You, Your Lifestyle, & Your Hearing Aids
How much you should spend to enhance your hearing with hearing aids or assistive listening devices depends on many factors. If you live alone, in the woods, rarely talk on the phone, never listen to the radio or watch TV, rarely venture out, then your hearing aid use will probably be low and it doesn’t make sense to opt for “top shelf” hearing aids.
On the other hand, even if you live by yourself, but you’re constantly watching TV, talking on the phone or listening to the news on the radio and socializing with friends and family – your use is going to be high. In fact you’ll probably wear your hearing aids for 12-16 hours a day – you’ll want hearing aids that consistently perform well.
Given your high use, paying a bit more is going to be a good investment.
21st Century Solutions – Digital Hearing Aids
If you only plan on using your hearing aids at home, the more basic units may suffice. On the other hand, if you want it to enhance your listening at home, in the car, at the supermarket, at a restaurant, at concerts, at the football games you attend, in the yard and across a wide variety of listening environments, then you’ll want a more full-featured advanced digital hearing aid.
Of course the more you use your hearing aids, the more they will help you, and the more you’ll be engaged with your friends and family and the more you’ll get out of life. And only you can put a price on the value of friendship, family and fully being part of the conversation.
The Price for Hearing Aids
Cost and value are two different things. Take out a piece of paper, list how much of the day and week you could benefit from using hearing aids, and the variety of situations where they would help you enjoy life more. Then calculate what it’d be worth to you per day, to be part of the conversation. That’s the value.
What determines the cost of a hearing aid?
Cost is determined by features and function. The more features you want and the higher level of performance you’d like, the more you’ll pay. Almost invisible hearing aids that work well across a broad spectrum of listening environments and are designed for someone with an active lifestyle are likely to be more costly (and work better) than cheap imitations.
How much should you pay for a hearing aid?
Just like any other technology, your hearing aid price depends on which features you choose (or more importantly) your hearing healthcare professional decides are right for you. The more features you receive, the more the hearing aids will cost. For example, if you live a very active lifestyle, your hearing healthcare professional will most likely recommend dual microphones to help you hear better in noise (patient satisfaction is very high with this feature).
All hearing aids come with an adjustment or trial period, typically 30 days from date of purchase. During this adjustment period, you’re welcome to visit your hearing aid professional for any necessary fitting issues or if for any reason you are not satisfied with the hearing aids you buy, you can return them for a refund minus a very small fitting/restocking fee.
This is one of the many reasons that time and again, our patients choose Sound Advice and put their hearing health in the hands of our experienced hearing care professionals
