How to choose the right hearing aid for you

RECHARGEABLE MODELS ARE REVOLUTIONARY Just as phone chargers freed us from cords, recharging technology is liberating hearing aid users from the endless job of changing tiny button

batteries, which can be a real challenge for older people with vision or dexterity issues. “They’re about 10 percent more expensive than battery-operated models, but you’re going to be

spending a dollar a week on batteries with traditional models, so you will recoup the extra cost,” says Brian Earl, associate professor of audiology and director of the Evoked Auditory

Response Lab — EARLab — at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. OPT FOR AN OPEN-FIT HEARING AID, IF POSSIBLE These devices have become increasingly popular for people with mild to moderate

hearing loss for several reasons, including near invisibility. “These are high-end aids in very small packages that sit behind the ear and have a thin translucent tube with a speaker that

extends into the ear canal near the eardrum,” says Ayasakanta Rout, director of the Hearing Aid Research Laboratory at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. “They don’t require

making a mold of your ear canal, so you can try one immediately at your first appointment rather than waiting a week or two for the custom models.” You can expect better sound and comfort,

too. “Open fittings don’t block the ear canal, so natural sound enters your ear in addition to amplification. In the past, this caused feedback [squealing], but the newer technology reduces

that,” Palmer says. “Having an open ear is much more comfortable for hearing-aid users, and their own voice sounds more natural.” CONSIDER SMARTPHONE CAPABILITY If you already use a

smartphone, take advantage of that wireless technology, Galatioto says. Many hearing-aid designs are now equipped with Bluetooth, so with the push of a button you can stream phone calls,

music, podcasts, or audio books from your phone, tablet, computer or TV directly into the hearing aid. The one caveat: Bluetooth is a notorious guzzler of power, so your charge or batteries

will wear down much faster, Rout notes. Very soon all major hearing-aid manufacturers will include a new format known as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) — some already produce them — which should

reduce this problem, he adds. THINK ABOUT TELECOIL TECHNOLOGY IF YOU’RE FREQUENTLY OUT AND ABOUT Do you enjoy going to the movies, the theater or concerts, or taking classes? Look for an

aid with a telecoil (t-coil), which loops into public sound systems to extend the listening range, improve listening comprehension and eliminate unwanted background noise, Galatioto

recommends. Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, all public assembly areas with sound amplification (movie and live performance theaters, courthouses, public classrooms, meeting

rooms) now have to be equipped with assistive listening systems. Hearing aids with this feature may be a little larger in size to accommodate the coil, but they won’t cost you any extra

because the technology has been around for a while.