Before choosing a hearing aid there are a number of factors to consider.
Three physical factors
1. Type and degree of hearing loss
Your hearing care professional will examine you to determine the exact degree and type of your hearing loss. If you have a severe hearing loss, a Behind-the-Ear (BTE) instrument might be the most appropriate choice, as it can provide more powerful amplification.
2. Ear anatomy
The space inside our ears varies from person to person. Most ears are big enough for an In-the-Ear hearing aid but they may not always be large enough to accommodate the smaller types that fit deep into the ear canal.
3. One or two instruments?
If you have a hearing loss in both ears, you should wear two instruments. Not because they make things twice as loud, but because - by mimicking the natural hearing process - they give you a better sense of where the sound is coming from. They also help to avoid a condition known as “auditory deprivation”, where the ear becomes lazy due to lack of stimulation.
Five personal factors
There are number of personal factors to consider when selecting a hearing aid:
1. Communication needs
Take some time to consider the situations where you would like to improve your hearing. What do you want to achieve at work and at home? Telling your audiologist about your needs will help them find an appropriate solution.
2. Handling hearing aids
The smaller the instrument, the smaller the controls and batteries. So if your eyes aren’t as good as they used to be, or your fingers cannot cope with small batteries and controls, a larger instrument would be the best solution.
3. Cosmetic appearance
Hearing aids come in a wide variety of sizes. The most discreet solutions are In-the-Canal (ITC), compact Behind-the-Ear (BTE) or Receiver-In-The-Ear (RITE) instruments in a hair or skin-tone colour. Bright colours are available for children.
If you prefer a hi-tech solution that doesn’t look like a hearing aid at all, then Oticon Delta is the answer. You can discuss your personal preferences with your hearing care professional to find the style that suits you best.
4. Price
Hearing aids come in various price categories, and medical insurance plans differ greatly. Some insurance plans cover part of the diagnostic testing, but currently only few plans cover the full cost of the instruments. So do remember to discuss these issues with your hearing care professional.
5. Sound quality
Technology is everywhere today, helping to solve people's problems. It certainly has improved the size and performance of hearing aids. Almost all instruments today are digital, running on powerful computer microchips to provide the best possible sound quality.