Hi everyone, Emily here. I hope you are all doing well! Man, it has been so nice
to be able to get outside and stretch and see friends in small groups of course. I
hope you're joining me from the comfort of your own home, your car, your desk at
work, or from wherever is relatively and hopefully completely coronavirus free. great
Getting out with this whole coronavirus thing has probably been the best and worst
thing ever the best because we've been stuck inside and the worst because of the
masks. I don't need to go into that because we already all know and I
covered it a bunch lately. So today, I want to share three tips to find the best
hearing aids for you. Every ear is different so when you're trying to find
the right hearing aid, it's like digging for a needle in a haystack or Prince
Charming trying to find Cinderella. The haystack and Cinderella and the hearing
aids, they won't come running to you so you've got a dig deep and know how and
where to find them. so I hope these tips will help. If you're new to my channel I am so
glad you're here. I hope you check out my other videos and I hope topics that help
you. If not please let me know in the comments, I want to hear about them I'm
gonna be making lots of videos about people. Overall,
the purpose of my channel is to bring awareness to the D/deaf and hard of
hearing people. To help them out with some tips that have helped me. I have a
moderate to severe bilateral hearing loss. I wear hearing aids and I invite
you to subscribe to my channel to join a community of people in an effort to
raise awareness for the D/deaf and hard of hearing that is my channel goal. I hope
you can stick around for the whole video and I want to hear your comments and
what you like and what I can add in my next videos. Regardless be sure to hit
that thumbs up button and subscribe down below. I hope you can stick around to the
end of this video because if you do I'm gonna share a little tip about buying
and hearing aids and what I mean by this is I'll make it worth your while
by sharing a hearing aid buying tip. Guess how long you can use hearing
aids when you buy them? There's a trial period. Did you know that? Okay at the end
of the video I'll tell you how long that trial period is. Let's get to it!
Here are three tips to find the right hearing aids for you. Number 1: Visit a
licensed audiologist. Audiologists have gone through at least nine years of
schooling and undergone various certifications, exams, internships, trial and
error, you name it. They are educated they know
what they're doing. Audiologists are ear and sound doctors
and experts to help you. They know more about the ear and sound components than
the rest of us so I highly recommend going to one. We've only got five senses
so be sure to trust the best with your ears. Okay so I really can't stress how
important it is to go to an audiologist to be fit with hearing aids. There's a
difference between audiologists and hearing aid dispensers. If you're not
being fit with hearing aids by a licensed audiologist, chances are you're
being fit by a hearing aid dispenser. Hearing aid dispensers have a far less
restrictions and requirements to become a hearing aid dispenser or to be able to
just simply sell hearing aids. To become a hearing aid dispenser in California
all people have to do is be above 18 years of age, have a high school diploma,
they must submit to fingerprinting, and pass a couple exams. Now this, in
comparison to an audiologist who spends years and years of their life studying
the ear and how sound interacts with the ear, it really is better to have someone
recommend a hearing aid that understands the ears. Now sometimes, audiologists and
hearing aid dispensers work hand in hand, that is ideal as well. But do not simply
just go online on Amazon or in to Costco or just walk in somewhere and just buy a
hearing aid because that hearing they may not be as sophisticated as something
that your ear requires and needs to properly bring sound to your brain so
definitely keep that in mind. Visit a licensed audiologist. The audiologists
are there to sell you something that will actually help you hear. Other places,
they are there just like a car dealership to sell you a car to sell
you hearing aids and they're not really there for the long-term relationship. A
lot of people feel like they cannot afford hearing aids what they don't
realize is that there's a lot of programs out there that are built to
help you buy them. So if cost is your only issue in finding the right
hearing aid for you, don't let that stop you. I should make a video about that in
fact, I probably will. So stay tuned to my channel and don't forget to subscribe so
that when that video comes out or any of my videos for that matter you will
receive a notification. Number two: Know that one type of hearing aid does not
fit all. For example, I am wearing a behind the ear hearing aid or BTE. This
means my hearing aid receiver is behind the ear or behind my ear so this would
mean that it is bigger and as you can notice, it requires a mold that you can
see to be able to fit my ear. A lot of people don't like this model because you
can see it. Typically, people just don't like the fact that they have a
hearing loss and they don't want it to be seen. So the fact that I have a huge
hearing aid that's white, a lot of people will be like "Oh cringy" Uh, don't be
ashamed of the fact that you can't hear. That's ok! Look at me, I'm like what in my
20s and I have hearing aids and this has no indicator that I am old in
any way. So that is a BTE! I also have a RIC or a "receiver in the canal" so you
can't see this super well but there is this little wire here and the receiver
is in the canal of the hearing aid. These hearing aids are typically less
powerful than the BTE. As you can see that's a lot of
electronic space here in my BTE but not so much here in the RIC. I was in a RIC
for a while and we found out that I was supposed to be in a BTE. My loss is such
that the BTE has the power that I need so though you may be tempted to get a
non-discreet RIC hearing aid, It it may not be good for you, it may not be the best
thing for you. It's like if you're going to eat dinner and you can eat ice cream or
a healthy meal, it's better for you to eat the healthy meal then take the ice
cream. Only go with the ice cream if it's what the audiologists recommends. You
definitely want to consider the options and make sure that if you're going to
invest in a hearing device that you get the one that has the proper power for
you. Don't worry so much about looks. If you're missing out on conversations
there's no reason to have hearing aids. I mean I think any hearing aid is
better than no hearing aids, but do not sacrifice looks for your hearing. Be aware
of that. This is a RIC hearing aid, a "receiver in the canal" and this is a BTE
or "behind the ear" hearing aid. Know that one type of hearing device does not fit
all. Number three: As you're picking out the
right turn aid for you it is important to understand what hearing aids can do.
So a long time ago, hearing aids used to be a box that would just have a
little string around the neck and they would amplify sound out of it. Hearing
aids are so complex now not only can they amplify sound, they can pick out
certain waves and frequencies and have different
channels for ideal settings. So be aware of hearing aids and don't hesitate to
ask your audiologist what hearing aids have what settings. For example, my hearing
aids have a bluetooth setting that can sync with my phone. So my phone calls
and my music automatically go straight to my hearing aids. I hear sound unlike
ever before. And I mean this because I was used to
earbuds or over the earphones that I would use when my hearing aids were out
because the feedback was to bad. And being able to hear from the right and
the left ear in such clarity was incredible!
I went from just hearing beats to being able to understand lyrics when I got these.
so know that some hearing aids have Bluetooth technology. Some hearing aids
are rechargeable. I have hearing aids that require a 13 battery. I decided to
opt out of the rechargeable because I worried like what if my hearing aid is
like a, an electric car on a road trip and I have a long day and they haven't been
charged, or maybe the charge doesn't last all day... I don't want to be left without
my hearing aids so I have not ventured into the rechargeable hearing aid realm. Maybe
I will but not yet. So know that your hearing aids can be rechargeable. Other
aids also come with apps. So my hearing aid has a ReSound app and from that app I
can control what I want my levels to be. So I just bump the treble, lower the
base, mess with the mid-tones. I also have different channels for loud
environments and for restaurants. It's really nice to be able to control my
hearing aids from the palm of my hand instead of having to wait to go to the
audiologist. So there you have it! There are three ways to help you find the best
hearing aids for you! Remember that hearing aids are not a "one size fit all".
There's lots of different options. Be sure to visit the audiologist so you can
get the right type of hearing aids that will fit your ear and be sure that you
know what hearing aids can do so that you can buy the best hearing aids for
you. So there you have it! Do you have hearing aids you love? Do you have hearing
aids that you don't like? Why? I want to hear in the comments below! Please share! So I'm so glad you stuck around to the end of this video you can
try hearing aids for a period of time before you buy them: it's try before you
buy! It's the best thing! You can try hearing aids for up to 30 days before
you buy them! Be aware of that! Test the hearing aids out
don't be afraid to try other hearing aids and typically, I've only ever gone to an
audiologist. I have not tried locations like Costco or Miracle Ear or hearing
aids.com, whatever you want to call it. You should always be aware there is a
try before you buy period. Take advantage of that, if your audiologist doesn't have
a specific type of hearing aid that they recommend, that would blow me away if
they didn't, I'd get a second opinion but then you can try both and see which
sounds best to you. Just know that all hearing aids sound different my BTE
sounds way different from my RICs. They take time to get used to, that's normal.
If you ever get a new set of aids, give yourself at least three weeks to a month
to get used to them. Don't just rip them out right away. Use your patience, you got
it but you'll be amazed at how much you can hear and subsequently understand
when you have the right hearing aids for you. So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed
this video, I hope this video helps you know how to find the right hearing aids
for your individual ears. If you have any questions or comments please let me know
down below and again if you have hearing aids or hearing devices I want to hear
what you have, what you like in the comments below. Don't forget to give this
video a big thumbs up and subscribe to my channel so that you know when I make more good
videos. I hope you all have a great day! Bye!!