What to Ask Your HIS About Hearing Aid Features

Three is a wide range of hearing aids out there, and your hearing instrument specialist can help you pick from it to find the device best suited to your needs. However, aside from the hearing aid type, the most significant determining factor might be what kind of features it entails. Here, we’re going to look at some of the questions you should ask your hearing instrument specialist and what some of the most commonly requested features do for you.

Do I need noise reduction?

The basic purpose of a hearing aid is to help you hear better. However, hearing better isn’t just about amplifying noise, it might also entail reducing noises that get in the way of your ability to understand your environment and speech. While all hearing aids can be adjusted to help you boost or reduce the amplification of certain frequencies, noise detection and reduction features can do it for you automatically. If you spend time in places with a lot of background noise, then these detection and reduction features can help you adjust to them, and there are specific wind reduction features for those who spend time outdoors, too.

Might directional microphone features help me?

Directional microphones allow you to direct a receiver so that you can amplify sounds from one particular direction while reducing noise from other sources. You can pick up speech much more clearly while reducing background noise. This feature can be very helpful if you spend a lot of time socializing or you work in environments where you have to talk to people regularly but have trouble doing so due to environmental noise.

What programs and memory features should you have?

If you spend your life in various different environments like many others, you may need to adjust your hearing aids frequently. Doing this manually each time you go to a different place, such as home, the workplace or a local cafe, can be frustrating. You might want to consider a hearing aid that will allow you to save different profiles for the different environments you visit, allowing you to switch between them easily.

What kind of wireless capabilities should it have?

More and more hearing aids have some kind of wireless technology. These are typically broken down into two types. T-coil devices can connect with telecoil loops that are usually installed in places like shops, banks, churches and other public spaces so that you can better hear in them. Bluetooth-equipped devices can connect to all kinds of devices, including smartphones and TVs. Which of these features suits your needs best depends on how often you use digital devices or visit the types of public places mentioned.

The questions above are just the beginning when it comes to exploring the features that might best help you. Talk to your hearing instrument specialist about your lifestyle, occupation and needs you have, and they can help you find the device with the features that will help you specifically.