How to Choose a Hearing Aid: Understanding Your Hearing Style and Finding the Hearing Aid

I often hear people say, "I paid a lot of money for my hearing aids, but I can't hear at all! I want a good hearing aid because I paid a lot of money for it! I don't want to make the same mistakes as other people when I buy a hearing aid! I'm sure you are thinking like that, too. To make the right choice, you need to choose a hearing aid that fits your hearing and your purpose. Different people want different things from their hearing aids, for example

• I just want something cheap and nice
• I want something as discreet as possible
• I don't want something difficult to operate
• I don't want something that is difficult to operate.

Let's take a look at how to choose a hearing aid, taking into account such requests and what criteria you should use to select a hearing aid.

Choosing the right store is more important than choosing the right hearing aid

The most important factor in buying a hearing aid is not what kind of hearing aid you buy, but where you buy it. In Japan, you can often find what are called "hearing aids" sold by mail order or other means, but you should not buy such things. Hearing aids are medical devices, and they are only effective if they are properly adjusted to your hearing. There is no point in buying from a place that does not adjust them. When you buy a pair of glasses without an eye test, you might say to yourself, "Hmmm… "Hmmm… here it is then!" without an eye test? No, you would not. So, when buying a hearing aid, check with a certified hearing aid specialist near you. Do not buy from a mail-order store.

Sound quality varies by manufacturer

There are about 10 major hearing aid manufacturers. Each manufacturer sells various types of hearing aids, but the sound quality varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. In the end, it is up to the technician to make the right adjustments, so it is a good idea to compare different types of hearing aids and choose the one with the sound quality you like best. As with the choice of headphones, good sound means the sound you like, so there is no need to worry too much about that. For more information on what kind of hearing aid manufacturers are available, please refer to "Various hearing aid manufacturers and how to choose a manufacturer".

What to look for in a hearing aid

If you are new to using hearing aids, your brain has not yet been introduced to the sound of hearing aids. The hearing aid will gradually become accustomed to the sound as you use it.
It can take up to three months after adjustment to become accustomed to the sound. Therefore, when choosing a hearing aid, the hearing aid you try later will sound better by far than the hearing aid you tried at the beginning. After you have tried some hearing aids, you will probably have a different impression if you test the hearing aids you tried at the beginning again.

Different types of hearing aids for different hearing impairments

There are several different types of hearing aids. The criteria for selecting a hearing aid depend on your purpose and hearing ability. First of all, there are different levels of hearing loss, depending on the symptoms.

• Mild hearing loss
• Moderate hearing loss
• Severe hearing loss

In the case of mild hearing loss, it is not necessary to make the sound very loud, and if the ears are completely covered, one's voice will be muffled. For this reason, we recommend the open type or the small earhole type. For a moderate hearing loss, an in-the-ear type should be considered, and for a hearing loss closer to severe, where the sound needs to be somewhat louder, an in-the-ear hearing aid should be considered. For advanced to severe hearing loss, you should consider an earmold with an earpiece and an earmold that fits you, or a cochlear implant if your hearing cannot be compensated for with a hearing aid.

The type of hearing aid depends on the purpose

The main purpose of a hearing aid is to enable the user to hear sound, but there will be several other points of concern for the user. For example, they may want something inconspicuous, or they may want something easy to operate. Here we will look at what type of hearing aid is best suited for each purpose.

The type of hearing aid is chosen based on the combination of the points of concern and the hearing ability.

Take advantage of grants to buy hearing aids

Some inexpensive hearing aids cost several tens of thousands of yen for both ears, but depending on your hearing ability, you may have to purchase a hearing aid that costs several hundred thousand yen. In such cases, take advantage of subsidies to reduce the burden as much as possible. For example, if your hearing is 70 dB or higher, you can be certified as a Level 6 hearing-impaired person. Many people are reluctant to hold a disability certificate, but it is better to take full advantage of the discounts and other benefits that are available anyway. In addition, some municipalities offer subsidies for the purchase of hearing aids.
If you need to purchase a hearing aid, check to see if your municipality offers such a subsidy.
For more information on subsidies and grants, please refer to "Subsidies and grants for the purchase of hearing aids for use in Japan".