Finding success with hearing aids

There’s no question about it, hearing aids are an investment. It’s our goal to make sure that you’re happy with the outcome of your purchase. As with any medical treatment, success for one person doesn’t necessarily mean success for another. So what are some of the factors that determine the success of hearing aids and overall patient satisfaction?

(1) The degree of hearing loss.

The most common type of hearing loss is a sensorineural hearing loss which is damage to the inner ear. This type of hearing loss is caused by damage to the inner ear hair cells which are responsible for transferring information to the hearing nerve then up to the brain. The more hair cells that become damaged, the more difficult it becomes for people to understand speech. When this happens, even with the assistance of hearing aids, patients will have difficulty understanding speech clearly. Following a full diagnostic hearing evaluation by one of our audiologists, we can determine your speech discrimination ability and provide you with realistic expectations for hearing aids.

(2) The type of technology.

Hearing aid technology has dramatically improved. People who are having difficulty understanding speech with their hearing aids, especially in noisy environments, may hear significantly better with newer technology. Hearing aids today have a much more natural sound quality and will significantly improve the ability to understand speech while in the presence of background noise.

(3) Properly programmed hearing aids.

Programming hearing aids is a process. This isn’t a one-and-done type of appointment. Typically hearing loss is very gradual, which means that the mind needs time to adapt and relearn all of the sounds it has forgotten. With proper amount of wear time by the patient, a hearing aid can be gradually increased up to their target. Also, with today’s hearing aid technology there are many fine-tuning adjustments that can be made to customize hearing aid programming in order to fit a patient’s needs. We use a verification system called Real Ear Measurements that allows us to make sure that all of the speech sounds are as audible as possible. This helps us ensure that you’re getting the most out of your hearing aids.

These are just a few of the reasons why some people do better than others with hearing aids. Our office strives to always give our patients realistic expectations when it comes to success with hearing aids, offer the latest in hearing aid technology, and guide guide you through the process of a successful hearing aid outcome.