| Gary needs a hearing aid but he can't spare any | | | | technicians to test, and then the 'professional' comes in |
| mistakes in choosing one. His health insurance won't | | | | to interpret the results. This is intolerable. This means |
| cover it because they say though it would definately | | | | that the 'professional' is either too lazy to test your |
| improve the quality of his life it doesn't hurt his health if | | | | hearing personally or thinks that he is too important to |
| he doesn't have it. Yeah, right. "I bet the ones who | | | | do the test for you. Any good hearing professional will |
| make that rule don't have any problem with their | | | | test you themselves instead of delegate it to someone |
| hearing", said Gary grumpily. Since he can't do a thing | | | | else. |
| about the insurance thing, Gary put that problem aside | | | | Personally I would only buy a hearing aid from a |
| and focuses on his effort getting the right hearing aid | | | | professional who provided an excellent explanation of |
| the first time. A friend of Gary said that he should go | | | | the problem and then fitted me with a real digital |
| to an audiologist to find out which hearing aid is best | | | | hearing aid as part of the consultation. Someone who |
| for him. But Gary, who is now feeling reluctant to | | | | makes sure that all hearing impaired patients get the |
| spend even more money, said no. Instead, he browses | | | | chance to hear a real hearing aid system before i |
| around the internet reading reviews for all kinds of | | | | leave his office. Any professional that doesn't do this |
| hearing aid and making comparisons. After a while he | | | | does not deserve the title 'professional' and I would not |
| decided to buy from an local store which sells hearing | | | | trust them nor waste my time with them. |
| aid for a good price. | | | | Now, when you have found the right hearing |
| Can you relate to Gary's experience? | | | | professional be sure to ask whether you can get a |
| What Gary did was actually a bad example. The first | | | | free trial period with no cancellation fee. This is just in |
| and most important thing anyone must do before | | | | case you are not happy with the result. The trial period |
| buying a hearing aid is go see an audiologist first! Even | | | | should be at least one month (30 days). And make |
| if you have read hundreds of reviews about a certain | | | | sure that it's written on paper! |
| brand/model of hearing aid and asked questions to all | | | | Lastly, which brands should you go for? |
| kinds of people who wear it you still need to see an | | | | If you want to be safe just go with reputable brands |
| audiologist or hearing instrument specialist. An | | | | such as Starkey, Phonak, ReSound, Oticon or Widex. It |
| audiologist is the best person for you to consult when | | | | doesn't mean smaller brands are bad. It's just that |
| you try to choose hearing aids that will specifically fit | | | | hearing aids can cost hundreds even thousands of |
| your needs. | | | | dollars. Way too expensive to make a bad choice. Of |
| You have to find a hearing professional that knows | | | | course, your audiologist knows better. So if he |
| exactly what he is talking about and has help plenty of | | | | recommends some unknown brand there's a high |
| hearing impaired people to find and fit the perfect | | | | chance he recommend it for a good reason. It is then |
| hearing aids. Make sure that the hearing professional is | | | | up to you to decide if you believe him and that his |
| the one who tests you too. Some centers allow | | | | recommendation based solely on your own interest. |