If you’re still wearing your older hearing aids, they may be better than no hearing aids, but they also may be costing you in some ways. Hearing aid technology has progressed a great deal in the last few years! A decade ago many of the features of modern hearing aids weren’t even in development, going digital for instance.
When you determine it’s time to upgrade, choosing the correct one will take some preparation. A hearing exam to identify how your hearing has changed will be necessary first. Your choices will start to be narrowed down once we identify your current degree of hearing loss. Here are a few reasons why it’s most likely time for an upgrade.
Hearing aid dependability
Older or even low-quality hearing aids have real issues, like that irritating buzz you hear every once in a while. How about when you go next to a phone and your hearing aids begin to feedback? Frequently, they will squeal with feedback for no evident reason. Your feedback will be greatly decreased with newer models which have features that compensate for common problems.
Volume isn’t enough
Volume control was about the only function of hearing aids ten years ago. Hearing aids have much more technology and functionality nowadays.
- Improved sound quality: Older hearing aid models had much lower quality of sound than modern-day models. This is due to advances in digital signal processing, which allows hearing aids to more precisely duplicate sound. Modern hearing aids also frequently offer custom programs that are preset for specific settings.
- Voice focus: Some hearing aids also offer voice focus, which helps the user to focus on the voices they want to hear. The sound of the desired voice is detected and amplified by directionally set microphones. When someone is speaking quietly or in a loud setting, voice focus can be very helpful.
- Background noise reduction: Modern hearing aids use a variety of techniques to reduce background noise, including directional microphones, noise filters, and feedback cancellation. Directional microphones center on the sound coming from the front of the wearer, while noise filters reduce undesirable sounds from all directions. Feedback cancellation helps to counter the whistling sound that can take place when hearing aids are not fitted properly.
- Bluetooth capability: This feature allows hearing aids to sync to other devices, like smartphones, TVs, and other smart devices. Making phone calls or listening to music becomes simple with this.
You have to change the batteries – a lot
Price is always a consideration with regard to upgrading your hearing aids. You may think that updating your hearing aid will be too expensive, but old outdated hearing aids can be expensive too. The batteries in analog devices die and need to be replaced frequently. If you are replacing the battery every day, or even more often than that, the cost adds up.
Old hearing aids break down and need to go to the shop for repair more frequently. If you think of your hearing aid as a 1992 Buick, you get the concept. It’s in for repair more than it’s in your ear and the repairs are not cheap.
You can’t hear your coworkers
Research reveals that people with neglected hearing loss will have a lower income. Doesn’t it seem sensible then, that better hearing aids would be a career advantage? You’ll have an easier time hearing what customers, coworkers, and your boss are saying to you. You will follow instructions without wondering if you got it right and have essential discussions without worrying about whether your hearing aids will cut out or not.
And with stronger communication, you will have a better quality of life. You don’t need to sit by yourself during conversations anymore. Get right back into being socially connected.
You want a smaller hearing aid
When you look in the mirror at your outdated hearing aid, what comes to mind? Awkward? Obvious? OMG? Style and flexibility are some of the most significant reasons to upgrade those old hearing aids. A number of shapes, styles, and sizes are available in modern hearing aids. You could either get one in your favorite color and make a fashion statement or get one small enough that it will go unnoticed by others.
It’s time to think about upgrading your hearing aids if you’re not happy with the results you’re getting from your old set. Technology has advanced significantly in the past few years, and there are now hearing aids available that can do things that were never possible in the past. Contact us today to discuss your options.