Selecting the Right Hearing Aid for Yourself

The hearing aid that is best for you and appeals most to your way of life may not be what is best for your brother, your friend or your co-worker. The purpose of them all is the same though, it is to make it easier for you to hear voices and sounds around you and by so doing improve the quality of life that you enjoy. While a hearing device will not give you superior hearing, it will make your life easier than if you had no such device at all!

The kind of hearing loss you have plays an integral role in the aid that is most suitable for you. Appearance is another consideration as no one wants it to be extremely obvious that they possess an auditory condition. You want a hearing device that is easy to wear and easy for you to use.

The care and upkeep of the auditory aid makes a difference to your choice of one. Select a hearing aid that is low maintenance. You want one that is simple to maintain and does not require a lot of time and money for upkeep.

When you are shopping for a hearing aid you need to think about the degree of loss you suffer from, the size of your ear and whether you require an aid for one ear or both of them.

The degree of loss you have refers to how severe it is. This is not the same for everyone. There are six different degrees of hearing loss. These degrees include:

-normal (no hearing loss at all)
-mild
-moderate
-moderate to severe
-severe
-profound

The audiologist you work with can make suggestions to you and can recommend to you which hearing aid would be most beneficial for you based upon the severity of your auditory issue. For instance, a behind-the-ear (BTE) aid is the most appropriate choice for an individual who has severe loss of hearing because the amplification power of the hearing apparatus is above average.

What is the anatomy of your ear like? Are your ears small, medium or on the large size? The design of your ear makes a difference to your selection of an auditory aid. The average person has an ear canal that will comfortably fit an in-the-ear (ITE) aid. However some people have small ears and would find these devices uncomfortable and would have to look at other options.

Does your auditory condition affect your left ear, your right ear or both? In general even if you only suffer from hearing problems in one of your ears if you get a hearing aid for both this will balance out your hearing and listening abilities much better. On the down side the sounds around you will take on an intense quality but on the up side they work together well to bring you good sound quality and the ability to distinguish sounds coming from all directions.