Hearing loss, unlike vision impairment or physical ailments, isn’t always noticeable at first. Because the slow loss of hearing can often be ignored or downplayed, sufferers frequently delay getting help as long as possible—research shows that the average sufferer waits ten years between receiving a diagnosis of hearing loss and actually purchasing hearing aids.

At least some of these people delay their purchases because they have heard many of the widespread myths surrounding hearing loss. If you or a loved one is considering a hearing aid purchase, take a moment to look over some of the common misconceptions below. They show that the benefits of hearing aids far outweigh the (often overstated) costs.

People won’t notice my hearing loss, but they will notice my hearing aids.

“What many people with hearing loss don’t realize is that the signs of the untreated hearing loss are more noticeable to others than hearing aids,” audiologist Deborah Touchette told the New York Times. Hearing loss sufferers can experience a range of related issues, from difficulties at work (including, in some cases, a pay reduction) to trouble holding conversations in noisy places to even having difficulty hearing the voices of young children—all issues that can be improved with proper hearing aids, many of which are small and easily overlooked.

Hearing aids are uncomfortable and don’t work well.

Hearing aids today have become smaller, more discreet and more powerful, just like other forms of popular technology like cellphones and computers. In fact, the digital revolution that has transformed phone technology has also impacted hearing aids, with newer models featuring powerful components that allow for advanced filtering of background noise and multiple microphones.

Hearing aids are too expensive.

Though hearing aids are not inexpensive, their cost is reasonable relative to their compact technology. For example, a typical digital hearing aid contains advanced microphones, computer chips, and a power source in a package able to fit behind (or within) the ear—all for under $1000 for a basic device.

New business models are trying to lower the cost for premium devices as well. While small, independent local hearing shops charge an average of well over $5000 for a hearing aid, you can save 60%-70% of that cost by purchasing a comparable aid online and still have full audiology support.

Hearing aids won’t improve my quality of life.

Hearing aids can’t restore your hearing back to its normal level, but they can make major improvements in your ability to function in daily life. Researchers found that most hearing aid users reported improvements in their social lives, confidence, and ability to communicate.

I won’t be able to get a hearing aid to work properly for me.

With advances in technology, hearing aids have become much easier for the wearer to operate. Now, computer chips and digital technology inside many hearing aids allows the device to automatically adjust to changes in the sound environment without the user having to take any action at all. 

2020 was a landmark year for the hearing aid industry. At Embrace, we think it will be remembered as the year the continued spread of affordable hearing aid prices became inevitable.

As awareness of the true dynamics of hearing aid prices grows in the mainstream community, and as online hearing aid sales gain increasing, if grudging, acceptance among professionals, Embrace Hearing has three predictions about 2021.

    The shift to online hearing aid sales will accelerate. Consumer awareness is growing, quality is high and prices are low… and for many professionals, “online” is no longer a dirty word – just an inconvenient fact of life. Hearing aids, in short, are going to be sold more like glasses, with several distribution options.
    For the first time in recent memory, hearing aid prices will fall. Prices charged by audiologists may actually increase as professionals sell to an affluent but shrinking group of customers who are wary of buying online, and can afford the luxury of premium audiologist pricing. But overall average hearing aid costs will decline as more customers shift to online hearing aid sales, which remain far more affordable.
    The shift toward “unbundling” will continue. As more consumers buy hearing aids online, audiologist perceptions of these consumers will shift. No longer will they be a “lost hearing aid sale” – increasingly, they will represent a “servicing revenue opportunity.” Ultimately, we’ll see more transparent & fair audiologist pricing, with the result that hearing aid prices will fall, while the price of great in-person service increases to a level commensurate with its true value.

Why do we think this?

First, 2020marked the year hearing aid pricing began to get mainstream press. Features were run in both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times – which chronicled the frustration of searching for an affordable hearing aid in an opaque pricing environment (and which featured Embrace Hearing!). Our view is that greater awareness of alternative options will lead to customers seeking greater value for their money through online hearing aid sales.

Second, HiHealthInnovations, the online hearing aid venture backed by United Health, attempted to fully cut independent audiologists out of the hearing aid purchase cycle by putting a hearing test online. This represented the healthcare industry turning on itself, as current inefficiencies had simply become too great an opportunity too great to ignore for insurers -- which traditionally have little involvement in hearing aids.

This move drew immediate protests from the American Association of Audiology (AAA), as well as the Academy of Doctors of Audiology. But notably, the consumer group Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) disagreed:

“Our stance is to give innovative [online hearing aid] programs such as this one a chance… Hearing loss is a leading public health concern with 17 percent of American adults (36 million) reporting being affected…. Yet, fewer than 20 percent of people with hearing loss seek treatment and obtain hearing aids. While there are a number of reasons for lack of attention to this condition, the primary barrier is the cost of hearing health care services and especially hearing aids.

The HLAA agrees that face-to-face interaction with a health care professional to obtain personalized fitting of hearing aids as well as follow up services is the ideal situation. However, this approach operates as burden for a vast majority of adults with hearing loss who simply do not seek treatment….

The HLAA Board of Trustees met and… concluded that alternative delivery models and options are needed for some people who would otherwise not seek the services of a hearing professional.”

While the FDA ultimately weighed in and shut down the online hearing test, hiHealthInnovations and other innovative new companies such as Embrace Hearing continue to successfully sell online, now with the support of the HLAA.

(We are proud to say we believe that Embrace Hearing offers a better combination of quality and price than hiHealthInnovations, owned by United Health, the largest health insurance company in the country. Our customer satisfaction is demonstrated by our low ~10% return rate – we challenge hiHealthInnvations to release a comparable statistic)

Finally, something even more surprising happened. In August, the AAA, the ADA, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) issued a joint statement to hearing care professionals focusing on consumer needs in the delivery models of hearing health care.

The unusual joint statement was a call for reflection and action regarding the current business of hearing care and how the insurance industry, technology, and hearing aid price concerns now require hearing practices to adapt to new ways of delivering hearing health care. Among other questions, it invited audiologists to ask themselves:

    “What role does the sale of hearing aids play in your practice model? Do you have options in place to accommodate consumers who arrive at your practice with a hearing aid purchased elsewhere?"

    “Are the costs associated with the care you provide transparent to the patient? If appropriate, do you itemize the cost of your services? When discussing amplification and other treatment, do you offer patients options? Do you engage family and others to support the patient with hearing loss?"

The statement’s message was clear – the world is changing, and patient needs – not audiologist needs –will determine how hearing aids are distributed in the future. Hearing healthcare professionals are encouraged to adapt, or be left by the wayside by online hearing aid sales.

Given all the industry turmoil and innovation in 2020, and all the exciting ideas we have in store for next year, we’ll offer one last parting thought – we’re looking forward to an even more disruptive 2021!

Recently, we posted a blog entry explaining why some commonly cited reasons not to buy hearing aids online, despite much lower hearing aid prices, do not apply to Embrace Hearing.

This is the second of a two-part post focusing specifically on the last reason proposed by Neil J DiSarno in his Q&A piece in The New York Times.

Mr. DiSarno states that: “Audiologists are professionals who can provide adjustment and programming of the devices, counseling, hearing training and support when you obtain hearing aids from them. Hearing aids bought online do not include these services.”

First of all, this is not correct. At least it's not correct with Embrace Hearing. We provide all of these services to our customers precisely when they need it. No appointments are needed. No waiting rooms. Call us 7 days a week for exceptional support from our Audiologists. There is never a charge for this support.

But  we also believe that the local clinic model of “bundling” hearing aids and follow-on services as an 'included benefit' serves to hide the true costs of hearing aids and hearing aid services, to permit audiologists to charge more for the services than they would be able to charge on an easier-to-understand visit-by-visit basis.

To demonstrate this point, we’ve calculated the effective price of hearing aid follow-on services.


 

Above and here is our analysis of the effective cost per visit of the “training and support” referenced by Mr. DiSarno, when purchased as part of a bundled package. This analysis assumes that an audiologist pays $1,500 for a set of hearing aids from a manufacturer, sells it to a consumer for $5,000, and that the “fair price” for that sale is really much lower. It then asks the question – how much is the customer really paying per follow-up visit, depending on 1) how often he returns for follow-up visits, and 2) what hearing aid price he considers “fair” in the first place?

At the risk of stating the obvious, we submit to you that these are very high numbers!

In our view it is unlikely that hearing aid wearers would be willing to pay per-visit prices at these levels, if given a transparent choice. Hearing aid “bundling” is so common because it allows audiologists to include these exorbitant hidden costs in the up-front $5,000+ hearing aid price. First-time hearing aid buyers may not know whether $5,000 is too much to pay for a medical device – but they would suspect that $1,000 is too much to pay for a follow-on visit.

While it is impossible to know Mr DiSarno’s true motivations, we note that he has “spent the last 35 years as a practicing audiologist” and therefore has likely benefited financially from profits created by the practice of hiding high per-visit costs in an opaque “bundle.” We leave it for our readers to decide whether this conflict of interest might influence the thinking of audiologists who advise consumers not to buy hearing aids online because doing so deprives consumers of the ability to obtain “adjustment and programming of the devices, counseling, hearing training and support” from audiologists.

To this argument, we say – if you really want to ensure that all consumers have access to these services, then why not charge for them on a per-visit basis, no matter where consumers originally purchased their devices?

In a more transparent system, the free-market price for these services would decline to the level that consumers feel is fair. In an environment with lower prices, it is highly likely that many of the 27 million Americans with untreated hearing loss would purchase hearing aids and achieve an improved quality of life. And shouldn't that be the goal of everyone involved in the hearing care industry?

Hearing aids are designed for deaf people and deaf patients. Therefore, before choosing hearing aids, first determine the condition of deafness.

Because people have bilateral ears to experience hearing, in living, some people who are relatively slow to respond often fail to find hearing problems during physical examination, until there is a problem in one of ears, which causes inconvenience in life and work. The other ear has been deaf for years.

When some children reach at certain age, they are concerned by their parents because they cannot speak or their voice is unclear, but they often miss the best time to intervene and cause irreversible consequences. In fact, as long as you pay attention to some small details, you may find that your relatives or friends around you have hearing impairments, especially for children who cannot speak. For the elderly, the symptoms of hearing problems are a louder voice, repeating "what did you say", "loudly", "say it again", etc. Although some elderly people have no problems with language communication, they have ear occlusion, tinnitus; some elderly people react slowly, sluggish, inferior, self-closing, and afraid to cross the road. This may be due to hearing problems. For children under the age of speaking, they will have a normal response to sound stimulation. They will turn their heads and look for the sound source with their eyes when there are sound-producing toys around or when their parents slap their hands. The sound of shutting off the door will also appear systemic tension reaction. If the child always actively turns up the sound while watching TV, or always uses one ear to answer the phone, there may be hearing problems.

After discovering hearing problems, you should go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible to avoid delays in treatment.

First of all, when the hearing aid gets water, don't panic. The first thing to do is to remove the hearing aid. After removing the hearing aid, never turn it on again to check whether the hearing aid is in good condition. Especially for hearing aids that use dry batteries, we should remove the batteries first. Because after the hearing aid gets the water, the water may enter the inside space of the hearing aid. Once it is powered on, it may cause hearing aid suffering short-circuit and completely damaged.

It is wise to take out the battery first, clean the accumulated water inside, then wipe the hearing aid dry with a clean cotton cloth, and then recheck the hearing aid after a simple drying treatment

---

So, how to do a simple drying process?
If it is during the day, it is recommended that you can go to the shop where you buy hearing aids, and let a specialist help dehumidify and dry your hearing aids, or find a hearing aid fitting center nearby; if it is at night or the distance is not convenient , Then it is recommended that you use a hair dryer at a distance of about 10 cm away from the low temperature gear for drying (remember not to use the hair dryer for high temperature baking), and the time is about 10-20 minutes. If there is no effect, please get to the hearing aid fitting center as soon as possible or contact us for professional after-sales treatment

Reminder
If your hearing aid gets water inadvertently, do not disassemble the hearing aid for inspection without authorization, so as to avoid improper operation causing short circuit inside the hearing aid, please contact us in time for professional after-sales treatment

According to The Praeger Guide to Hearing and Hearing Loss, audiologists bundle follow-on care with hearing aid sales 87% of the time. But why is bundling so widespread?

Hearing Review’s point of view is that, “The bundling of audiologic professional services serves as a form of ‘insurance’ for [audiologic treatments/aural rehabilitation] service. This is because, when a hearing device is purchased, neither the patient nor audiologist knows just how much audiologic intervention will be required or utilized by a given patient.”

However, we suspect that most patients actually have a pretty good sense of their tendency to schedule unusually frequent checkups.

Since you're a good judge of your own likely behavior, you’re in a good position to decide whether you'll be among the only 20% of the population that makes 5 or more follow-up visits in the year after purchasing hearing aids from an audiologist.

If you believe you're likely to be part of this 20%, you may benefit from the "insurance" provided by bundled services. But if this doesn't sound like you, you're likely to be overpaying for hearing aid services you'll never use.

We believe there these are the real reasons for hearing aid bundling:
1)      It makes apples-to-apples hearing aid price comparisons difficult. For most people, buying hearing aids online is going to be cheaper in the long run, even if they pay full price for audiologist care. Audiologists have an incentive to obscure this information.
2)      It makes hearing aid customers sticky. Let’s imagine you’ve already paid up-front for all of your follow-up care. Even if a friend tells you there is a great new audiologist nearby, you’re not likely to make the switch! Audiologists love this, because a customer who pays in advance, is a customer who's going to stick around.

Buying hearing aids online is a way for customers to "unbundle" the sale and servicing of hearing aids, and reduce overall hearing aid cost.

Even though a large majority of people report increased quality of life with hearing aids, the infographic below shows an incredible 27 million Americans who could benefit from hearing aids haven't purchased them yet.

Part of the reason is financial cost -- but the other major reason is stigma. Especially among Baby Boomers, there is a fear of looking older. But hearing loss can occur at any age, and half of all Americans with hearing loss users are between 45 and 74 years old.

In fact, hearing aid users are viewed as more adaptable and optimistic then those who decline hearing aids. And untreated hearing loss has been linked to depression, memory deterioration and even career setbacks.

If you think you may notice any of the signs of hearing loss, take a hearing test today. You may find hearing aids are a life-changing experience, whether you choose to buy hearing aids online or from an audiologist.

Hesitating before you buy hearing aids online, or from an audiologist?

You're not alone. We've noted before that only 25% of Americans with hearing loss use hearing aids. Since 75% of those who would benefit do not use hearing aids, it's tempting whether to wonder whether hearing aids work.

We'll address specific reasons for non-adoption in a future post, but this week we thought we'd spend some time addressing the question of "do they work?"

Not only do hearing aids not only dramatically improve hearing, they can also have a profound positive impact on quality of life. Again, we have Hearing Review to thank for their excellent analysis of MarkeTrak VIII hearing aid data.

Do Hearing Aids Improve Hearing?

This one may seem obvious. But with 75% of the population declining to wear hearing aids, it's worth putting this question to bed. The answer is a resounding yes.

Hearing aids improve hearing dramatically, and across all listening situations. In quiet conversations, hearing aids reduce hearing handicap by an average of 70%. Even in louder situations like restaurant meals, hearing handicap reduction averages 50%.

More than 90% of hearing aid users experience a reduction in hearing handicap. This helps explain high satisfaction with hearing aids, especially with mini BTE hearing aids.

Do Hearing Aids Improve Quality of Life?

The good news is that two thirds of hearing aid users report "better" or "a lot better" quality of life for "effectiveness of communications."

The even better news is that large numbers of hearing aid users report improved quality of life for reasons that might not even seem to be related to hearing in the first place.

For example, nearly 50% of respondents reported an improved sense of safety in their day-to-day life. And more than a quarter reported "improved mental/cognitive skills." That's a pretty impressive number for a device that simply improves hearing.

In fact, hearing aids improve quality of life on a wide range of dimensions, across large sections of the population:
If you are thinking you may buy hearing aids online, or from an audiologist, you will almost certainly experience reduced hearing handicap. As a bonus, you may also experience improved quality of life in ways you might never have expected. 

We all know we should be getting more exercise, regardless of our age; but more often than not, we find myriad reasons not to put our health first. Don’t let your hearing aid become yet another excuse not to stay in shape. With proper care and maintenance, your hearing aids should remain in tiptop shape whether you like to jog around town, bike through the park, or spend a day on the golf course.

Keeping your hearing aids dry during exercise.

The biggest challenge facing hearing aids during exercise is the buildup of moisture that can harm delicate internal circuitry. While you clearly can’t take your hearing aids for a dip in the pool, with some basic steps they can accompany you on a run or onto the court.

The biggest source of moisture while exercising isn’t surprising: it’s sweat—and it can harm your hearing aids if you don’t take some simple precautions.

Researchers, including Ronald Schow at the University of Idaho, have found that Behind-The-Ear (BTE) hearing aids are vulnerable when “beads of perspiration form in the hair along the top of the hearing aid” and gradually seep inside.

Therefore, keeping sweat from reaching the circuitry of the BTE hearing aid is the most important step in keeping your devices working problem-free even as you exercise.

Luckily, there are some cost-effective solutions to prevent sweat from penetrating the aid. Among the most popular are special sweat-resistant pouches made just for your hearing aids. One such option is Ear Gear, which slips over your hearing aid and prevents moisture from entering into the electronics.

An even easier solution is to wear a headband or sweatband while exercising, which can help keep sweat from reaching your hearing aids in the first place.

Protecting your hearing aids during exercise.

Though moisture is the biggest threat to hearing aids, it’s worth remembering that even the best-fitted aids can come loose during a rough-and-tumble session on the basketball court or the football field and can risk being damaged.

To help avoid accidentally knocking your hearing aids loose, you can use a product such as the Oto Clip, which attaches to your hearing aids and then clips onto your clothes.

Clothes, too, make a difference in the protection of your hearing aids. Sara Batinovich, who wrote a book on managing hearing loss, recommends investing in zip-front sweatshirts rather than hooded varieties, which can disturb your hearing aid placement. She also reminds that bike helmets and even baseball hats need to be carefully sized to avoid interfering with a comfortable hearing aid fit.

Caring for your hearing aids after exercise.

Once your workout is complete, it’s a good idea to take a few rudimentary steps to ensure that your hearing aid is properly clean and dry and ready for your next adventure.

One piece of equipment is especially useful in helping maintain your hearing aids after they’ve been exposed to moisture is a "Dry Box". By storing your hearing aids in one of these self-contained drying units overnight, you’re ensuring that any remaining moisture in the aid is safely removed. Many units also sanitize the aids as well, ensuring that no bacteria grows inside the aid or the tubing while it is damp.

In addition to the dry box, a simple cleaning is always good practice after wearing your hearing aids during exercise. You can help remove moisture from the tubing by using a compressed air canister and can brush dirt and debris free of the hearing aid with a small cleaning kit.

As with any piece of technology, if you invest time in maintaining your hearing aids after you use them, you’ll extend their lifetime and help identify potential issues much faster.

While exercise with your hearing aids requires some planning, hearing aids can be safely worn during your favorite (non-aquatic) sport. In fact, being able to properly hear can be a huge asset for your own safety—and it might even improve your performance on the golf course, too.

Many hearing-impaired people have high expectations for hearing aids. They believe that hearing aids can be restored to normal hearing ability immediately after using them. Is it so magical? The answer is No.


This is a misunderstanding, this kind of awareness will not only affect the hearing-impaired people's adaptation to hearing aids, but also affect the normal use of daily wear. Hearing aid is a kind of hearing aid device. Although it has many good functions, it cannot replace the human ear. After all, it’s just a machine.

Many hearing-impaired people spend a lot of money on hearing aids, but in the end they fail to achieve their expected results. Over time, they will feel deceived. What is a good way to help hearing-impaired people adapt as soon as possible when using hearing aids? Today, Austar hearing aid experts prepared the "treatment enhancement method" for hearing-impaired people.

Week 1 auditory attention period
Wear hearing aids for 1-2 hours a day
Try to stay home as much as possible to re-familiarize and distinguish various sounds, such as the sound of cooking in the kitchen, the sound of using a vacuum cleaner, the sound of talking with family, etc.

Week 2 auditory Identification period
Wear hearing aids for 2-3 hours a day
Try to concentrate as much as possible to listen to the sound you want to hear, while separating the sound you want to hear from the background sound. You can choose to wear a hearing aid and go out to a quiet place, such as morning exercises


Week 3 hearing and speaking adaptation period
Wear hearing aids for 3-4 hours a day
You can choose to walk into more public places, such as markets and shopping malls. A noisy environment can exercise the ability to hear your own voice. In addition, you can talk to many people outdoors, learn to look at other people’s facial expressions and lip movements to distinguish words, so that you can improve your vision and hearing ability.


Week 4 Return to instinct
Wear hearing aids for more than 6 hours a day
It is recommended to wear a hearing aid all day, whether watching TV, listening to music, or going into public places in various complex environments, except for vigorous exercise, sleeping, washing hair, bathing, do not remove the hearing aid.

Hearing impaired people will feel uncomfortable when wearing hearing aids in the early stage. For example, the sound of hearing aids is too noisy, slight ear swelling, and it is not easy to understand other people's speech. These phenomena are all normal. Don't be panic. This is a gradual process. Be patient and take your time.

Austar hearing aid expert, a national chain dedicated to serving the hearing impaired and tailor-made hearing rehabilitation solutions for them, you deserve it.

Everyone knows that there are many hearing aid fitting institutions in each city, but which one is reliable and which one is trustworthy? As insiders, as practitioners, we must be conscientious. In order to be responsible for and to protect the rights of hearing impaired consumers, Austar hearing aid experts have something to say today.

 
Hearing aids belong to the second category of medical devices, which are fitted by a dedicated person according to the degree of hearing loss of the person, after professional hearing test and evaluation. Fitting a suitable hearing aid can change the difficulties in the work, life and study of the hearing impaired person, and vice versa, it will aggravate the hearing loss. After the hearing aid is fitted successfully, it needs to be adjusted, maintained and repaired regularly, but these are unavailable by the after-sales of online shopping.


Reminder: In order to ensure your legal rights and interests in consumption, be sure to keep your eyes open when you choose hearing aids. Please try to choose a famous brand, experienced in fitting, professional services, and secure after-sales service, so as to reduce the risk of online purchases of hearing aids. 

As life pressure increases, people are paying more and more attention to their physical conditions, and regular special physical examination are certainly indispensable. But after the physical examination, some of hearing aids can’t work, especially after the MRI examination, the hearing aids suddenly broke.
 
Maybe you don’t know the working principle of nuclear magnetic resonance. Austar hearing aid experts are here to explain it for you. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new medical imaging technology that uses the principle of nuclear magnetic resonance. It has high resolution for soft tissues and provides a reliable basis for surgery to determine the scope of surgery. It can help doctors "see" undetectable early lesions . It has become a powerful tool for early screening of tumors, heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases.
 
According to regulations, all ferromagnetic articles and electronic products (hearing aids are no exception) cannot be brought into the magnetic resonance examination room, otherwise they will be demagnetized and damaged.
So who is not suitable for MRI?
 
1. People who install pacemakers;
2. Those who have or are suspected of having metal foreign objects in the eyeballs;
3. People who have aneurysm silver clip ligation;
4. People with Metal foreign remained or metal prosthesis;
5. Critically ill patients with life-threatening conditions;
6. People with claustrophobia, etc.
Austar hearing aid experts specially reminded: During the physical examination, remember not to bring monitoring equipment, rescue equipment and other equipment into the MRI examination room. In addition, women who are pregnant less than 3 months shouldn’t do MRI.

Choose according to personal hearing condition
Before buying a hearing aid, you should check your hearing first, and fit it according to the degree of hearing loss, otherwise you may "get deaf as you wear it." The scientific selection of hearing aids should include hearing test, hearing aid selection, computer debugging of hearing aids, etc., and must be operated by a professional fitter at a professional fitting institution.



Choose according to the type of hearing aid
Hearing aids purchased are classified according to their types, which can be divided into box-type hearing aids, BTE hearing aids and customized hearing aids. Different people should choose the appropriate type of hearing aid according to their needs.



According to the brand of hearing aid
Hearing aids are very sophisticated high-tech products. Therefore, only by purchasing branded hearing aids to make sure hearing quality and safety. Brands of hearing aids include Phonak Hearing Aids in Switzerland, Austar in Singapore, Starkey and Beltone Hearing Aids in the United States, ReSound and Oticon Hearing Aids in Denmark, Siemens Hearing Aids in Germany (now renamed as Signia Hearing Aids), and Unitron in Canada Hearing aids and Denmark's only hearing aids, etc. Hearing patients can purchase hearing aids based on their actual situation.


Choose according to personal operating ability
The elderly should choose hearing aids based on factors such as finger flexibility and vision. In addition to hearing loss, many elderly people have poor eyesight and inflexible fingers. It is difficult to install batteries for very small hearing aids. Most elderly people are reluctant to use hearing aids with many functions because of hand and eye inconvenience. They prefer simple and easy-to-operate hearing aids. Therefore, the selection of hearing aids should also consider the learning and operating ability of the elderly.

Choose according to fitting agency
For fitting hearing aids, we must first consider a professional hearing aid fitting center. The so-called hospitals and pharmacies are not professional hearing aid fitting institutions. Hospitals and pharmacies cannot conduct professional hearing tests and speech discrimination tests on patients from Audiology. Therefore, if the elderly choose hearing aids, they still have to go to a professional institution for secure.

With the improvement of people's living standards and the popularization of the Internet, online shopping models have gradually been acceptable by people, because of particularity on online shopping has also led to some drawback.

Hearing aids belong to the second category of medical devices, which are fitted by a dedicated person according to the degree of hearing loss of the person, after professional hearing test and evaluation. Fitting a suitable hearing aid can change the difficulties in the work, life and study of the hearing impaired, and vice versa, it will aggravate the hearing loss. After the hearing aid is fitted successfully, it needs to be debugged, maintained and repaired regularly, but these are not achieved by the after-sales of online shopping.

Here is a warm reminder from Austar hearing aid experts: In order to ensure your legal rights and interests in consumption, be sure to keep your eyes open when choosing hearing aids. Please try to choose a famous brand, experienced in fitting, professional services, and intimate after-sales service entity merchant. To reduce the risk of online shopping for hearing aids.

With the advancement in the medical world, the treatments available for any particular condition have increased. When it comes to hearing loss, individuals have several types of hearing aids available to treat their condition!

While all hearing aids serve the same function and help those with a hearing deficiency hear better, different hearing aids come with different functions. Apart from differences in shapes and sizes, hearing aids also differ in aspects such as strength, clarity, and so on. In the end, choosing the right device depends on what the patient desires. If the hearing is seriously deficient, the hearing aid will generally be larger and more powerful. If the hearing is not that weak, the aid will be smaller in size. Another major factor to consider when selecting a hearing aid is the level of comfort you desire and this is where variance in shapes and sizes help. Thus, there are certainly a lot of different options to choose from when it comes to picking out the right pair of hearing aids.

Here’s a look at some of the different types of hearing aids available:

1. Digital or Analog Hearing Aids

As mentioned earlier, due to the advancement in technology, there has been a shift from traditional hearing aids to more advanced ones (aids that are completely digital). Moreover, there is a huge difference between both of these types of hearing aids. While they look quite similar in their design, analogs aids simply amplify or enhance the sound while digital aids use a tiny built-in computer to process sound.

With digital aids, the inbuilt computer gives you the option of choosing between different sound levels based on different environments. For instance, if you are going out somewhere you feel there will be a lot of noise, you can simply program your aid accordingly. Additionally, some digital hearing aids also change this setting automatically, making the process all the easier. However, the downside of digital hearing aids is that they are likely to be more expensive. For those who cannot afford to spend a lot of money, going for analog aids seems like the best solution.

2. Behind the Ear (BTE) or Inside the Ear (ITE)

BTE hearing aids come with an earmold that fits inside the ear while the rest of the aid rests smoothly behind the ear. These days, the majority of BTE models have two microphones, which make for easy switching between an all-round sound and a more particular setting focusing on precisely the sound you want to hear. Moreover, there are some BTE hearing aids that come with an open ear fitting as well (a soft earpiece at the edge of the tubing instead of an earmold). The advantage of such an aid is that it is less noticeable than a traditional earmold. On the downside, though, this type of aid is only suitable if your hearing loss is mild or moderate.

Additionally, there are also several varieties of ITE hearing aids that fit right inside the ear so people around you do not know cannot tell whether or not you're wearing a hearing aid. While there are a number of styles of ITE hearing aids, these are generally designed for individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.

Still not sure what hearing aid type is the right fit for you? Check with your hearing care provider to find out what device is most suitable for your hearing loss.

Do you know that normal, healthy ears are self-cleaning?

If you’re shaking your head in disbelief because yet again your earbuds are gummed up with earwax, then you probably don’t agree. But your ears actually use earwax to keep dust, debris and bacteria from getting deep into your canals and causing hearing or auditory problems.

For those who feel the irresistible urge to clean their ears, it’s important to know there is a right and wrong way to go about things.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, including the one about “most” ears are self-cleaning. Some people naturally produce an excessive amount of earwax or very dry wax that can cause things to clog up. If you are uncertain about what to do or how often cleaning is appropriate in your case, then your hearing care specialist is best placed to advise you.

With this in mind let’s bust some popular options for ear cleaning and help you to understand why they are a bad idea.

1. Ear candling
The concept sounds enticingly natural and on a certain (non-scientific) level quite plausible. Ear candling uses a special hollow taper that is placed in the ear canal. The candle is lit and as the flame burns, it draws a vacuum, and combined with warmth from the candle, it supposedly “wicks” earwax up and out of the ear.

The flaw with this method is that it’s never been actually proven to work. Not only is there a risk you can burn yourself, but the “waxy” substance drawn from your ear is actually from the candle itself.

2. Cotton swabs
While it’s true that cotton swabs were initially released in the 1920s with the specific purpose of cleaning ears, hearing healthcare professionals have learned quite a bit since then. You can still use cotton swabs on the outer folds of your ear, but resist the urge to put them into the ear canal. When you use a cotton swab to clean your ear canals, you’re likely to push more wax deeper into your ears than you’ll actually get out. If you perform this too often, an earwax impaction is possible, causing earaches or muffled hearing.

3. Cleaning too often
While there’s no harm in wiping your ears with a dry or damp cloth after getting out of the shower, you want to avoid over cleaning your ears. Over cleaning your ears can disrupt your body’s natural cleaning mechanism and may dry out your ears. If your ears become dry you may notice pain, irritation or infection.

As long as your ears produce a typical amount of wax and you experience no hearing problems or pain, you don’t need to do much to keep your auditory system healthy and clean. If you’re experiencing any dulled hearing or aches, contact a hearing care provider in your area and talk with them about a professional ear cleaning.

In today’s market, there are many types of hearing aids to choose from. Not only do styles and technology vary, but so too do cost, size, placement and special features. Without help, navigating the world of hearing aids can be confusing. As such, if you have been diagnosed with hearing loss, it is important to converse with your audiologist. They will help you determine which hearing aid is best for you, based on your age, lifestyle and degree of hearing loss.

How hearing aids work
Although hearing aid styles differ and vary, all aids function in the same basic way. Hearing aids are equipped with small microphones that collect sounds from the surrounding environment.

Within the aid, a computer chip equipped with an amplifier converts the incoming sound into digital code. The chip will then analyze and adjust the sound based on the type and degree of your hearing loss, creating amplified signals. These signals are converted back into sound waves and delivered into the ears through the speakers. It is important to remember that hearing aids will not restore hearing; rather, they assist hearing, helping someone hear better than they did before, especially in loud environments.

What types of hearing aids are available?
As mentioned before, there are many types of hearing aids available for those suffering from hearing loss. The types of hearing aid an individual can choose will depend first and foremost on the type and degree of hearing loss they are diagnosed with. Hearing aids suitable for individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss include:

 * Invisible-in-canal aids
 * Completely-in-canal hearing aids

 * Receiver-in-canal devices

Individuals with more profound or severe hearing loss will likely best benefit from hearing aid types such as:

 * In-the-canal aids
 * In-the-ear devices

 * Behind-the-ear hearing aids

What special features or accessories are available?
In an effort to differentiate brands and to better meet the growing needs of those with hearing loss, many hearing aid manufacturers offer accessories with their hearing aids. Your audiologist will likely go over the types of accessories available with hearing aids and discuss how you could benefit from the use of such items. Hearing aid features include:

 * Noise reduction
 * Directional microphones
 * Rechargeable batteries
 * Telecoils
 * Wireless connectivity
 * Remote controls
 * Direct audio input
 * Variable programming
 * Environmental noise control
 * Synchronization

The best way to select the right hearing aid for you is to be evaluated by an audiologist. Once your hearing loss is determined, they will be able to work with you through your hearing test results to find the perfect hearing device for your particular hearing loss.

Most of us have had a dentist scold us during a teeth cleaning for forgetting to floss, and they have a point. Besides increasing the risk for infections, gum disease, tooth decay, and more, poor oral health also can contribute to the development of a hearing loss.

The link between oral health and hearing
The effects of poor circulation on hearing are well-documented. It has long been recognized that when blood flows poorly through the body, certain sensory organs can be damaged over time. This is especially true when it comes to the sensitive parts of the inner ear. In the absence of a healthy circulatory system to provide nutrients to the sensory hair cells in the ear, hearing can become compromised.

Considering all of this, it’s no wonder that an inflamed and unhealthy mouth would cause problems throughout the entire body. When the gums and other parts of the mouth are infected with bacteria, arteries and blood vessels become narrowed, which restricts blood flow to the rest of the body. Because of the mouth’s close proximity to the ear, this can prevent the blood necessary for proper hearing to reach the ear.

Building an oral hygiene routine
Fortunately, it’s not difficult to protect your oral health and begin a routine that will be healthy for both your mouth and your ears. To help guarantee your dentist won’t be disappointed at your next visit, be sure to follow these simple steps:

 * Brush – Dentists recommend everyone brush their teeth at least twice a day for two minutes at a time. This is the most effective way to keep bacteria and debris from developing into plaque and becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. Be sure to change your toothbrush every 3-4 months to keep it clean and effective, and choose a brush that will allow you to reach even the most difficult corners of your mouth.
 * Floss – Flossing when you brush your teeth is the best way to remove food and other debris from in between your teeth and prevent cavities and other complications. Dentists recommend using a long string of floss (roughly 18 inches) to clean your whole mouth.

 * Visit the dentist – The recommended time between dental cleanings is 6 months. By following this schedule, you can catch oral health issues before they become serious and keep your mouth safe from infection.

Take control of your hearing health
If you or a loved one has recently been treated for an oral health condition, you should consider making an appointment with a hearing care professional for a hearing exam. Please use our online locator to find a specialist in your area and schedule a visit so you can stay on top of your hearing health.

“Hearing impairment tends to isolate people from friends and family because of a decreased ability to communicate; as such, untreated hearing loss may have considerable negative social, psychological, cognitive, and health effects.”[1]
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Unlike most disabilities, hearing loss is invisible and can occur gradually, making it hard to detect and label as a concern. If you’ve ever spoken to someone who seemingly misinterpreted or ignored what you just said, or kept asking you to repeat yourself, they likely had some measure of hearing loss.

However, hearing loss affects much more than conversation. The ability to slow your mind and focus on the sounds of the world around you—birdcalls and crickets, the soft hum of a plane passing above, children laughing at the park—plays a large role in your sense of connectedness with the world. Someone with hearing loss may not think of their condition as anything more than a minor nuisance because they don’t remember what it was like to hear such a rich variety of sounds and all the enjoyment they added to life.

Left untreated, hearing loss can lead to mental and physical deterioration, which can seriously damage relationships as well as cognitive function. It may seem intrusive to advise a friend or family member to seek help for their hearing, but early treatment can be most effective when it comes to long-term hearing rehabilitation. Often people don’t realize how much hearing aids have improved over time and may have misconceptions about how they work, look, and feel. Having an open conversation about all the audiological options can help break down stigmas about hearing loss and make your loved one feel safe and supported.

It is likely that your loved one will deny their hearing loss at first, but there are ways to ease them through the healing process. By identifying reasons for resistance, you can learn how to overcome any objections and improve their quality of life.

Why seeking help is so important
Even mild untreated hearing loss can be disabling. It limits meaningful communication and social connectivity, which can have serious consequences like:

 * Fatigue, tension, and stress
 * Impaired memory
 * Lack of ability to learn new tasks
 * Reduced job performance and earning power
 * Safety
 * Studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a reduction in awareness of environmental sounds. Unheard and therefore unheeded traffic sounds, doorbells, telephones, alarms, and cries for help compromise the safety of those with hearing loss and  * everyone around them. The failure to hear smoke detectors and take quick action is the major reason adults 65 or older are more than twice as likely as any other age group to die in a home fire.

Deterioration of brain functions
Those living with untreated hearing loss may not be aware that failure to take corrective action could result in their brain actually forgetting how to hear and understand speech. This condition is called auditory deprivation and the longer the period before treatment, the more likely it is that the brain will forget how to process speech, even after treatment is implemented.

Multiple studies show why wearing hearing aids when needed is so important, especially when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Because of the strong link between hearing loss and cognitive function, the Alzheimer’s Association encourages hearing care professionals to speak with their patients about the disease, its early warning signs, and the related implications of unaddressed hearing loss.

Pencil erases the human brain. Alzheimer disease.
Positive statistics regarding hearing aid use
You can encourage your loved one to see a hearing professional and be fitted for hearing aids by providing some facts about how they can improve quality of life. Here are a few to get started:

 * Among those with hearing loss in the United States, almost all (95%) can be treated with hearing aids.
 * Nine out of ten hearing aid users report improvements in quality of life.
 * Hearing aid use is associated with reductions in anger, frustration, paranoia, anxiety, and overall improvements in quality of life and emotional stability.
 * Hearing loss treatment can improve interpersonal relationships and social activity.
 * Successful treatment of hearing loss with hearing aids is associated with greater earning power.
 * Hearing aids allow those with hearing loss to live more safely, securely, and independently.
 * Today’s hearing aids can connect with multiple devices—including your smartphone—to make hearing as seamless as possible. In a world where a large part of our auditory intake comes from an electronic device, the ability to stream television, film and live  * performance audio, phone calls, and announcements made in travel hubs directly into your hearing aids is actually a convenience many people with normal hearing would envy.
 * Many theaters, museums, places of worship, and other venues that make use of audio equipment have loop systems, FM, and infrared channels installed. For a full list of locations with assistive listening devices, visit aldlocator.com.
 * You can use your smartphone or other device to manually adjust the settings on your hearing aid for countless listening situations. After this information has been saved, the hearing aid will learn to automatically recalibrate in environments with similar sonic properties.

Poor sleep has long been linked to a wide range of negative health consequences such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, and decreased concentration. Sleep apnea, a disorder that causes a disruption in breathing patterns while asleep, is known to exacerbate these related concerns. In addition to making you groggy and irritable, routine snoring and an interrupted sleep schedule can have a serious impact on your hearing health.

In a study performed by Dr. Amit Chopra, M.D. in 2014 at the Albany Medical Center in New York, 14,000 individuals were tested to determine if there is a link between a pause in breathing during sleep and hearing loss. The results were alarming, as they demonstrated that the risk of developing a low-frequency hearing loss went up by 90% in those who experienced symptoms of sleep apnea, while the risk of a high-frequency hearing loss increased by 31%. The chances of developing a hearing loss of both high and low frequencies was raised by nearly 40%.

The link between sleep apnea and hearing loss
Even when other factors related to hearing loss are accounted for, studies have shown that sleep apnea alone can do damage to the circulatory system. Blood vessels which are disturbed by the irregular breathing and choking effects of sleep apnea are likely to become inflamed over time, which can starve the inner ear of the blood flow it needs to function properly.

As most people who have lived with someone suffering from sleep apnea, snoring occurs for a long period of time and is often very loud. Since your ears continue to work while you sleep, this prolonged exposure to snoring at a high volume can damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear which are responsible for hearing.

How to address sleep apnea and hearing loss
Correcting issues related to sleep apnea may stall the onset of hearing loss, but patients who are being treated for any sleep disorder should consider consulting a hearing care professional for a hearing evaluation. Many common treatment options for sleep apnea include nasal decongestants, positional therapy which teaches the patient to readjust their body at rest and increase air flow, devices which reposition the jaw to allow for better respiration, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines. More severe cases may require surgery, so it is important to consult a doctor before symptoms worsen so that you can protect your sleep schedule and your hearing before excessive intervention is needed.

Prevent hearing loss with help from a hearing care professional
Taking reasonable precautions to protect your own hearing can help you avoid many causes of hearing loss. However, if you have already suffered enough damage to cause ringing in your ears, find it difficult to hear someone talking a few feet away, or struggle to understand conversations, don’t hesitate to contact a hearing care professional. One visit could give you a lifetime of tools to safeguard against losing more—or all—of your hearing.

If you are considering purchasing hearing aids you need to know the factors that determine a good hearing aid versus one of poor quality. Despite the brand or manufacturer, there are certain things that all hearing aids should offer. You need to know some basics of what to look for to ensure that you are indeed buying the best device for your specific hearing needs.

First of all, we are talking only about Hearing Aids here, not Amplifiers. Hearing aids are FDA regulated and are custom programmed by a licensed hearing professional to the meet the specific needs defined by your professional hearing test. Amplifiers not custom programmed – they simply amplify all the sound in your environment making things louder, but not clearer. Amplifiers cost anywhere for $25 - $500. Programmed Hearing aid start at about $650 each.

Who makes hearing aids?

Despite the many different brands of hearing aids, there are only five manufacturers that make the vast majority of all the hearing aids sold by all of the Audiologists world-wide. Each one puts their technology into several different brands.


Each of these brands offer multiple performance or technology levels of hearing aids. The lower end levels offer good performance in quieter settings and watching TV, while the higher end levels perform better in environments like noisy restaurants, meetings and large open spaces. Some hearing aids are focused simply on enhancing your ability to hear while others may offer expanded functionality like bluetooth for phone calls and streaming music. Not all of these extra functions enhance hearing. Reliable technology that enhances hearing, deals with background and wind noise and can automatically adjust to conversations in noisy environments is the baseline for quality. 
The different types of hearing aid styles.

Hearing aid styles

Hearing aid design can enhance the performance for your needs. There are two main types of hearing aids:

Behind-the-ear (BTE): The hearing aid electronics sit behind the ear.

  *  BTE Receiver-in-the-Canal (RIC): The electronics are behind the ear but the speaker is at the end of a very thin wire inserted directly into the ear canal
  *  BTE “Slim Tube”: The electronics and speaker are behind the ear and the sound is sent to the ear via a hollow tube. This looks a lot like a RIC but the hollow tube delivers much lower sound quality and is very tough to keep clear of wax.
  *  In-the-Canal (ITC or CIC): The entire hearing aid fits into the ear canal. The “In-Canal” models are preferred by many wearers because they are very discreet but they also can initially give you a bit of a plugged-up feeling. You can read more about BTE versus CIC hearing aids HERE.

The most popular choice of hearing aid design is the a BTE “RIC” model.  It looks similar to the design of the slim tube but the sound is much clearer and the “RIC” is much more easily kept clean and in top performance.

With each “Style” you will find that there are a number of performance levels. The lower end models work well in quieter, 1 on 1 settings and watching TV. The higher end models perform much better in tougher situations like restaurants, large group events or meetings.

Some important features to look for:

Is the hearing aid programmed to your hearing test? If not, it is just an amplifier and will not deliver the clarity you need.

How long is the warranty? Hearing aids are expensive and they don't last forever. Look for a 3 year warranty and ask what it covers in terms of repairs and adjustments and what you coverage is if your lose one. If you are looking for a rechargeable model, be sure to check the warranty status for the battery. 

Does it have bluetooth features and a smartphone app? On the best hearing aids, these feature will add significant convenience by enabling you to connect your smartphone for hands free phone calls with no need for a remote device.

Dual Directional Microphones: High-quality Behind the ear hearing aids always come with dual directional microphones – two microphones on each hearing aid that face forwards and backwards to give you a 360-surround sound effect and help you hear people behind you (e.g. In a car). With higher end self-adjusting hearing aids in areas with a lot of background noise, voices coming from the front of the user will be enhanced while sounds coming from the back will be reduced.

How many hearing aid processing bands or channels do you need? Not as many as you might think. A processing channel isn’t like a TV channel that can be changed. It is a band that covers a range of sound frequencies that are processed by the hearing aid. The amplification within each channel is set by the audiologist to meet the specific needs defined by the user’s hearing test. A lower end model might have four to eight channels while high end models will have approximately 20. Some budget hearing aids claim to offer 60 or more channels but data shows that beyond 20 channels your brain can’t tell the difference. That is why most audiologists will program only up to about 20 channels.  

Automatically adjust to your environment: In the past, when you went into a restaurant or crowded area, you could change the program of your hearing aid to be a little more suitable for that area. Most hearing aids still offer this but the best hearing aids now actually self-adjust, automatically to the environment around you. For example, if you move from a quiet car into a noisy restaurant the hearing aids will detect the change in background noise and adjust for it automatically. When you leave the noisy area, they will adjust back to normal. You can still do this manually, but you won’t have to.

What about service and adjustments? Who pays for shipping?

Like many other industries, customer service has evolved in the hearing aid industry. Today, storefronts may not offer the best service. You will have to book appointments several days in advance and although you can talk to someone face to face about the hearing aid, that singular privilege can cost up to $4,000 more than purchasing, and servicing, hearing aids online.

Purchasing online is a much more affordable option. You start by getting a hearing test locally and then the programming is done by licensed professionals using precisely the same software as used locally, it is just not done across the table from you.  Technology has advanced to the point where most hearing aid adjustments and repairs can be made remotely, over the phone or online. If there is any issue at all, in a simple phone call, the hearing aid technician can direct the hearing aid user to make the minor adjustments that are needed to improve hearing aid performance – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no appointment needed. These advances have greatly improved hearing aid performance and customer satisfaction while significantly reducing cost. Higher cost for hearing aids does not necessarily indicate higher quality performance.

Like any device we rely upon—whether it’s a laptop, a cell phone, or a desktop printer—ahearing aid has to work when we need it. And like any of those, hearing aids work better when they are properly maintained.

Keeping your hearing aids in top working condition doesn’t have to be daunting, or an excuse for a costly trip to a repair shop. Instead, some basic preventive maintenance can go a long way towards keeping your hearing aid functional and error-free.

Among the most basic steps you can take to maintain your hearing aids is to be mindful of earwax.

 

How can I keep my hearing aid free of earwax?

The human body produces earwax to keep our ear canals moist and free of unwanted debris. Unfortunately, that means it can also hinder devices we do want in our ears, including earbud headphones and hearing aids.

Though BtE (behind the ear) hearing aids, such as Embrace Hearing models, are less susceptible to wax than aids that sit fully in the ear, it’s still important to consider the impact that earwax build-up has on your aid. In fact, researchers found that earwax is one of the most common reasons that all types of hearing aids stop working. In fact, they are still working fine, they are just plugged.

Wax is particularly common on any parts of the aid that sit inside the ear canal, such as the speaker (also called the receiver) in Embrace Hearing aids, which projects sound into the ear canal. If enough wax builds up on the speaker, it can muffle sound or even damage the aid. In some cases, earwax can even lead the hearing aid to switch itself off.

Simple daily cleaning of the aid will not only help reduce the risk of wax-related damage but also ensure that you’re hearing the clearest sounds from the aid. Many hearing aid professionals recommend inspecting your hearing aids in the evening as part of a regular routine. It is also a good idea to replace the domes when they become discolored or damaged.

Most premium hearing aids come with replaceable wax guards. These very small white “guards” can only be seen when the dome is removed. They perform the critical job of keeping wax out of the speaker. Any time your hearing aids seem quieter than normal and seem to cut in and out, always start by replacing the wax guards.

For guidelines on cleaning the components of Embrace Hearing aids, including how to replace wax guards and domes, take a look at our library of instructional videos, including methods for cleaning the hearing aid tubing and replacing an earwax guard.

 

What steps can I take to make earwax less of an issue?

A good place to start is to simply be diligent in talking to your doctor about when it’s necessary to remove earwax. Unlike the cotton swabs of your youth, doctors now recommend a variety of non-invasive removal methods to treat earwax buildup, including wax softeners and water rinses.

Depending on how much earwax you produce, your doctor also might recommend simply washing out your ear canals while taking a shower.

Sure, earwax is an unpleasant fact of life, but don’t let it stop you from utilizing your hearing aids to the fullest. A brief conversation with your doctor and some routine preventive maintenance will go a long way towards ensuring optimal performance from your aid.

In August 2017, the U.S. President signed a bill known as the Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aid Act of 2017. The bill required the Food and Drug Administration to create and regulate a new category of hearing aids similar to Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs).


Many of these devices were already available to consumers for some years before the bill was signed. However, until the bill was signed, these were not intended as hearing aids, nor were they branded as such.

They were, as you might expect, designed to amplify sound, and marketed primarily at customers who were not hearing-impaired. Under the new legislation, some PSAPs will be made available as OTC hearing aids.

However, they still differ from professional hearing aids in several key categories.

They don't require a hearing professional to prescribe and program them. While this may, on the surface, seem like it would save you time and money, it also means there's a certain degree of danger to purchasing one of these devices. Because you don't have the guidance of a professional audiologist, you may end up with a device that further damages your hearing.

They're only intended for mild hearing loss. If you're suffering from major hearing loss, or worse, a condition like tinnitus, an OTC hearing aid likely isn't going to do the trick.

They lack selective amplification. Depending on how much you spend on your PSAP, you may end up with one that amplifies all sound in a given radius. Some modern PSAPs can limit and tweak your amplification, and come with a range of programmable settings.

They're one size fits all. Professional hearing aids are specifically designed and fitted to your ear's unique shape. Not so with OTC hearing aids. They come in one of several basic sizes. If they don't fit your ears, then you are, unfortunately, out of luck.

They're feature-scarce. Modern hearing aids actually have a ton of cool features, including Bluetooth connectivity, configurable/programmable amplification, and easily-rechargeable batteries. By contrast, OTC hearing aids are basic and bog-standard, though they cost significantly less as a result.
Ultimately, while PSAPs may be a feasible option for individuals suffering from minor hearing damage or hearing loss, they're no replacement for one prescribed and installed by a professional audiologist. If you suspect you may be suffering from hearing loss, your best bet is to consult an audiologist or hearing care professional.
Remember that your hearing is precious, and can't be fully restored once lost. It's imperative that you choose hearing care tailored to your unique needs. If you have any questions or want to know more about getting the best care, our friendly professionals will be happy to assist you. Better yet, you can book a free online hearing test right now.

Living with tinnitus can be difficult. It is a condition that can challenging to identify and even harder to treat without the help of an audiologist and hearing technologies. Luckily, with a combination of techniques and devices provided by your audiologist, there are ways in which you can reduce this difficulty. One such solution is hearing aids with relief sounds.

This guide offers more information on tinnitus and how hearing aids with relief sounds can help you.

What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the perception of sounds in the ears or head without any external source. It is often described as ringing in the ears but can take the form of various sounds from buzzing to whistling. Some people even hear familiar tunes, while others may hear a pulsing sound in time with their heartbeat.

There are many possible causes of tinnitus. Some of the most common causes are loud noise exposure, earwax build-up, middle ear infections and age-related hearing loss. It is most common in people over the age of 65, however people of all ages can develop tinnitus.

The continuous sound produced by tinnitus can cause chronic stress and fatigue. Those with serious tinnitus may have trouble sleeping because of the noise. Depression and anxiety are also common side-effects. Seeking out relief can therefore be vital for your physical and mental health. If ignored, symptoms may get worse.

Can tinnitus be treated?
There is no way to cure tinnitus, however there are fortunately many treatment options that can relieve it. An audiologist may be able to identify the cause of the sound, which could help when identifying the best treatment option. It could be something as simple as earwax removal. In other cases, sound therapy and specialist counselling may be recommended to help mentally block out the sound.

Another possible treatment option could be hearing aids with relief sounds. This has become an increasingly popular option and could allow you to live a more normal life.

How can hearing aids with relief sounds help?
Eighty percent of people that experience tinnitus also have hearing loss. For this reason, a hearing aid can often be recommended. However, a hearing aid can also help those with tinnitus that don’t experience hearing loss.

Hearing aids with relief sounds are designed specifically for tinnitus. They work by generating soothing sounds that help to mask the ringing or buzzing sounds that you may be experiencing. Such hearing aids may offer a variety of sounds to choose from and may be operated via an app with volume control. This allows you to experiment with different sounds and volumes until you are able to mask the tinnitus.

An audiologist will be able to prescribe you such a hearing aid and can talk you through how they work.

What types of hearing aids are there?
There are many different types of hearing aids to choose from. Aside from the function, you may also want to consider the style.

In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids sit inside the ear. They may be custom molded in order to fit the shape of your ear and may be prescribed if you also have mild to severe hearing loss.

Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are another option. Positioned behind the ear, they often serve as a more discreet option and tend to be the most common style of hearing aid.

In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids are another style worth considering. They are smaller and fit inside the actual ear canal.

An audiologist may recommend a specific style that is most suitable for your individual hearing problem. Certain brands of hearing aid may only come in certain styles.

Why choose Hear for You
When seeking out an expert to help treat your tinnitus, look no further than Hear for You Hearing & Balance Center. We have a team of experienced audiologists that can help you to find relief for your symptoms. We’ll arrange a hearing test for you to determine the extent of your tinnitus and your hearing. From here, we can help you find the right solution, whether it’s a hearing aid or other form of treatment.

Because hearing loss often develops gradually, it can be easy to ignore or brush off even after the symptoms become frustrating. In fact, the average person waits approximately ten years after being diagnosed to receive treatment for their hearing loss, allowing their condition to worsen and damaging their chance at recovery.

Considering the prevalence of hearing loss, it is surprising how many people do little or nothing to protect their ears. Nearly one in five Americans has some degree of hearing loss, and among this population only a fraction have ever been fitted with hearing aids. There are many reasons why someone may decide to postpone treating their hearing loss, but early treatment is the most effective way to prevent future complications and protect what remains of your hearing.

Here are some of the major reasons why nobody should ever wait to treat hearing loss:

Hearing aids are more stylish than you may think
Because of the stigma surrounding hearing aid use,many people still have misconceptions about how these devices look and function. Like our smartphones that continue to evolve rapidly year after year, hearing aid developers have also made use of today’s cutting-edge technology to craft units that are discreet, wireless, durable, and more. Those who are worried about being seen with a clunky, banana-shaped device in their ear should do some research into the different types of hearing aid models that are available to suit any lifestyle.

Untreated hearing loss can lead to serious health consequences
In addition to being nearly-invisible, today’s hearing aids can combat the listening fatigue that accompanies hearing loss. Over time, hearing loss causes the brain to struggle when understanding speech and other sounds. This means that a listener must concentrate heavily on an action that was once fluid and automatic, a process that quickly becomes draining. Eventually, the line between speech and noise will become so blurry that it will be almost impossible to distinguish between the two. Once this occurs, even the most advanced hearing aid may not be powerful enough to help your brain readjust to living in a world of amplified sound.

While many elderly people consider hearing loss to be a natural part of aging, this doesn’t mean it should be ignored. Left untreated, this type of cognitive strain can cause early deterioration of the mind and increases the risk for Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other mental disorders. Lack of hearing aid use has also been known to increase the risk of falling among this age group by up to three times. By being fitted with hearing aids immediately after a hearing loss diagnosis, you can postpone or even prevent cognitive or physical issues such as these from ever developing.

Hearing aids can help boost your career and confidence
While it’s easy to imagine that hearing loss is a problem that only affects the elderly, approximately 65% of those affected are below retirement age. As a result, millions of people are currently employed with an untreated hearing loss, costing the U.S. economy billions in lost wages every year. Those who avoid or deny hearing loss are therefore at risk of costing themselves thousands of dollars in annual income by being looked over for promotions or performing poorly in the workplace.

This frustration that results from trouble hearing clients over the phone and following instructions never just stays at work. Hearing loss brings with it a troubling sense of alienation from others, which can quickly develop into a long-lasting sense of depression, coupled with feelings of anxiety and stress. The longer hearing loss goes unaddressed, the more likely it is that issues with mental health and self-esteem will become a concern. By working closely with a hearing care professional and other licensed therapists, anyone with hearing loss can regain the tools for healthy communication and rebuild their confidence at home and on the job.

Be a better listener with hearing aids
Untreated hearing loss affects more than just the individual. Every healthy relationship depends on communication, which can quickly crumble when listening is compromised. One partner regularly feels that their comments are being ignored instead of simply misunderstood, and the other can’t understand why their partner is constantly mumbling and getting aggravated during conversations. Unsurprisingly, countless married couples cite hearing aid use as having saved their rocky relationships. Hearing aid wearers can also expect to strengthen their relationships with friends and family members by being more attentive, sociable, and content in any listening situation.

The first step towards treating a hearing loss is confronting any stigmas or irrational fears one may have about a hearing aid. In a world where people young and old go out with devices in their ear every day, the sleek design of today’s hearing aids will likely go unnoticed in most situations. Wearing a hearing aid is no more embarrassing than wearing eyeglasses, yet many people worry the devices will make them appear old or confused.

Make the right choice for your hearing

If you or a loved one appear to be showing signs of a hearing loss, there’s never been a better time to sit down and have a conversation about taking the next step. Our online locator will help you find a hearing care professional in your area. If you are still unsure whether a hearing aid is right for you, ask about a 30-day trial period at your appointment to see if you can test a hearing device at no additional cost. Don’t wait—the gift of hearing is too precious to waste.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, ear troubles like ‘Glue Ear’ or infections are common but they can be tricky to identify, especially if your child isn’t in any pain. Regular ear checks and knowing the signs of hearing problems are important steps in your child’s health.

If left untreated, ear problems can cause permanent ear damage, and may also affect your child's speech and language development.

Here are some tips to help you keep an eye on your child's ears and hearing.

Speaking
If your child is not learning to speak, it may be a sign of a hearing problem. Here's a guide to what children can generally do at certain ages:
 - At 6 months: look towards sounds
 - At 18 months: Say simple words such as ‘Ma-ma’
 - At 3 years: Say short sentences: ‘It’s a dog’
 - At 5 years: Be easily understood by others

Hearing
If your child does any of the following, it may be a sign of a hearing problem:
 - Is regularly unable to hear sounds that you can
 - Says ‘what?’ a lot
 - Watches your face to hear you

Health
Do they:

Always have a runny or crusty nose? Or runny, crusty or smelly ears?

Hearing loss affects approximately 48 million Americans,1 and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 30.3 million people in the United States have diabetes, which is just under 10% of the US population.2 These statistics make them two of the most prevalent health concerns in America. As research continues there seems to be a growing overlap between these two populations, hinting as a potential connection between hearing loss and diabetes.

Hearing loss is twice as common in diabetes patients

In her 2008 study from the Annals of Internal Medicine, Kathleen Bainbridge, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, drew a number of conclusions from national survey data. She concluded that hearing loss is more than twice as common in diabetes patients than in the general population. In addition, her study found that 21% of respondents exhibited both hearing loss and diabetes, compared to 9% of those surveyed who only had some form of hearing impairment but no diabetes. Finally, of the 86 million Americans with prediabetes, rates of hearing loss are 30% higher than adults with normal blood glucose levels.3 Perhaps, this final finding is the most alarming number.

More research?

Current studies show evidence to support a noticeable overlap between the illnesses. Beyond primarily impacting older populations, medical practitioners have several theories as to how the two might be related. The current body of research linking hearing loss and diabetes is still fairly limited. So, we need more research to connect the two health concerns definitively.

Metabolic involvement in hearing loss? Anecdotal evidence

Audiologist, Marilyn Enoch, writing for The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) shared stories from her experience treating people with both hearing loss and diabetes. For one patient, she explained, "An audiogram revealed hearing loss in both low and high frequencies, with normal hearing in the middle frequencies. The shape of this audiogram suggested metabolic involvement." But anecdotal evidence isn't enough. She hopes that more resources will be dedicated to looking into the links between these two conditions. "More research is necessary to determine how diabetes, which is thought to be a microvascular disease, interacts with and affects the auditory system."4

What links the conditions?

Diabetes patients have sustained elevated blood glucose levels. This results in damage to many of the fine blood vessels that supply the inner ear. A network of vasculature supplies the cochlea. When patients fail to manage their illness, or it goes uncontrolled for too long, it negatively impacts the inner ear tissue and nerves. This leads to impaired hearing.

Take the Appropriate Course of Action for your hearing loss

Talk to your primary care physician or an endocrinologist to address your diabetes. Our professionals at HearingLife can counsel you on your hearing loss and to conduct a hearing assessment*. If so, we can work with you decide which treatments suit your needs best. For more information on hearing loss and links to other illnesses, make an appointment or make for a complimentary hearing assessment*.

Today’s hearing aids are more sophisticated than ever before. They utilize the most advanced microelectronics, wireless radios, and computer processors, and they are built to exacting specifications to offer the best hearing possible. This includes being as resistant to moisture, dust and dirt as a high-tech instrument that sits in your ear all day can be.

However, this does not mean hearing aids never break down or never need to be replaced.
 
If hearing aids are worn in the manner they are designed to be worn — meaning every day all day long — then they are guaranteed to be exposed to some pretty rough environments. This can include perspiration, body oils, ear wax, hair spray, lotion, makeup, rain, humidity, dust, pollen, etc.
 
Add to that, hearing aids get dropped, rattled around in purses and back packs, twisted and turned while putting them in and taking them out, and much more. Overall, they take quite a beating but keeping performing.

A five-year lifespan is typical
That said, the average life of a hearing aid is around five years. This is assuming the wearer cleans and maintains the hearing aids regularly and has their hearing healthcare professional check and clean the aids at least every six months.

Still, in that five-year period, it is not unusual for hearing aids to require few repairs. Once hearing aids reach the five-year mark, investing in new hearing aids vs. repairing old ones is something to seriously think about. As durable as today’s hearing aids are, over time the components will break down from daily exposure to the elements. At this point, new hearing aids are a much better investment than continuing to repair the old ones.

Hearing aid technology gets better every year
Purchasing new devices won’t just provide you with a more reliable set of hearing aids. In the time you wore those older devices, hearing aid technology will have advanced. Significantly. This means better sound quality, better hearing in noise, advancements in wireless technology, more accessory options, and more life-enhancing features.

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Jeff P. is a law enforcement officer who’s been living with tinnitus since as long as he can remember. Five years ago, it got so bad he could barely sleep. After trying numerous treatments, none of which helped, he tried our tinnitus technology solution.

We recently talked to Jeff, and his wife, who wanted to tell their story in hopes it could help other tinnitus sufferers who were looking for help.

The following is a transcript of that conversation. Some questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Let’s start with an introduction.
Jeff: My name is Jeff. I'm a law enforcement officer. I also did construction for a number of years with my father. I've played drums all my life; been in and out of bands. So I’ve definitely been exposed to loud sounds, noises, things like that.

Tell us when your tinnitus first started: how you noticed it and what it felt like.
Jeff: I've had it all my life. But up until about four or five years ago, it's something that's been more of an annoyance and nuisance. During the day when you have your ambient noise, hustle and bustle around you and you're busy and everything, it's not something that I really thought about because the tinnitus was fairly quiet.

But if I got into a quiet room, or when it became night and things quieted down and you're still, then it was noticeable. So I had always used something, like turning on a radio or turning on some white noise or using a fan or something to distract me and keep me from hearing the ringing — and until about four or five years ago, that sufficed.

How did it shift four or five years ago? What changed?
Jeff: I don't know what changed. I had not been recently exposed to any loud noises, jackhammers, gunfire, etc., but I was at home one day and out of the blue, like boom, it's like someone took the volume knob on the ringing and — if 10 is the max and it had previously been at a two — it turned it up to what seemed to be about an 11.

I mean, I don't know why. It just turned up; it was all of a sudden and I thought maybe it would go away in a couple seconds or something. But it didn't.

It was the same exact sound I'd had all my life, but for some reason, the volume just shot up and I don't know why. Plus, now it was there 24/7. It wasn’t just like, "Hey, I need a little bit of white noise at night." It was like, "I need some help and I need it bad!"

Did you try anything?
Jeff: Of course. I tried the so-called miracles in a bottle — that if you take this the ringing will go away. I've tried the different products and they never helped. And then I came to find out that — because of the kind of tinnitus that I have (pulsatile) — like many people, unfortunately it's not helped chemically.

Mine has also not been helped by chiropractic treatment or acupuncture, or stretching. It's not been helped by TMJ therapies, which can help people and can have a positive effect on certain individuals if that's what's causing or driving theirs. That's not what was driving mine.

In fact, as mine worsened, I even tried a procedure called intratympanic steroid perfusion. I'd heard that could possibly be a miracle solution for it. Unfortunately, it wasn't, so I've kind of tried just about everything that's out there.

So what did you do?
Jeff: Then, one day I was talking to an employee at the Shea Ear Clinic in Tennessee and he told me, "Hey, my wife tries these [hearing aids] and they seem to give her some relief. Maybe you might want to try them." And so, not wanting to leave any stone uncovered, with the help of that employee at the Shea Ear Clinic, I located an audiologist in my city who sold this tinnitus masking device.

I was skeptical at first, but I went in and tried a pair and from that moment on, my life has been changed in terms of the relief that it’s given me.

What was different about this tinnitus treatment?
Jeff: One reason why it works so well is because of these little tubes that sit right against your eardrum. They put the masking sound inside your head instead of outside, like other external noise maskers. If you don't have tinnitus you wouldn't really understand this, but if you do suffer from it you know that the sound is inside your head. It's different than being outside of you. You still describe it as "hearing it,” but it's more inside your head.

When you place the device in your ears, because it sits closer to your head, it's right on your eardrum and puts the sound inside your head where the ringing is — which is absolutely amazing!

Another wonderful thing about the device is that the white noise is asymmetric. So instead of a constant level of sound, it's kind of swooshing up and down, like ocean waves. But not only that, it's doing it differently, randomly, in each ear — which might make you think, "Hey, well, that's not a good idea." But when you hear it, you're absolutely blown away at how well it removes the ringing sound.

Another great feature about the device is that the white noise is tunable. The technology allows you to adjust the pitch of the swooshing sound to exactly match the pitch of the ringing you hear, which is another reason why this product is so effective.


How has it made a difference?
Jeff: Once I tried them out, I was absolutely amazed. I had finally found some relief. Although I was skeptical at first, I wasn't going to leave any stone unturned and not try the product. I couldn't believe it. I said to myself, “Wow, that really seems to make a difference! Wow, that really seems to help!”

It's just unbelievable. Even though you're not cured and you know you still have the problem, it takes away so much of the worry and the anxiety and the dread because you know you can throw those things in, any time you want, and get relief.

For me, because of the type of work I do, I'm very active and very busy, so I don't need them during the day. But before I had these, I would dread going to bed at night. I would dread going to sleep because I would have to deal with the tinnitus. I would think, “How am I going to do it? I'm not going to get any sleep.” The thought of that would drive me crazy during the day. Now I don't worry about it for one second. I don't think about it at all during the day.

And whenever I'm ready to go to bed I throw these things in and immediately the ringing goes away and it's replaced with the soothing swooshing sound, which is easy to habituate because you get so used to it. You forget about the swooshing and you're not even thinking about your tinnitus.

You're just back to your life as it was before you either had the problem or before it was devastating you.

What would you say to all the people who've tried treatments and are frustrated — what you say to them about this?
Jeff: I would describe to them why it can help them. I would let them know of the different remedies and things that I've tried. Because, for me, if I can help somebody else, if I can change their life, that's an amazing thing.

They need to get down to their nearest Starkey provider, as quickly as they can. Get down there, and get these in your ears and it'll change your life.

If it's okay, my wife has experienced all of this with me and she wants to add her two bits to what I'm saying.

Of course.
I’m Teri and my husband Jeff is a Type-A personality. So, because of what a go-getter he is, he didn't want to tell me when the raging tinnitus first happened; he was trying to fix it on his own. For a week or so I saw him acting strange, he was more agitated than normal. He just was acting differently.

And it got to a difficult point for him, where he said, "I can't look at this anymore. I've got to talk to you about it. This is what's going on. I need you to take on the research and figure this out."

He's not a Facebook user, but I am — so that's when I got onto Facebook groups, trying to see what people were talking about, what solutions they were finding.

All the herbal supplements and all the different things like acupuncture — we went through a list of all the different things and, over the next few weeks, months, tried all these different things.

So when we found this solution, which maybe took eight, nine months — I just didn’t know how there could be this great of a solution. And if there are other wives sitting there as desperate as we were and they're trying to help their family members, it's a big deal. It was life-changing for us.

[Jeff gets back on the phone]
Jeff: Like I said, I only wear them during the night, when I sleep. But it even helps me during the day, when they're not in because I know that I'm going to throw them in at night, and that gives me peace and comfort and that takes away that dread and worry.

And that's an amazing thing!
 

As with all technology, hearing aids are constantly getting better and better. Investing in new hearing aids regularly provides wearers with reliable hearing aids that provide the best hearing possible, which is always the most important thing. And with hearing aids, the return on investment is often priceless.

You can try before you buy
If you’re on the lookout for new hearing aids, we can help. Call 1-888-908-1845 or click here and we’ll connect you with an experienced hearing healthcare professional who can show you our Livio AI hearing aids — the only hearing aids ever to be named a TIME Magazine Best Invention.

 

P.S. Don’t forget to have your hearing checked every year to monitor for any changes in hearing. This could also play a role in the decision to replace your current hearing aids.

When most people receive the news that they will need hearing aids, the biggest shock comes from learning how high the cost will be. It can be tempting to try and reduce the cost by buying only one aid for a “dominant” hearing ear and cut the cost in half. Unless you only have hearing loss in one ear, we strongly advice against this practice for a number of important reasons.

Your ears and your brain work in tandem to produce and interpret sounds. The brain relies on input from both ears to determine the location of sounds, filter out background noise, and to provide the inputs that will allow maximum reception of the clear speech. If the brain only receives signals from only one ear (or one hearing aid), it will not only be less clear but also the extra concentration required to hear and interpret speech can lead to stress and fatigue.

Not only do users who choose to use a single hearing aid suffer from sub-optimal hearing in the short term, they can cause more damage to their ability to hear in the longer term. If the brain receives clear signals from one ear and muffled signals from the other, it will shut off the inputs it receives from the muffled ear and the auditory nerve in the unused ear can deteriorate further.

In addition, many of the most powerful features of today’s best hearing aids are only active when two hearing aids are present. Today's high end hearing aids communicate wireless with each other to clarify sounds and optimize the localization of speech. To learn more about the benefits of two hearing aids, click here to read this excellent article from The Better Hearing Institute

Embrace Hearing is committed to providing the highest quality European hearing aids to our customers at about a third of the cost of Store Front retail operations. A pair of our custom programmed digital hearing aids sell for $900 to $2,498, depending on performance level and processing technology. You can build you hearing aids at embracehearing.com.

Whether you choose to purchase your hearing aids from a local retailer or online, the right hearing choice is to purchase two hearing aids if this is indicated by your hearing test. Be sure to purchase good quality hearing aids with reliable professional customer support. Make sure you check independent hearing aid reviews for both the retailer and the hearing aid brand you are considering before you buy.