More than 35 million Americans suffer from some degree of hearing loss. If you’re one of them, you may be shopping for an assistive device. Before you buy any product to enhance your hearing, it’s important to understand the various types of hearing loss, the differences between a hearing aid and a personal sound amplification device, and what to consider when you’re shopping so you get the product that’s most appropriate for your particular kind of hearing loss. We have found many resources to help in understanding the process. We suggest you start with the following article, which will help you better understand they types of loss you may have, the terminology associated with hearing aids, and things you should be aware of when making your decision to purchase. This helps you understand what to know when buying a hearing aid.

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To have a successful fitting of hearing aids it takes the consumer, audiologist and manufacturer working together for a common goal, “To bring back the sounds of life with hearing aids.”

As the consumer it’s best to do some research and talk with friends and family before going into the first appointment. It is a big decision, that when done right should have a POSITIVE impact on you and your family. Know what features the hearing aids offer to best fit your needs and lifestyle. Know your budget and plan on spending all of it, get the best hearing aid you can afford. Bring a trusted family member with you to your appointments to help make the important decisions. The Audiologist or Hearing Instrument Specialist is responsible to know the products available and to perform the required tests to evaluate the hearing loss a consumer presents.

Once the tests are evaluated, the professional should talk with the consumer to help determine the best hearing aid for your loss, your budget and lifestyle. After a hearing aid is chosen, they will need individualized programming to fit you properly. And lastly, the professional must be able to teach you how the hearing aids work in a way that it is understandable. Engaging family members in the process is essential for a successful outcome. Manufacturers listen to both the professional and the consumer to understand the products consumers are looking for. Each year they spend large amounts of money on research to bring new technology to hearing aids, making them more real sounding.

This research adds to the expensive when purchasing, but it’s necessary to continue to focus on the main problem area of hearing – mainly managing background noise and speech recognition. Then when new products are ready for the consumer, they need to supply software that is easy for the professional to use, with continued training to encourage a deep understanding of what a hearing aid is capable of. When all three work in unison the result will be successful…for all three.

Read the full article Roles in Successful Hearing Aid Fitting: Consumers, Audiologists and Manufacturers.

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“When it comes to your hearing, one size does not fit all.”

Once you’ve had an exam by a certified provider, they can recommend hearing aids that meet your unique hearing needs. Which is something you can’t get with over-the-counter personal sound amplifiers.

Although hearing exams may vary slightly between clinics, and different parts of the exam may be completed by different staff, they all have essentially the same five parts:

• A case history
• Otoscopy
• Tympanography
• Speech testing
• Air and bone conduction testing

The first four parts of the exam give the provider information about your health and lifestyle. The air and bone conduction testing results in an audiogram—which is a detailed report of the frequencies you can hear. Together they’re used to build a complete picture of your hearing health, so your provider can individualize your hearing care.

Part 1: Case History

Like most healthcare professionals, your hearing care provider needs to ask you about your health history and lifestyle.

Questions in a case history can cover many areas, and some might seem irrelevant but they’re all important. For example, a typical question like “What ear do you use while listening on the phone?” can seem unimportant. However, knowing which ear you use can be a clue to the audiologist that one ear is functioning better than the other.

A case history is also likely to cover questions about your medical history, medications you current take, family history of hearing loss and illness, exposure to noise, work history, hobbies, and any hearing difficulties you or your family members notice.

Your answers to these questions help give your provider a picture of your current hearing situation, clues to what may be expected on the tests, and how you may respond to different treatment options.

If you’ve noticed a significant problem hearing and have worked in very noisy situations for many years, you may be a good candidate for hearing aids. On the other hand, if you notice an extreme, painful, and sudden loss of hearing, you may need medical care before pursuing other options. The more information you can provide in your case history, the better the audiologist can tailor the treatment to your individual needs.

Part 2: Otoscopy

Otoscopy simply means “looking in the ears.” This visual check of your ears is an important part of the exam. Through it, your provider checks for anything that may physically impede or otherwise affect your hearing.

The provider will stick an instrument in your ear to see if there is anything blocking your ear canal, like earwax, an infection, or foreign object. It also provides a view of your eardrum to check for scarring or abnormality.

In some cases, these problems need to be addressed by a physician before a test can be completed correctly.

Part 3: Tympanography

Tympanography is a test that looks at the flexibility of your eardrum. To do this, the provider places a probe in your ear, creating an airtight seal around the ear canal. The probe gently raises the pressure in your ear canal (pressing the eardrum in) and draws it back out (pulling the eardrum outwards).

As it does this, the machine creates a graph of the pressure changes. A normal, healthy eardrum will result in a graph with a single peak. In an ear where there is a problem, an infection for example, the eardrum will not move as much and the graph will result in a flat line with little to no peak. There are also cases where the eardrum is overly flexible and creates a peak that is taller than the normal range.

The results of the tympanogram let the audiologist know whether your eardrum is healthy, if there is a perforation, or if other medical issues are in play.

This test corroborates information found during other parts of your evaluation, particularly the audiogram.

Part 4: Speech testing

Speech testing is a two-part process. You’ll complete this test in the sound booth while wearing headphones. In both parts, you’ll repeat words you’ll hear through the headphones.

The first portion—speech reception threshold (SRT)—is meant to find the softest level at which you can recognize simple words. Words are spoken at continually softer levels until you get only 50% correct. That level is the threshold. The threshold level of the SRT is the level at which you can begin to hear speech.

In the second part of speech testing—word recognition testing (WRT)—you’ll repeat the words spoken to you through the headphones again, but this time the words you’ll hear will be at a normal volume. Often, people with hearing loss will have a hard time not just hearing speech, but understanding it. This test measures the normal amount of speech you can understand.

Speech testing is designed to give you the best possible chance to understand words correctly. The results are used to determine how well you might do with hearing aids or other assistive devices.

Part 5: Air and bone conduction testing

The audiogram is the best-known part of a hearing exam. It’s what most people call a hearing test and what hearing care providers use to categorize your hearing abilities. Similar to speech testing, this is also a two-part process.

In part one, air conduction testing, you’ll wear headphones and listen to the infamous beeps. The audiologist will play tones at varying levels and frequencies. Then you’ll give your provider a signal—usually raising a hand or pressing a button—to let them know you heard the tone. From this test, your provider can determine your hearing threshold, which is the softest level you can hear consistently.

Air conduction testing gives your provider a definitive picture of your hearing ability. It shows, in terms of volume and frequency, how good or bad your hearing is.

The second part, bone conduction testing, uses the same process. The only difference is the way you hear the sounds. Instead of typical headphones, you’ll have a headband strapped to your head with a small plastic piece placed snugly behind your ear. When a tone sounds, the plastic piece vibrates directly on the bone behind your ear. This allows the sound to bypass the eardrum and outer portions of the ear and be processed by the nerve directly.

Bone conduction usually provides the same results as air conduction, which suggests that the system leading up to the nerve is functioning normally. But the two tests don’t always have the same results. If bone conduction results differ from air conduction results, that usually indicates there may be a physical problem that blocks the sound from the outer ear from reaching the cochlear nerve.

Several issues can have an impact on the audiogram results, including an ear infection or wax buildup. Generally, these issues can be resolved with medications (or surgery, in some cases) before pursuing hearing aids further.

The audiogram allows the audiologist to make a diagnosis of your hearing and make a personalized recommendation on hearing aids for your particular loss.

A complete picture

Using all these tests in concert give your provider a complete picture of your hearing and lifestyle. A full hearing exam doesn’t just measure your hearing level but takes into account many factors that go into giving you a personal recommendation on treatment options, if necessary.

After your provider completes your evaluation, you’ll have a lot of information to process. It’s important to ask your provider any questions you or family members may have about your hearing. Each individual will have different questions for their provider, depending on their unique needs and concerns. However, here are a handful of points you should understand when walking away from a hearing exam:

• Whether or not a hearing loss was found
• Your specific hearing diagnosis
• Next steps for treatment
• How to protect your hearing moving forward

A comprehensive hearing exam is the best way to ensure you get the individual recommendations and care you need. Being prepared for your exam will help you get the most out of your experience and avoid any unwanted stress, anxiety, or confusion.

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Step 1: Talk to Your Loved Ones

If you haven’t already discussed the matter with your family, now is a good time to start the conversation. Chances are, many of them have already noticed that you have difficulty hearing. Talking openly with your loved ones can provide a support system for you as you seek to address and correct your hearing loss.

Step 2: List Your Symptoms

Before seeing a doctor or hearing specialist, start by identifying your symptoms. The more you can tell your healthcare provider about the nature and circumstances of your hearing difficulty, the better they’ll be able to diagnose and provide solutions.

To get started, go through this list of questions and mark all the true statements.

Click here to download and print this checklist

Step 3: Check with Your Health Insurance

Although you may be tempted to go directly to a healthcare provider to address your hearing loss, it’s a good idea to call your insurance plan first to see if they cover or provide discounts on hearing aids and exams. Because coverage for treating hearing loss is becoming more common, checking with your health plan before you schedule a hearing exam could save you time and money.

There are a handful of ways a health plan may help you cover the cost of treatment. Some will cover exams, but not hearing aids. Some will cover hearing aids, but not exams. Some may offer an allowance or a discount program. Here are the most common ways that health plans help you save money on hearing aids:

Hearing aid benefit

The health plan offers you a fixed copayment for hearing aids and/or exams that is lower than the full cost of the devices and services. For example, if your health plan gives you a $699 copay on a hearing aid, you will pay that exact amount for the hearing aid you choose—no matter the retail price.

Hearing aid allowance

An allowance is a fixed amount that the health plan will pay toward the cost of hearing aids. For example, if your health plan offers you a $2,000 allowance for hearing aids, they will cover the cost up to $2,000. Then you’re responsible for covering any cost over the $2,000 allowance.

Hearing aid discounts

Alternatively, many health plans that don’t offer coverage or an allowance may offer discounts for their members as a valued-added service through third-party programs. For example, TruHearing is a program that works closely with manufacturers and health plans to lower the cost of hearing aids so you can get the latest, brand-name hearing aids at up to 60% off the average retail price without sacrificing quality or services.

A special note about Medicare: Original Medicare doesn’t cover any of the cost of hearing aids, or provide an allowance, copay, or discount. However, because hearing aid coverage is a popular feature for Medicare members, many Medicare Advantage plans do offer some form of hearing aid coverage.

Step 4: Get a Hearing Exam

Once you’ve identified that you most likely have hearing loss and have talked to your insurance company about potential coverage, the next step is to get a full confirmation and diagnosis. It’s time to visit an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist for a full hearing exam. A hearing exam will determine the exact nature of your hearing loss and how it can best be addressed.

Your hearing loss will fall into one of three types, which will determine the method of treatment.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss is the result of a blockage or impediment that physically prevents sound from entering your ear and reaching the nerves of your inner ear that transmit sound signals to the brain. Conductive loss can be caused by:

• Impacted ear wax
• Ruptured ear drum
• Infection or fluid in the ear
• A foreign object
• Physical deformation of the ear

Sometimes a conductive hearing loss can be corrected through a medical or surgical procedure. For example, impacted ear wax can be removed, a raptured ear drum can be fixed. However, not all conductive hearing loss can be corrected and may require the use of hearing aids to partially restore your hearing.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is the result of a deterioration of the inner ear’s ability to correctly process sound. It can be caused by:

• Aging
• Disease
• Medications that damage the auditory system
• Injury or accident
• Intense noise

This type of hearing loss is generally permanent but can be addressed with hearing aids.

Mixed Hearing Loss

As the name suggests, mixed hearing loss is any combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Some of the hearing loss may be addressed surgically, but mixed hearing loss will generally involve permanent hearing loss and treatment with hearing aids.

Step 5: Choose Your Hearing Aids

If your hearing exam determines you need hearing aids, you’ll have a discussion with your provider about which hearing aids will best address your unique hearing loss. Depending on the type and severity of your hearing loss, you may consider a number of options.

Here are some factors that may determine the type and style of hearing aid you’ll need:

• The severity of your hearing loss
• The type of your hearing loss
• Your age and lifestyle
• Physical factors, like dexterity
• Your technology preferences; for example, do you want your hearing aids to connect to your smartphone?

If You’re Not Ready for Hearing Aids

Not everyone who has hearing loss is ready to get hearing aids. There are number of factors to consider, and it’s a big decision. If you are not ready for hearing aids right now, there are a number of strategies and tips that you can start to use in your life to improve your communication until you’re ready.

Tips for You:

• Avoid noisy environments when you are trying to have a conversation, and don’t be afraid to ask your conversation partner to move to a location where you can hear them better.
• Look for visual cues, like gestures or facial expressions, to glean context and fill in missing bits of conversation.
• Admit when you don’t understand something, and ask the speaker to rephrase their statement.
• Ask people to write down important information.
• Keep your sense of humor and be patient with yourself and others.
• Express appreciation with others who are trying to accommodate you.

Tips for your family, friends, and coworkers:

• Get my attention before speaking and face me directly when you speak.
• If I don’t understand something the first time you say it, rephrase your statement instead of talking louder. Raising your voice can distort your speech and make it harder to understand you.
• Please have patience, slow down, and speak clearly.
• Indicate when you are changing subjects.
• Let’s avoid noisy situations.

Whether you’re ready to address your hearing loss, or you need more time, keep in mind that you are not alone. There are over 48 million Americans with hearing loss—and nearly 1/3 of people over 60 have hearing loss.

However, if you’re putting off treatment, don’t wait too long. Hearing aids provide a number of positive health and social benefits that you can take advantage of right now—even if your hearing loss is not severe. Alternatively, putting off treatment can have unintended negative consequences on your hearing that will make it harder for you to hear down the road, even with the help of hearing aids.

When in doubt about the right time and manner to address your hearing loss, ask a provider for help and guidance. They’ll help you make the right decisions to address hearing loss in a way that’s right for you.

Learn more on how TruHearing can help with your hearing health journey.

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