Monday, May 13, 2013

How Lifestyle Influences Hearing Aid Choice



Hearing loss, speech-in-noise intelligibility, lifestyle, and budget are all major factors an audiologist must consider when helping an individual choose the appropriate hearing instruments and accessories. In considering the patient's lifestyle, the audiologist will address the following questions:
  • Is it difficult to follow conversations in noisy environments? How well do you understand rapid speech?
  • Are you a public speaker? Do you work with women and children on a frequent basis? Are children and women’s voices more difficult to understand?
  • Do you attend lectures or public speaking engagements in large environments on a frequent basis? Are you a student or regular church attender?
    • In each case, a hearing aid with advanced digital noise suppression, bluetooth connectivity, and frequency compression features would provide real benefit.
  • Are you physically active? Do you work outdoors or like to swim, fish, or kayak?
    • A waterproof or water-resistant hearing aid would be ideal.
  • Do you work in a dusty environment? Are you a craftsmen? Do you work with wood?
    • A dustproof hearing aid would be ideal.
  • Do you play golf frequently or participate in outdoor activities?
    • A hearing aid that has advanced wind noise reduction features would be beneficial.
  • Do you have difficulty conversing on a landline and cell phone? Do you have difficulty hearing the television?
    • Wireless accessories that stream the audio of the phone and television directly to both hearing aids would be ideal.   
  • Do you have tinnitus?
    • A hearing instrument can be dispensed that provides relief from tinnitus.

For more information on how to choose the right hearing instruments, click here.

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