Patients need to know that each person is different and each hearing aid is different in sound quality, so they should ask themselves how does the internet know what is the right device for me? Or how will the internet know the settings that I like? As the Better Hearing Institute, a non-profit hearing states today’s hearing impaired person should be seen by a credentialed professional and receive hearing devices that are programmed to each person’s specific hearing needs. A one size fits all internet device does not allow that to occur. – Mark Sanford, President of CSG Better Hearing
A News Release Issued by the Better Hearing Institute Better Hearing Institute Warns on Do-it-yourself Hearing Care WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 12, 2011 — The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is warning consumers of the inherent risks associated with purchasing over-the-counter, one-size-fits-all hearing aids instead of consulting a hearing healthcare professional. Hearing loss is sometimes the symptom of a serious underlying medical problem. All 50 states require that consumers use a credentialed hearing care professional to purchase hearing aids.
BHI also points out that hearing devices that are purchased over-the-counter or Internet without the consultation of a hearing healthcare professional may result in the devices not being accurately customized to the specific hearing
needs of the individual. ”Todays state-of-the-art hearing aids should be programmed to the individuals specific hearing loss requirements in order to provide good levels of benefit and customer satisfaction, says Sergei Kochkin, BHIs Executive Director. The process requires a complete in-person hearing assessment in a sound booth; the training and skills of a credentialed hearing healthcare professional in order to prescriptively fit the hearing aids using sophisticated computer programs; and appropriate in-person follow-up and counseling. This is not possible when consumers purchase one-size-fits-all hearing aids over the Internet or elsewhere.
Extensive research shows that individualized hearing health assessments and fittings programmed specific to the needs of the hearing aid user provide the best chance for optimal hearing enhancement and customer satisfaction. The best advice BHI can give anyone purchasing a hearing aid is to find a state credentialed hearing healthcare professional and to communicate openly during the evaluation, fitting and trial period to increase the likelihood that you are receiving the best possible benefit from your hearing aids, says Kochkin. It will make a tremendous difference in your ability to hear and in your quality of life.
BHI has published a comprehensive consumer guide entitled, Your Guide to Buying Hearing Aids. (See www.betterhearing.org under hearing loss treatment). The guidelines give confidence to first-time hearing aid buyers by providing a detailed, step-by-step explanation of what to expect, ask, and look for when selecting and visiting a hearing healthcare professional and purchasing a hearing aid. BHI also has published, Your Guide to Financial Assistance for Hearing Aids, the first comprehensive guide on how people can obtain financial assistance to purchase hearing aids.
More About Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids
The number of Americans with hearing loss has grown to more than 34 million—roughly 11 percent of the U.S. population. Over the past generation, hearing loss among
Americans has increased at a rate of 160 percent of U.S. population growth and is one of the most commonly unaddressed health conditions in America today. Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced alertness, increased risk of personal safety, irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, and diminished psychological and overall health. But the vast majority of people with hearing loss can benefit from hearing aids. In fact, eight out of ten hearing aid users report improvements in their quality of life, according to a survey by BHI of more than 2,000 consumers.
Advances in digital technology have dramatically improved hearing aids in recent years, making them smaller with better sound quality. Designs are modern, sleek, and discreet. Clarity, greater directionality, better speech audibility in a variety of environments, better cell phone compatibility, less whistling and feedback than hearing aids of the past, and greater ruggedness for active lifestyles are common features.
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