FAQ

Ok, when you have a customer that comes into the office for a Hearing Evaluation, one of the things that you will come to somewhere along the way in the Evaluation is, does that customer need two hearing aids (Bilateral) or do they need just one Hearing Aid (Monaural)?

Hopefully, you have checked their ears for wax but let’s just say you have already done that and you haven’t found wax there. Next,  you will want to look at the audiogram and see what it has to tell you. I know that sounds like you put a lot of emphasis on the Hearing Evaluation and the results. But let’s look at the results from a Professional perspective. The audiogram will tell you what your options are and even the style’s of hearing you will need to put on the customer, it will tell us how many Hearing aids! Even down to what kind of results the customer will have many times. I will say it is accurate 98 percent of the time.

You will have customers that will surprise you and you will have some that don’t match up to the hearing test but not many times. If it doesn’t match your results, it would be recommended to go back and do a retest if there are any questions.

There are many arguments as to which way to go when you are considering Monaural vs. Bilateral.

The article on audiology online listed at the top can cover this more thoroughly than we have time to but to get to the basics of this subject there are two main reasons for Monaural vs. Bilateral fitting. A binaural fitting the customer will have a higher understanding ratio(Laymen

How do you know when it’s time to start thinking about hearing aids? Here are a few indicators to look for:

• You ask your family and friends to repeat what they say–on a regular basis.
• You get frustrated from not understanding what others are saying.
• Your family says you talk too loudly.
• You have trouble hearing when your back is turned to the speaker.
• You turn the television or radio up so loud it disturbs the rest of your family.
• You have trouble hearing or understanding what was said when there is lots of background noise.
• You find telephone conversations increasingly difficult.
• You go out of your way to avoid going to noisy places, because it

Many people who really need hearing aids often doubt that they will make any real difference in their lives. Here are several reasons why the investment is always worthwhile.

1. Hearing Loss has been linked to Dementia.

According to a John Hopkins University Study, seniors experiencing hearing loss are much more likely to also develop dementia. The more difficulty you have in hearing, the greater your chances are of developing dementia. Want to protect your memory? Protect your hearing!

2. New hearing aid technologies provide benefits like never before.

With today’s technology, those annoying squealing sounds (feedback) are a thing of the past. The companies we carry use an algorithm to sort through the noise, amplifying important sounds like speech. Plus, there are more styles than ever to choose from, making it easy to find the perfect fit for you.

3. Your hearing loss is more noticeable than hearing aids will ever be.

When you first meet someone, you rarely notice right away if they are wearing a hearing aid. But if that person has difficulty hearing, you notice that immediately because it makes connecting with that person so much harder. The more time you spend with a hearing-impaired individual, the more keenly you feel the obstacle to meaningful conversation.

4. Television or radio volumes can be set at levels comfortable to others.

It’s difficult for hearing-impaired individuals to watch tv or listening to the radio with other people, because they need the volume set too loud for everyone else’s comfort. As a result, sometimes family and friends will try to avoid watching tv with that relative. More often, though, hearing-impaired seniors will just retreat into silence rather than impose on their loved ones.

5. Conversation on the phone is much easier.

Whatever did we do before the telephone was invented? It’s the next best thing to actually being with family and friends. Plus, more and more business can be transacted over the telephone, making physical errands unnecessary. Hearing loss makes it difficult to function normally in a telephone-saturated society. Plus, the telephone is often the link between immobile seniors and the rest of the world. Don’t give that up if you don’t have to!

6. Enjoy the theater, church services, shopping, and being with family and friends with confidence.

This is one of the most important reasons. Hearing-impaired individuals often find social situations challenging and even intimidating. The result is that they tend to retreat across the bridge of hearing into their own silent world. Your family and friends need you, and you need them. Not being involved in the lives of other people has more devastating effects on your well-being than any physical impairment.

7. Hear the pleasant sounds of nature: Birds, leaves rustling in the park or even the pleasant sound of a waterfall.

There’s nothing quite like sitting on your porch on a summer evening and listening to the music of the frogs and crickets. Sounds like that are so relaxing and have a way of raising your outlook on life. The music of nature is one of God’s greatest gifts. Enjoy it!

Ever wonder how that magical little device in your ear actually works? Hearing aids are tiny computers, and consist of four basic components:

1. A microphone. This actually doesn’t increase the volume of the noise around: instead, it just picks up all those acoustic sounds and converts them into a digital signal, i.e. 1’s and 0’s. At this point, the sound can’t be heard by the human ear. Now the signal is ready for amplification.
2. An electronic circuit. This sorts out the different types of sound and amplifies the human voices, minimizing background noise by a complex algorithm. Don’t ask us how this works – some people are called to be mathematicians so the rest of us don’t have to worry about it! Now the signal is ready to go to the receiver.
3. A receiver/speaker. This changes the 1’s and 0’s back into acoustic sound you can actually hear and sends it back into the ear. From there, those impulses are sent to the brain, and voila! We have sound!
4. A battery. It’s not exactly feasible to plug hearing aids into electrical outlets, so they are powered by tiny batteries. Typical battery life ranges from one to four weeks depending on the type of battery and hearing aid.

If you’re like most people, you are wondering exactly how much difference hearing aids will make. Will your hearing be perfect? Will you be able to hear just like you used to? While hearing aids can make a tremendous difference in your hearing, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.

1. Hearing aids do not instantly restore normal hearing.

We’ve all had people in our lives or heard stories of people who put on a pair of much-needed glasses for the first time. It’s like a whole new world opens up for them the instant they look through the lenses.

Hearing aids, though, are not like glasses. Supplementing a hearing loss is a much more complicated process than that of supplementing poor eyesight. And while the hearing aids can under the right circumstances get close to restoring your normal hearing, they won’t quite be able take the place of perfectly-functioning ears.

2. Hearing aids may require an adjustment period that can take up to 90 days.

Supplementing your hearing with hearing aids is a process. The first part is selecting out the hearing aids that are the best fit for your lifestyle and hearing needs. This is why we encourage you to take advantage of our free hearing aid consultations: talking with a licensed professional and trying some different hearing aids makes that process go so much more smoothly.

But once you have the hearing aid selected, there will likely be an adjustment period. You and your hearing aid need time to get adjusted to each other, and to the settings on the hearing aid. So if they aren’t quite what you had hoped at first, just give it time. Talking with a licensed professional may help as well: the problem may simply be that you need to adjust the hearing aid settings.

3. When you first start using hearing aids, many sounds may not sound quite normal, including your own voice.

This is one limitation we wish we could remove immediately, but unfortunately hearing aids are hearing aids, not an additional set of ears. Hearing aids can help you hear much better, but there are some things God designed our bodies to do that technology can’t quite replicate.

This is why, when you start using hearing aids, some things may sound a bit odd right at first. However, you will soon adjust to the new “normal” and won’t notice it at all.

4. You will need to learn to adjust the settings on your hearing aids.

This is one of the most important factors of successfully using hearing aids. Hearing aids are tiny computers and are designed to help you hear optimally in a number of difference circumstances. In order to get the most out of them, you’ll need to know how to adjust those settings to your varying situations.

This is where talking with a licensed professional can really help. Hearing aid professionals know what their products can do, and will be glad to help you learn to optimize them for best performance.

Our business model is centered around bringing you high-quality hearing aids for much less than you would typically pay through your audiologist. Here’s how we are able to do that:

1. Buying in bulk works with hearing aids too! Many of the hearing aid brands that we carry are top-notch companies that you would get in any audiologist’s office, such as Oticon, Rexton, and Phonak. We’re able to save on these using the time-honored method of buying in bulk, and then we are able to pass those savings on to you.

2. We also think outside the box when it comes to the brands we carry. There are a number of imported brands that produce great quality hearing aids, and are usually less expensive than the name brands. By offering these as well, we’re able to give you a number of different low-cost but high-quality options.

3. The larger the company or business, the more additional expenses are involved in operating it. Those costs, of course, get passed on to the customer. Since we are a small office with very little overhead, we’re able to keep our operating costs to a minimum. That equals savings for you!

Our philosophy has always been that hearing should be affordable. If you have questions for us or would like a free hearing aid consultation, we would love to hear from you! Just call us at 864-225-8102 or email us through the button below.

Contact us with questions or for a free consultation