Hearing Aids

Buying Hearing Aids, Consumer Reports Are Helpful

If you suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss, you are probably shopping for a hearing aid. And since hearing aids are not typically covered by most insurance plans, nor will Medicare pay for them, you want to be sure that the hearing aids that you buy are the right ones for you. And because everyone's hearing loss is different, your needs for a hearing aid is going to be different from someone else. Your hearing loss may dictate a need for an in-the-ear hearing aid, while someone else may need a behind-the-ear model. So, without a set standard to compare one set of hearing aids to another, it's impossible to fairy compare them. If you are looking for the edition on hearing aids, Consumer Reports magazine won't help you. You will need to look elsewhere.

If you are trying to compare hearing aids, consumer reports are available online done by actual customers of various hearing aids, so the reports are unbiased. One good place to check out is the Beyond Hearing Listserv. You can find information on hearing aids, consumer reports and reviews from associations such as AARP and the Hearing Loss Association. You can read actual people's experiences with actual hearing aids.

Your doctor and your health insurance company may also have information. Ultimately, with hearing aids, consumer reports of other people mean nothing except how a particular hearing aid works for you.

Before You Buy a Hearing Aid

Don't just look at the advertisements for hearing aids. Look for consumer reports about the company that you are considering. Even though a consumer report about a particular model of hearing aid may not be applicable to your situation, a consumer report about the company most definitely will be helpful. You will learn about their quality and their customer service.

Also, you need to have your kind of hearing loss professionally diagnosed. You can't avoid going to the doctor on this one. If you don't and buy a hearing aid anyway, it could be like taking medicine for malaria when really all you have is the flu.

Don't rule our ready made or over the counter hearing aids that consumer reports on the web and from investigative journalists report. Since the demand is getting higher for more reasonably priced hearing aids, some over the counter hearing aids can help dramatically. But again, before you buy one, check with your doctor and ask if you need a special kind of personalized hearing aid. Some people just need some amplification, while others cannot hear certain tones. For example, this writer is partially deaf in her left ear. I can hear vowel sounds without any trouble, but consonants are tricky. Because my right ear is still working, I haven't needed to check out hearing aids, consumer reports or doctors' opinions just yet.

So while consumer reports about a hearing aid company will be helpful, you will need to find the particular type and model based on recommendations from your doctor or audiologist. They will have the best information available about the particular type of hearing aid you will need based upon your type of hearing loss.

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