With dozens of different hearing aid brands, and each brand offering five or six technology levels (from basic to premium), deciding on which hearing aid is right for you is a daunting task. In this article, I will endeavour to explain a few of the various factors I consider when determining which hearing aid brand, and technology level, is most suitable for the individual in front of me.
1. Speech-In-Noise Ability
This is one of the most common difficulties for people with hearing loss – but it’s crucial to identify just how many difficulties any one individual has in noisy environments. To determine this, I always perform a Speech-In-Noise test as part of our testing at Holistic Hearing Solutions. The score from this test helps me better understand the degree of difficulty someone has in noise. If the score is particularly poor, we must consider more advanced/premium hearing aid technology. Conversely, if the score indicates mild speech-in-noise difficulty, we can consider less advanced, lower-cost options. It’s important to understand that there isn’t always a correlation between the degree of your hearing loss and your speech-in-noise score – someone with a severe hearing loss may have still achieve a relatively good score by just providing sufficient amplification (rather than aggressive noise reduction). This is a very important factor when considering which level of technology is most suitable
2. Type & Configuration of Hearing Loss
Hearing losses can take many different shapes such as a steeply sloping high-frequency loss, flat loss, cookie-bite loss, and reverse slope losses. Certain hearing aid brands are better suited to specific hearing profiles – steeply sloping losses require a brand that can provide stable high-frequency amplification while controlling feedback effectively, whereas someone with only a mild flat hearing loss may prefer a brand that provides amplification with minimal additional processing to provide a more organic sound profi
3. Bluetooth and Phone Compatibility
For the client who is desperate to hear their grandkids over WhatsApp, or the professional who has any number of important work-related phone calls, it’s important to ensure that we select a hearing aid brand that is both compatible and works reliably with the mobile phone they are using – not all hearing aids play nicely with all phones.
4. Access to Additional Accessories
I had a particular client who worked in the film & tv industry. Working on set, his communication demands were significant as he had to communicate with various departments and colleagues both face-to-face, and over 2-way communication systems (also known as Walkie-Talkies). His hearing needs were complicated, but achievable with the right accessory. Only one manufacturer had an accessory that enabled him to relay communications over the Walkie-Talkie into his hearing aid whilst still enabling him to have conversations with people directly in front of him. Choosing the right hearing aid brand was crucial to keeping him working effectively. Others require the support provided by Table microphones that can be place on long conference tables, or remote microphones that can be clipped to their significant other to hear them over distances, in the backseat of a care, or in noisy environments. When it comes to such accessories, each brand has a unique product offering that can make otherwise problematic situations much easier to navigate. Choosing the right brand can be make or break for such individuals.
5. Additional Health & Lifestyle Features
Nowadays, hearing aids can do more than just help you hear. Some hearing aids provide additional health and wellbeing features such as performing balance assessments, or active falls detection – alerting a list of predetermined contacts when the hearing aids register that the user has had a fall. Other features that can be advantageous for specific lifestyles, including more robust water resistance and aggressive wind noise reduction for users who spend a lot of time out in the elements. Understanding an individual’s lifestyle can help us choose brands that offer meaning benefits that suit a user’s lifestyle or health concerns.
At Holistic Hearing, we strive to provide thoughtfully considered hearing aid recommendations based on information gathered through a comprehensive hearing assessment and detailed discussion about your hearing needs, lifestyle, listening environments, and personal goals. By taking the time to understand each individual, we can recommend solutions that are tailored not only to hearing loss, but also to comfort, communication demands, and long-term satisfaction.
