Digital Hearing Aids – Top 10 Excuses To Not Buy Hearing Aids (Part 1)
Digital Hearing Aids?
Have you considered digital hearing aids but something’s holding you back? Well, in this post I’m talking about the top 10 excuses to not buy hearing aids. Coming up!
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for weekly videos! The video link is at the end of this post.
Hi, I’m Dr. Derek – audiologist, audio engineer, and musician with Pro Fit Hearing.com bringing you the best insight in today’s latest hearing aids, headphones, and audio technology to improve your life. If you have concerns about your hearing, always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
Do you struggle to connect with family and friends? Do you hear that someone’s talking to you but you can’t understand them? Is it especially difficult to hear in noisy places? Well if this sounds like you, first get a hearing test to determine whether you have hearing loss.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, an estimated 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from hearing aids. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing
Your audiologist can determine whether you’re a hearing aid candidate and show you the hearing aids they offer. If you want to learn more about hearing aid options and features, check out my free eBook “How to Buy Hearing Aids” HERE.
Today, I’ll cover the top excuses people use to not buy hearing aids. I’ve heard each one of these excuses in the clinic and will hopefully convince you to consider hearing aids so that you can hear all that you’ve been missing.
Digital Hearing Aids – what’s your excuse?
Excuse #1: Hearing aids make you look old
Hearing aids today are very small compared to what was available years ago. Some are hidden deep inside the ear, behind the ear, or underneath hair. Today’s digital hearing aids are miniaturized computers that can connect to smartphones and stream audio with bluetooth. Using hearing aids doesn’t make you look old, but avoiding them might since you’re probably asking people to repeat themselves and straining to hear.
Excuse #2: You can’t hear on the phone with a hearing aid
If you are using hearing aids correctly, voices on the phone should sound more clear and be easier to understand. It depends on the position of the phone against the hearing aid. For a behind the ear hearing aid, hold the phone up about an inch higher next to the hearing aid microphone on the top. For an in the ear hearing aid, hold the phone against your ear like normal.
Many of today’s hearing aids can automatically stream phone calls and allows the phone to be heard directly in both ears. This provides improved word clarity and speech understanding during your phone conversations.
Also if you have feedback or whistling from the hearing aid when using the phone, ask your provider for an adjustment. They can review the feedback manager settings inside the hearing aid and activate a phone program. This should help eliminate feedback.
Excuse #3: People will treat me differently
With today’s discreet hearing aids, it’s likely that people will not notice you are wearing them. Also, people will likely treat you differently if you are not wearing hearing aids since they will probably need to speak louder or frequently repeat themselves for you to understand.
A patient’s family is often amazed at how much better their loved one hears and understands speech with hearing aids. Those around you often see and appreciate the positive change hearing aids make in your life.
Excuse #4: People just mumble too much
Patients often say they hear fine, but it’s just that people mumble too much. However, this lack of speech clarity is a possible sign of high frequency hearing loss. Age related hearing loss, also known as presbycusis, first occurs in the high pitch frequency range and impacts consonants and speech intelligibility.
You should always try to face the person you’re speaking with and reduce background noise to maximize word understanding. Conversations often break down if you are talking while you’re walking away from someone or if you try to talk to someone from another room.
Excuse #5: Hearing aids are too expensive
Yes, hearing aids can be expensive but there are more affordable options to consider. Hearing aids are often available in at least three different versions: entry level, mid level, and advanced. The good news is that technology has advanced to the point that even an entry level hearing aid could be more than adequate for your needs. Don’t feel pressured to spend more than you can afford.
Some clinics may offer payment plans or accept third party financing as well. Always remember to ask about the hearing aid trial period, get a break down of all fees, and review the warranty. Wear the hearing aids consistently, give yourself some time to adjust to them, and ask your provider for an adjustment or refund if you are not happy with your purchase.
Make sure you watch for part 2 of this post where I’ll discuss 5 more excuses people use to not buy hearing aids. I’ll leave a link as soon as it’s available.
Question of the Day
So for today’s question, have you been using any of these excuses? Let’s connect in the comments below.
Remember to connect with Pro Fit Hearing on social media. Be a part of the Pro Fit Hearing community!
If you’re interested in hearing aids, click HERE for my free eBook “How to Buy Hearing Aids.” Know what to ask your audiologist or hearing aid dispenser so that your hearing aids are easy to use and have all the features you’re looking for.
Remember Pro Fit Hearing brings you the best insight today’s latest hearing aids, headphones, and audio technology to improve your life. If you have concerns about your hearing, always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
-Dr. Derek