January 2021

Traditional vs. Rechargeable Hearing Aid Batteries

All hearing aids, regardless of their style, have the same major components - a microphone, an amplifier, a receiver, and a battery. Traditionally, hearing aid batteries have been disposable, but in the last few years, many manufacturers have started to produce rechargeable hearing aids. So what is best for you? What is going to help you hear conversation clearly? Let’s take a look at both styles of batteries! Some major things to consider when comparing batteries are: Battery Life Accessibility Portability   Disposable Batteries Disposable Zinc-Air batteries, come in four different sizes; the size is based on the amount of power needed for your hearing aids. These batteries are air-activated, meaning they begin to work as soon as the coloured sticker comes off, allowing the oxygen to react with the zinc.   Pros   The most common size, 312, had a life expectancy of about 5-7 days. The individual cost of batteries is very low; less than $1.00 per battery. It is very easy to keep spare batteries with you while you are out and about; especially if you are in an environment where a plug is not readily accessible (i.e. camping, traveling, etc.). You can go a few days without having to change them or plug anything in. These are easier to fix in-house, as we can access the battery compartment. Cons   Battery life can dramatically change based on humidity, the power needed for your hearing loss, and use of accessories like a remote or TV streamer. These batteries...

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sound booth

What to Expect from your Hearing Test

You've already made the most important step, you recognized the need and made the appointment for your hearing test! From here on out, it's simple. Here is what to expect from your appointment...   The appointment involves 3 steps: Consultation and Hearing History Test (a combination of several little tests) Results & Recommendations (a little R&R) 1. Consultation After a bit of paperwork to get your personal information and hearing history, the practitioner will meet with you. They will discuss your concerns, questions, and generally, just get to know you and your lifestyle. The questions they ask will give them some indicators about what might be going on and begin the thought process for the best recommendations based on test results.  2. Hearing Test... what to expect Hearing tests are usually a combination of several little tests.   First, the practitioner will look in your ears, we call this otoscopy. They are checking for wax (too much wax can cause pressure, decreased hearing, and give us inaccurate results) and the general health of your ear canal and eardrum.   Next, you'll enter the sound booth. Depending on where you go the booth may look a little different, but they all have the same function, to be mostly soundproof. This provides the ideal environment to test where your hearing levels are really at. In the booth with headphones in your ears or on your head, you'll hear some beeping noises and do a couple of little tests with speech to show us...

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