FAQs

While hearing loss can be a symptom of aging, there are many different reasons why somebody might develop hearing loss. Hearing loss occurs in all ages, from children to adults. Think about it this way: if you have hearing loss, and it makes you withdraw from life, you’re going to feel a lot older than if you get hearing aids and continue living a fulfilling, active life. Our patients with hearing aids say they feel younger because they’re able to do more and enjoy more.

One of the main reasons we keep demo units in the office is so you can see for yourself just how small and discreet today’s hearing aids are. You can be standing right next to someone in a conversation and often they’ll never even notice your hearing aids. Many hearing aids now come in a variety of colors that can match your hair color or skin tone, so no one will even be able to notice your hearing aid.

Hearing aids of the past were limited in what they could accomplish, but modern hearing aids have powerful processing technology that filters out background noise before the sound even reaches your brain. Depending on what level of technology you purchase, your hearing aids may be more or less focused on eliminating background noise — but even standard-level hearing aids are far more effective than they used to be.

Because hearing aids are more complex than reading glasses, you can’t just buy them off the shelf and expect them to work. But if you purchase hearing aids from trained, skilled audiologists like the team at Birmingham Speech & Hearing Associates, we can personalize the programming of your hearing aids to help exactly where you need it. Hearing aids are extremely adjustable, so we can achieve some pretty incredible results.

The average life of a hearing aid is between five to seven years if you take proper care of them. Hearing aids can last longer with good maintenance, but five years is typically when you’ll notice a difference in what new technology is available. You will probably want to upgrade in this timeframe to take advantage of new advancements that can help you hear even better.

We’ll go over the entire process of taking care of your hearing aids during your hearing aid fitting and at follow-up appointments. Living in Birmingham, humidity is a huge concern! The good news is that many hearing aids now are water resistant. Just focus on your routine maintenance when you remove your hearing aids at night. Wipe them off, brush off any visible wax, open the battery door, and make sure there’s no moisture inside the battery door. If you do see moisture built up, let us know and we can determine whether you need extra care to keep your hearing aids dry.

Be patient and have realistic expectations. Know that even with hearing aids, your loved one won’t hear like they did before they had hearing loss, so try to make it easier for them to hear you by talking to them in the same room instead of across the house. Another thing you can do to help is come with them to their appointments. Sometimes they can get frustrated because there’s so much to keep track of when they first get new hearing aids. If you help remember how to take care of their hearing aids (such as changing the batteries or knowing which goes in which ear), you can support them when they go home instead of them having to do it themselves.