PRO HEARING SPONSORED CONTENT – Ask the Experts – Getting the Most from Your Hearing
As we age, our hearing is often impacted. In seeking out hearing care, your success will ultimately depend on the capability of your hearing care provider and the level of hearing device technology chosen. While manufacturers’ fitting software provides a good starting place, more expertise is needed to fine-tune to each wearer’s needs in order to achieve the maximum benefit from the hearing devices.
Research shows that the highest satisfaction with hearing instruments does not necessarily come from the “brand” of hearing aid, but from adequate time spent with a hearing provider on education, setting realistic expectations, and getting proper check ups and adjustments. Best clinical practices include using software features such as speech mapping and/or real ear responses to adjust the hearing devices for maximum benefit. Your provider can even show you graphs of the various speech frequencies and the volume being delivered to your eardrum. These are all tools to help counsel patients and ensure the most speech is being made audible while not exceeding your comfort range. We, at Pro Hearing, believe that taking the time to learn about your specific needs, educating you on your options, and using the best clinical practices are the best ways to help you succeed.
Additionally, we believe that you should have a choice of manufacturer. We recommend using one of “the Big 6” manufacturers; Starkey, Phonak, Resound, Signia, Oticon and Widex. If you move or just don’t like your current provider, having technology from one of the above companies means that you will be able to get service at many locations nationwide. Each company offers their own strengths in design, fit and proprietary technology. At Pro Hearing, our favorite brand is Starkey, the American manufacturer. The reasons we prefer it include great noise and feedback reduction, amazing sound quality and the “healthable” features available. The Starkey Livio AI devices, for instance, have Artificial Intelligence. This AI allows hearing aid users to track their health using features like the step counter, fall detector, exercise log and more.
Most hearing aid brands also come with perks! These include rechargeable batteries, blue tooth connectivity (your phone calls can be streamed into your hearing aids like air pods), noise and wind reduction, apps with features to adjust your own settings and track health, varying levels of adjustability, and specialized accessories for hearing the television. The kind of perks will depend on the level of technology you chose. For one-one in quiet environments, most levels of hearing technology will suffice as long as they are optimally programmed. The higher priced, higher technology devices will have more adjustability, thus providing greater help in challenging listening environments and to those who have poorer speech recognition ability.
There is no doubt that hearing aids have come a long way from large, bulky and noisy hearing aids of decades past. Even with a wide variety of brands, styles, colors, price points and technology levels to choose from, having an experienced provider will be critical to achieve the best results! If you or a loved one have questions about hearing technology, our Pro Hearing team would be happy to assist you! Call us today!
Dr. Pam Matthews, Audiologist
Pro Hearing, LLC
9409 N May Avenue and 10404 S Pennsylvania Ave
Oklahoma City, OK
