’re still wearing your older hearing aids, they may be better than no hearing aids, but they also could be costing you in some ways. Hearing aid technology has progressed a great deal in the past few years! It’s changed from analog to digital, for one thing, and there are features today that weren’t even on the drawing board a decade ago.
If you’re considering upgrading your hearing aids, there are a few things you’ll have to do in order to choose the best ones for your needs. A hearing test to find out how your hearing has changed will be required first. Once you understand how much hearing loss you have, you can start to narrow down your options. It’s probably time for an upgrade for the following reasons.
Dependability of hearing aids
Every now and then you’ll get an annoying buzz or other problems with older or low-quality hearing aids. What about when you get near a phone and your hearing aids begin to feedback? Sometimes, there’s a shrill feedback sound that seems to happen out of nowhere, too. Your feedback will be considerably reduced with newer models which have features that compensate for common problems.
Volume isn’t enough
Volume control was about the only function of hearing aids a decade ago. Hearing aids have a lot more technology and capability nowadays.
- Improved sound quality: Older hearing aid models had much lower quality of sound than modern-day models. This is the result of advances in digital signal processing, which allows hearing aids to more precisely reproduce sound. Modern hearing aids also often offer custom programs that are set for specific settings.
- Bluetooth capability: This feature lets hearing aids connect to other devices, such as smartphones, TVs, and other smart devices. Making phone calls or listening to music becomes easy with this.
- Voice focus: Some hearing aids also offer voice focus, which helps the user to focus on the voices they want to hear. The sound of the desired voice is picked up and amplified by directionally arranged microphones. When somebody is talking quietly or in a loud setting, voice focus can be really helpful.
- Background noise reduction: Contemporary hearing aids use numerous techniques to reduce background noise, including directional microphones, noise filters, and feedback nullification. Noise filters minimize unwanted noise while directional microphones are made to detect sound right in front of you. When your hearing aid is not properly fitted, a whistling sound can happen which will be prevented by feedback cancellation.
Frequent battery replacing
When we’re thinking about a hearing aid upgrade, cost is always a consideration. You may think that upgrading your hearing aid will cost too much, but old antiquated hearing aids can be expensive also. The batteries in analog devices go dead and need to be replaced frequently. If you’re replacing the battery on a daily basis, or even more frequently than that, the cost adds up.
Old hearing aids can potentially spend more time at the shop, also. Think of what a 1990 Chevy would be like and apply that idea to hearing aids. The costs of the continual repairs can get quickly out of hand.
You can’t hear your coworkers
Research has shown that hearing loss can lead to a lower income. Doesn’t it seem sensible then, that better hearing aids would be a career asset? You’ll hear your boss and customers clearer. You won’t have to be concerned about whether you will miss significant information or guidelines.
And with stronger communication, you will have a better quality of life. You don’t need to sit by yourself during conversations anymore. Jump in and engage with the people around you.
You want a smaller hearing aid
When you look in the mirror at your outdated hearing aid, what words come to mind? Awkward? Noticeable? OMG? Some of the most considerable advantages that come with updating old hearing aids are flexibility and style. A number of shapes, styles, and sizes are available in modern hearing aids. You could either get one in your favorite color and make a fashion statement or get one discrete enough that it will go unnoticed by others.
If you’re considering getting new hearing aids, or if you already have them but you’re not happy with the results, think about upgrading to a newer model. Technology has advanced significantly in the past several years, and there are now hearing aids available that can do things that were never possible before. Contact us today to talk about your options.