“I’m worried about my hearing but I’m not sure which hearing aid to buy. Which is the best?
“My audiologist recommended brand X hearing aids. Are these the best?
People ask me questions like this all the time, mostly people new to the experience of hearing loss, whether about themselves or a family member, and my answer is always the same.
The best hearing aid is the one that the person uses constantly.
The details of what that means will vary depending on the person’s lifestyle, degree/type of hearing loss, and communication goals, but if someone doesn’t use hearing aids, they are useless.
Choosing the best hearing aid is complicated
Hearing aids are not a perfect solution to hearing loss, but they are an essential step. Constant wear is important. Constant use allows the brain to acclimate to its new sound environment, giving the user the best opportunity to communicate well in the widest range of listening situations.
Choosing a hearing aid can be complicated, especially if you are new to the process. A qualified hearing care professional (HCP) will make recommendations based on your hearing loss. The best ones will support devices that assess lifestyle factors and patient preferences while meeting the technical aspects of the audiogram. When healthcare professionals don’t include all of these items, devices can end up in the proverbial drawer collecting dust.
Factors that affect the constant use of hearing aids
What makes a person constantly wear hearing aids? The list is as varied as there are people with hearing loss, but the following categories are probably important to almost everyone.
1. Pleasant in comfort and appearance.
While I think hearing aids are great, the stigma can be a difficult factor for first-time users to overcome. They may want to make their devices as invisible as possible. The degree and type of hearing loss may limit form factor options for some people. Still, hearing loss permitting, I see no shame in honoring the consumer’s desire for small devices if it increases the chances of them being used regularly.
Comfort is also essential for consistent use. If a consumer’s earmolds do not fit comfortably and securely in the ear or cause skin irritations, hearing aid use will be affected.
2. Equipped to assist in difficult listening environments
When hearing aids are useful in a wide variety of situations, people will want to wear them constantly. That’s why it’s important to include Bluetooth and telecoil functionality in your devices. Hearing aids alone will help with speech understanding in quiet, but for noisier environments or when the speaker is far away, these other technologies are a big help.
For example, Bluetooth allows users to stream audio content and take phone calls directly to their devices. Telecoil helps them access loop systems in theaters and other public spaces. The best healthcare professionals will explain how and when each feature is useful. While most people will understand Bluetooth connectivity, they may not be familiar with telecoils unless they are informed by their healthcare professional.
3. Usable with other assistive listening devices
The best healthcare professionals will educate their clients on all the ways they can make their hearing aids more adaptable, an important factor in consistent use. For example, pairing headphones with a remote microphone can help bring a speaker’s voice directly to your ears at a conference, in-person class, or a loud cocktail party. Closed captions are also useful for filling in auditory blanks on video conferencing platforms, FaceTime, and in conversations with other people.
4. Combined with softer skills.
Versatility is the key to consistent use. To get the most out of our hearing devices, we need to combine them with more interpersonal skills, such as a better mindset about hearing loss, and behavioral changes, such as using best communication practices. The best healthcare professionals will look beyond technology to incorporate these important skill sets into their recommendations and advice.
To learn more about all aspects of living skillfully with hearing loss, read Hear and Beyond: Living Skillfully with Hearing Loss.
Meet consumers where they are
The right hearing aid will not be the same for all clients. To encourage consistent use, professionals must meet consumers where they are. The best healthcare professionals will recommend devices that meet each person’s list of must-haves within the context of the technologies available and appropriate for their hearing loss.
Readers, how do you answer the question “What is the best hearing aid?”
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