CD has been coming to the ZH office of Gardner Audiology for more than six years. He has been wearing a set of entry level hearing aids that he only wore to church. He is outdoors a lot and had moisture issues causing intermittency with the aids and was afraid to wear them. His wife recently retired and because she is around him more, has been noticing how withdrawn from social activities he had become. She expressed concern about this isolation as it is not in his nature. Isolation and depression both have links to untreated hearing loss as well as memory issues. His wife encouraged him to participate in our Field Study to trial a set of new technology hearing aids for 30 days.
CD was fitted with Starkey Muse i2400 receiver in the canal hearing aids and returned one week later, beaming. He was very excited how much better his speech understanding has been. His wife noticed more interaction with friends and in their church. He feels more comfortable going into different listening environments and meeting the challenges of hearing in noise. The strain of communicating is gone. He also can perform his daily activities without concerns of moisture interference due to the water tightness of the Muse hearing aids.
When choosing a style and model of hearing aid to purchase, it is important to think about long term flexibility as well as current needs. Sometimes people opt to purchase the least expensive hearing aid possible, but limit flexibility down the road by doing so. You hearing needs tomorrow may not be the same as your hearing needs today. Having hearing aids that can be adjusted to accommodate changes in hearing, as well as changes in hearing needs, can be cost effective in the long run.
