Our Audiologists get asked a lot of questions about hearing aids. Here is a list of the most common ones.
- How do I know if I need hearing aids?
Before a person makes an appointment with one of our Audiologists, his/her family will notice that he/she is having difficulty hearing on a more frequent basis. If hearing loss is affecting your daily life, it is time to make an appointment to determine the degree of hearing loss that is present. Once one of our Audiologists tests your hearing, you and your Audiologist can determine which options are best for you.
- What style of hearing aid should I wear?
When you come in for your hearing aid consultation, your Audiologist will help you
decide which style is best for you. Appropriate style depends on the degree of hearing loss, configuration of the ear, your ability to insert and remove the hearing aid, any special features needed, and any problems with excessive wax or drainage from the ears.
- Do I have to wear two hearing aids?
For the most part, when a person has hearing loss, the hearing loss is similar in both ears. If you have hearing loss in both ears, it is strongly recommended that you get two to aid the loss in both ears. The advantages of wearing two are better hearing in noise, ability to localize sound and clearer sound quality.
Think of it this way, if you have vision loss in both eyes, would you wear a monocle to aid vision only in one eye? The answer is no. If we aid one eye or ear, this can make you feel off balance. For the best hearing with hearing aids, it is recommended to aid hearing loss in both ears.
However, there is a small percentage of people who only have hearing loss in one ear. If this were the case, one hearing aid would be suitable for you.
- How long does it take to get used to my new hearing aids?
Each person’s experience will be different. Hearing aids can help you hear sounds you have not heard for many years. Relearning takes place in the central auditory system and the brain needs some time to relearn any new information entering the ears. You will have a 60-day trial period that allows you time to adjust to your hearing aids and determine the benefit. Based on your experience, programming changes can be made to help with the adjustment process.
- Will hearing aids restore my hearing back to normal?
No. Hearing aids are designed to make things easier to hear and understand but do not restore the natural function of your ear.
- Can I adjust the volume on my hearing aids?
On most hearing aids, you may adjust the volume. However, smaller in the ear hearing aids may not have that option. When you come in for your hearing aid consultation, your Audiologist will go over all of those options with you.
- How often do I have to change the batteries in hearing aids?
There are two different options for batteries with hearing aids: rechargeable or traditional batteries.
Traditional batteries are zinc air batteries that range in size depending on the size of the hearing aids. Zinc air batteries last about one to two weeks depending on the size of the battery.
Rechargeable batteries are put into a charging unit every night at bedtime and once they are fully charged the charge lasts about 16-20 hours. Rechargeable batteries eventually must be replaced (anywhere from once a year to every 5-6 years depending on the rechargeable battery). This does come at a cost if your hearing aids are not under warranty.
- How long will my hearing aids last?
Hearing aids last about 4-5 years. Due to rapid changes in technology, hearing aids are continuing to improve. In our office, we do an in-office demo so that you can experience the difference in sound quality.
- Why are hearing aids so expensive?
This is the most commonly question about hearing aids. Each year hearing aid manufacturers are putting millions of dollars into research to make hearing aids smaller, clearer and more natural sounding. Hearing aids are making constantly making changes based off of the environment that you are in (quiet, restaurant, concert, etc). Each hearing aid is like a small computer for your ear. Another part of the cost is the services that are provided by our Audiologist. There are several different service packages that come with hearing aids, which vary in cost.
- How do I make an appointment to learn more about hearing aids?
You may call our office at 814-941-7770. We have two locations: Altoona and Ebensburg. Call today to make your appointment to learn more about what hearing aid is right for you!
