New Year’s Resolution – part 2 Hearing Aid Evaluation

Once you have worked with your Houston, Texas audiologist to determine the cause and extent of your hearing loss, the next step is to decide on the course of treatment that is right for you.  To make your decision you should take hearing aid style, the level of technology you need and the final cost of the device into consideration.

Hearing Aid Style

Completely-in-the-canal (CIC)

·         Smallest, least visible style

·         Fits inside the ear canal

·         Smallest battery, shortest battery life

·         No extra features due to size

·         Works for mild and moderate hearing loss

In-the-canal (ITC)

·         Fits half inside the ear canal and half outside

·         Slightly larger battery, slightly longer battery life

·         Contains a few features

·         Works for mild and moderate hearing loss

In-the-ear (ITE)

·         Fits in the outer portion of the ear with two styles, full shell (most of the outer ear) and half shell (only the lower part of the ear)

·         Larger battery, longer battery life

·         Contains more features

·         Works for mild to severe hearing loss

Behind-the-ear (BTE)

·         Contains two parts, one that fits behind the ear and one that fits inside the ear canal, connected with a tube

·         Largest model

·         Largest battery, longest battery life

·         Contains the most features

·         Works for mild to severe hearing loss

Receiver-in-canal (RIC) and Receiver-in-the-ear (RITE)

·         Contains two parts, one that fits behind the ear and one that fits inside the ear canal, connected with a thin wire

·         Less visible than the BTE model

·         Large battery, long battery life

·         Contains the most features

·         Works for mild to severe hearing loss

Technology

Telecoil (T-coil) Enabled Devices

·         T-coil works as a miniature wireless receiver

·         Picks up electromagnetic signals and turns those signals into sound inside hearing aids

·         Allows the user to directly connect with a hearing loop, FM and infrared system

Bluetooth Enabled

·         Bluetooth works as a wireless receiver

·         Allows user to directly connect with any Bluetooth enabled devices – cell phone, MP3 player, TV

Cost

Hearing aids differ in cost between offices, even within Houston. Generally, the more features and the more advanced the hearing aid, the higher the cost. So you can get an idea:

Behind-the-ear style range from $1,850 to $2,700

Receiver-in-the-ear range from $1,200 to $2,700

Completely-in-the-canal range from $1365 to $2,860

In-the-canal range from $1,300 to $2,750

In-the-ear range from $1,200 to $2,700

Once you and your Houston audiologist have weighted your options and decided on which make and model is right for you, the next phase of the process is to be fitted for your hearing aid. This process will be explained in next week’s blog post!