Hearing Aid? – Top 10 Features of Today’s Best Hearing Aids (part 2)
Hearing Aid?
Is a hearing aid right for you? Well, in this post I’m talking about the top 10 features of today’s best hearing aids. Coming up!
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Hi, I’m Dr. Derek – audiologist, audio engineer, and musician with Pro Fit Hearing.com bringing you the best insight into 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.
Today, I’m talking about the top 10 features of today’s best hearing aids. This is part 2 of this series. Make sure to read part 1 HERE.
When someone says hearing aids, what do you think of? Some big, bulky piece of plastic behind your ear that doesn’t stop whistling? Well, maybe that’s something you had seen with your parents or grandparents but today hearing aids are high tech, miniaturized computers that transform the lives of people who wear them.
Hearing Aid Features #6-10
Feature #6: “Out of the box” hearing aid fitting
This is one of the most amazing things about today’s hearing aids. Depending on your level of hearing loss, it’s possible to have your hearing tested and be fit with new, custom tuned hearing aids on the same day. It’s called an open fit hearing aid. The hearing aid itself is small and rests behind the ear. A wire with a small plastic ear tip sends sounds into the ear. These hearing aids can be stored in the clinic for demonstration purposes and then quickly adjusted to fit a person’s hearing loss. The sound quality of an open fit hearing aid is often easier to adapt to, since it doesn’t require any custom earmolds.
Feature #7: Direct TV connection
Hearing the TV clearly is a top concern for many patients. There’s many wireless headphone systems on the market today, however if you have a hearing aid that connects directly to the television this will provide superior sound quality. This requires a small box that connects to the TV, and then that box transmits sounds out to the hearing aid.
Some models of these TV hearing devices use a necklace device or something clipped to the shirt that sends sound to the hearing aids. Whatever device your hearing aids support, ask your provider about this exciting technology.
Feature #8: Phone call streaming
Hearing on the phone can be difficult if you have hearing loss, but many hearing aids today have Bluetooth technology. This allows you to directly connect your hearing aids to a cell phone with either a neck worn or clip-on adapter. Some hearing aids connect to cell phones directly. This technology will allow you to hear the phone in both ears while being able to have your cell phone sit on the table.
Hearing the phone call in both ears can make speech understanding much easier. There’s also wireless landline phones that can stream the sound to the hearing aids. Using hearing aids and phones together used to cause a lot of feedback or whistling, however this new streaming technology will eliminate that problem and greatly improve sound quality.
Feature #9: Connect to your smartphone, tablet, or computer
In addition to cell phone streaming, some hearing aids today allow you to stream sounds via Bluetooth from your smartphone, tablet, or computer. This can include music, movies, or sounds from any app on your device. Sounds that are streamed from these devices are customized to the user’s hearing loss so they’ll be about to hear their very best. This technology effectively transforms hearing aids into customized Bluetooth headphones.
Feature #10: Internet connectivity & artificial intelligence
A new technology is smart hearing aids that connects you with other devices in your home. Something called “If This Then That” technology allows the user to have an alert sound in their hearing aids when something happens at home such as when someone rings your doorbell or if a security alarm sounds.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to be used in hearing aids to make more decisions on how to best modify sound to help the hearing aid user hear their best. Integrated sensor technology are also being introduced into hearing aids to track the user’s activities, similar to a smart watch device on the market.
So, now when someone says hearing aids you should think about quick customization, connectivity to smartphones, and cutting edge technology like artificial intelligence. These top features of today’s best hearing aids have really revolutionized what a hearing aid can do and it can absolutely change your life for the better.
Question of the Day
So for today’s question. What hearing aid features excite you the most, and has your perception of hearing aids changed? I’d love to know your thoughts, so please comment below.
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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 into today’s latest hearing aids and audio technology to improve your life. If you have concerns about your hearing, always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
-Dr. Derek