Before making a purchase, we usually head to the internet to find out what’s the latest and best thing to hit the market. But when it comes to something as personal as buying hearing aids in Singapore, reading up on new product features and online reviews isn’t enough.
To help you through this important process, we’ve compiled a list of things you have to know in order for you to find the best hearing aid for your needs!
Finding the Right Hearing Care Professional
The first thing you need to do is to find a reliable supplier or hearing care professional that you can trust. The right audiologist or professional will play a vital role in guiding through the procedure of selecting the best hearing aid for your unique needs.
They should be able to help you in clearing any doubts and confusion while also guiding you to discover new needs or raise new questions you might not have thought of on your own. Your trusted hearing care professional should also be able to perform Real Ear Measures for you, to ensure that your chosen hearing aid is serving you to its best capacity.
Real Ear Measures are a way of verifying that your hearing aid of choice has been programmed correctly to your prescription. This should be done during your fitting appointment with your hearing care professional. This process involves a probed microphone tube, your hearing aid, and a speaker set up in front of you.
The speaker will play sounds directed towards you, and your hearing aid will proceed to pick up the sound and amplify it a certain amount into your ear. The probed microphone tube will pick up the amplification levels and reflect the amplification in relation to your prescription on a computer screen. The hearing aid settings should be tweaked until your prescription levels and hearing aid amplification levels match.
Well-performed Real Ear Measures make a world of difference. Even the newest and most advanced hearing aid on the market won’t perform as well as one that has been calibrated to suit your prescription, so do not skip this step!
Get Your Hearing Tested
After you’ve identified someone you trust with your hearing loss issues, you can start to fully understand what sort of hearing loss you’re struggling with. There are tons of unique hearing loss cases, especially since some hearing problems can be the result of multiple issues!
That’s why it’s of utmost importance to arrange for a hearing test in Singapore before investing in a hearing aid. One great thing is that an average hearing screening only take an estimated 15 minutes, but you should set aside more time to speak to your hearing care professional about your unique concerns, or just to clarify any doubts.
Discovering and knowing the hearing aid features
All hearing aid suppliers or hearing care professionals will advise you to align your lifestyle needs to your hearing aid features. A lifestyle study will help you identify the common and essential situations, activities and locations where you need to increase your capability to hear and decipher different sounds.
Consider the best hearing aids as communication gadgets, along the same spectrum as mobile phones. Before you buy a mobile phone, you’d usually look at its specs, and evaluate whether or not its features meet your lifestyle needs.
This is the same equation when looking at the features of a hearing aid. Understanding what is available, how the device can complement your lifestyle and which ones work with your form of hearing loss is essential.
Understanding the types of hearing aids
Hearing aids come in three main styles and each with its hearing aid price.
Behind the ear: the critical component of this hearing aid rests in the ear with a coil that attaches behind the outer ear. They are the most common options for the elderly since they are larger in size and thus have larger hearing aid batteries for longer battery life.
In the ear: just like the name suggests, these hearing aids are designed to sit entirely on your ear, but outside the ear canal. The devices are custom-made to fit your exact measurements and are great for those who suffer from moderate to severe hearing loss but are looking for more discreet hearing aid options.
Completely in canal: Due to its small size, these types of hearing aids work automatically, and do not require controllers. These are perfect for those who suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss and are looking for discreet hearing devices. Because it rests entirely in your ear canal, they generally do not get in the way of telephone receivers, which can add great convenience to some users.
Speak to a hearing care professional about trying out these three options during your consultation. This way, you can figure out first hand which options are comfortable for you and help you with your hearing loss that best.
Look at the extra features
Once you’ve chosen the right style, pay attention to the additional specs that you may love. Some popular choices include:
Telecoil switch: this feature lets you shift from your standard settings to specific settings for various situations. For instance, you may wish to switch settings when you speak on the phone to avoid high-pitched feedback.
Directional microphone: Your hearing aid is designed to pick up sound waves equally from all directions. However, with the help of a directional microphone, you can decide which direction you want to focus on when picking up sound. For instance, you can aim the microphone towards a speaker to the front of s theatre to better pick up dialogue.
Direct audio input: with this special feature, you can link your hearing aid in Singapore directly to the TV, PC or any other gadget for you to get clear sounds without interference.
Knowing the features that will add convenience to your lifestyle will assist you in making a better purchase decision. You need to understand all the styles of hearing aid first as this will help you find the best device that fits your hearing needs.
Request for demonstration
You should never feel shy about asking for more details, especially when it concerns your health. When it comes to choosing the best hearing aid, the ideal way to get the right information is by asking for a demonstration during your consultation.
Following a hearing test in Singapore, your hearing care professional would also be in the prime position to advise you on what hearing aids to test. This will help you narrow the field of hearing devices and make the best decision possible. Remember, this is a big investment, so don’t leave any questions unanswered!
Go through the fine print
Before you decide to purchase your preferred hearing aid, make sure you read the fine print. A hearing aid is a vital and great investment in your health, so ensure you understand every detail about the product you are purchasing.
One key thing you need to pay attention to is the warranty. The majority of hearing aids for the elderly offer a 1 week trial duration and are protected under a two to four year warranty. These finer details should definitely influence your final purchase decision.
Final Word
So there you have it, treat this guide as a checklist while you look for the best hearing aids in Singapore. Just remember, an experienced and reliable hearing care professional is just as important as the hearing aid you’re looking to buy. So do not skip on your hearing test and book a consultation today!
