What are the Best Hearing Aid Features?

When trying to decide upon the right hearing aid for you it is a good idea to look at the features that the aid has to offer. All hearing aids will come with different features and what you deem to be the best hearing aid features will entirely depend on your personal circumstances, needs, and levels of hearing loss.

It is always recommended you discuss this thoroughly with your hearing health professional, who will offer their expert opinion. In the meantime, here is some further information to help you decide upon the best hearing aid features for you.

Low battery indicator

Like many things in today’s world, your hearing aid will run off a battery, and just like your smartphone your device, you will need notifying when that battery is about to run out. A hearing aid with a low battery indicator will alert you when the battery levels are running low, some aids will make a sound to let you know and others may flash a warning light.

If you are someone who is unlikely to remember to keep your batteries powered, then opting for a hearing aid with a low battery indicator is a must.

Microphones

A microphone is an incredibly important feature to have on a hearing aid, and what is more, there are a variety of different types of microphones that work in different ways. Deciding on the type that best suits you will depend on your personal circumstances and largely the way in which you need to use your hearing aid. By way of example, an adaptive microphone will focus on the speech coming from the room, a directional microphone will focus on the sounds coming from in front of you, and an omnidirectional microphone will pick up anything in a 180-degree radius.

You can also program your hearing aid so that it has different settings and includes the varying microphone types, again a feature that may well be worth considering.

Noise reduction

Noise reduction is a common feature in most hearing aids and is usually automatic. Automatic noise reduction will detect unwanted or unnecessary background noise and can help reduce it (albeit not extinguish it), allowing the user to focus on the sounds they need to hear. Noise reduction features can reduce the noise of anything from wind to washing machines.

Applications

One of the great advances that hearing aids have enjoyed is the ability to connect to smartphones and smartphone applications. In doing so, a user can make adjustments to their hearing aids and adapt the settings without having to remove their devices or complete it manually. Another great feature when connecting your hearing aid to your smartphone is that it can reroute phone calls, music, or streaming directly into your hearing aid.

Your hearing health professional will work with you to determine the best hearing aid features for your individual preferences.