How Can an Audiologist Help You Pick Hearing Aids?

When you need hearing aids, choosing the right ones is important. You hearing aids should fit into your life as naturally as possible, and be a help and not a hindrance or inconvenience. If you have never had hearing aids before, you might be unsure about how to choose the right ones for you. Fortunately, your audiologist can help you to pick the perfect hearing aids for your needs. They use their knowledge and experience to recommend hearing aids based on your hearing, your lifestyle, your style preferences and your budget.

Comprehensive hearing tests

First, your audiologist needs to understand your hearing. Different types of hearing aids are often suitable for different levels of hearing loss. Your audiologist can give you the best advice based on your hearing. Hearing tests involve a number of different methods that measure various aspects of your hearing. Your audiologist will do things like playing sounds into your ears at different volumes and pitches or testing the functioning of your eardrum. The results of your hearing test will be plotted on an audiogram for your audiologist to review.

Once your audiologist knows more about your hearing, they can recommend the best hearing aid types for you. For example, a completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aid is suitable for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. People with more severe hearing loss might benefit more from an in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aid or behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid.

Understanding your lifestyle

Your lifestyle is another important factor that your audiologist will take into account when helping you to pick hearing aids. Your audiologist will talk to you about your life and your habits, so they can make the best recommendations. For example, they will ask you about your activity levels and whether you play any sports or do any physical activity. They will also ask about your social life and what types of environments you spend your time in. This can help your audiologist to recommend technology and features that fit into your lifestyle. Someone with an active social life might benefit from digital technology that adjusts to different listening environments. A music lover might like a hearing aid with Bluetooth so they can connect to their favorite devices.

Your preferences for looks

What your hearing aid looks like might be important to you, too. Many people prefer a more discreet hearing aid that is less noticeable. You might also be looking for something that's  a certain size so that the controls are easier to handle. When considering aesthetic preferences, it's also important to think about hearing needs. Some hearing aid styles might not be suitable for some people.

Your budget

Your audiologist can also help you to find something that works within your budget. They can offer a number of suggestions at different prices so that you can select something that works for you.

A good audiologist will help you to find the right hearing aids. They will listen to your needs and offer suggestions that might work for you.