Benefits of Hearing Aids
If you have had a hearing assessment that demonstrated a hearing loss in one or both ears your audiologist will probably have recommended that you acquire hearing aids.
Researchers have found that wearing hearing aids to improve your hearing can provide significant benefits to your health and wellbeing.
- Hearing aids have been shown to:
- Slow down cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia
- Improve energy levels and reduce fatigue
- Reduce loneliness and help to improve relationships with other people
- Benefit mental health and decrease the risk of depression
Early intervention often leads to better long-term outcomes, so if you have been diagnosed with a hearing loss we would recommend that you arrange an appointment with our expert clinicians to help guide you through the process of obtaining hearing aids.
What to consider when buying hearing aids
When you decide to purchase hearing aids it isn’t just the physical devices that you purchase, but a whole package of care. So, with all the options that are out there, what are the most important things to consider?
Your audiologist is responsible for both testing your hearing as well as adjusting your hearing aids so that they are set up correctly for you and your ears. That means that it is important that you feel that you can trust your audiologist to listen to your concerns and desires so that they can help guide you through the process of acquiring hearing aids.
It is also important that you are confident that your audiologist has the skill and experience to be able to take your specific hearing, ears and lifestyle into account to make sure that you get the best possible results from your hearing aids.
At Zest Hearing Care our clinicians are highly educated and experienced audiologists with the skills that you need to be sure that you are getting the maximum benefits.
At Zest Hearing Care our state-of-the-art facilities have been carefully designed to make sure that you can be confident that your hearing aids are working to the best of their ability.
Our testing rooms are sound-treated to make sure that outside noise does not influence the results of your hearing assessment.
Our testing equipment allows us to conduct advanced speech-testing both with and without hearing aids, helping to guide you to the best hearing aids for you as well as giving you peace of mind that the hearing aids are providing the benefits you hoped for.
Our hearing aid fitting equipment allows our skilled clinicians to make sure that your hearing aids are tailored exactly for your ears and hearing by performing real ear measurements (REMs) to measure the sound deep within your ear canals.
When you buy a pair of hearing aids the care that comes with them is often just as important as the make, model and style of hearing aids that you choose.
If your hearing or lifestyle changes your hearing aids can be adjusted to make sure they continue to work for you so that you can keep living your life without worrying about your hearing.
At Zest Hearing Care our aftercare appointments are free for a lifetime, and we also provide extended 4 year warranties on all hearing aids for peace of mind, as well as free ear wax removal, hearing aid batteries and replacement hearing aids parts for the same length of time.
Your audiologist is responsible for both testing your hearing as well as adjusting your hearing aids so that they are set up correctly for you and your ears. That means that it is important that you feel that you can trust your audiologist to listen to your concerns and desires so that they can help guide you through the process of acquiring hearing aids.
It is also important that you are confident that your audiologist has the skill and experience to be able to take your specific hearing, ears and lifestyle into account to make sure that you get the best possible results from your hearing aids.
At Zest Hearing Care our clinicians are highly educated and experienced audiologists with the skills that you need to be sure that you are getting the maximum benefits.
The environment that your hearing assessment is performed in is an important consideration to make sure that you can have the utmost confidence in the outcomes. Some of the most important features include:
- Noise-treated rooms to give you the confidence that outside noise has not influenced the results of your hearing assessment
- The ability to perform additional tests, such speech-testing, to improve your and your audiologist’s understanding of your hearing loss
- Advanced hearing aid fitting equipment which allows the performance of real ear measurements (REMs) to measure the sound deep within your ear canals, ensuring that your hearing aids are tailored precisely for your ears
At Zest Hearing Care our state-of-the-art facilities include all of these and more and have been carefully designed to make sure that you can be confident that your hearing aids are working to the best of their ability.
When you buy a pair of hearing aids the care that comes with them is often just as important as the make, model and style of hearing aids that you choose.
If your hearing or lifestyle changes your hearing aids can be adjusted to make sure they continue to work for you so that you can keep living your life without worrying about your hearing.
At Zest Hearing Care our aftercare appointments are free for a lifetime, and we also provide extended 4 year warranties on all hearing aids for peace of mind, as well as free ear wax removal, hearing aid batteries and replacement hearing aids parts for the same length of time.
What happens during your hearing aid fitting appointment?
If a hearing loss was identified during your Hearing Assessment your audiologist will have shown you the difference that hearing aids could make to your life. After you have selected the hearing aids that are right for you, your audiologist will see you for your Hearing Aid Fitting. During this appointment your hearing aids will be tailored to your ears and your hearing to make sure they are working at their best, giving you clear and comfortable hearing.
Your appointment will begin with your audiologist checking whether you have any questions about anything that you spoke about during your last appointment and if you are still happy with your chosen style and model of hearing aids. They will then explain to you what will happen during the appointment and and reassure you that you are free to ask and questions you have throughout the appointment. Our main priority is for you to feel comfortable and confident with your new hearing aids!
Your audiologist will use a small camera to look inside your ears, just like they did at your hearing assessment. They will check that there have been no changes over the last week or two, and that your ear canals are nice and clear. Once this has been confirmed your audiologist will place the hearing aids in your ears without switching them on and will make any adjustments necessary to ensure that they are comfortable and secure. Step 2 of appointment (Otoscopy and comfort fit): remove ‘after this conversation’.
The next stage is adjusting your hearing aids to your specific needs is to make sure that the sound of the hearing aids is tuned to the shape of your ears. Because everybody’s ear canals are a different shape, the sound from the hearing aids will echo differently, meaning that the sound that reaches your eardrums will be different. Real Ear Measurements (or REMs) allow your audiologist to measure the sound as it reaches your ear drums and to make sure that this echo is compensated for.
Once your hearing aids are all programmed up your audiologist will repeat some of the speech tests that you had at your hearing assessment to measure the improvement in your functional hearing with the new hearing aids. If there are any adjustments needed to ensure the best balance of listening comfort and sound clarity your audiologist will make those adjustments now.
Your hearing aids are all set up, now you just need to know how to use them! Your audiologist will explain to you simply and clearly how to insert your hearing aids into your ears, how to control them and how to maintain them to ensure that they keep working as well as possible for you.
While you are getting used to your hearing aids you can see your audiologist as often as you need to in order to make sure that you are getting the benefit that you wanted from your new hearing aids. To begin with they will make an appointment to see you in 1 week and will arrange to phone you in 1-2 days time to check that you are getting on well with your hearing aids and don’t have any immediate questions.
Your appointment will begin with your audiologist checking whether you have any questions about anything that you spoke about during your last appointment and if you are still happy with your chosen style and model of hearing aids. They will then explain to you what will happen during the appointment and and reassure you that you are free to ask and questions you have throughout the appointment. Our main priority is for you to feel comfortable and confident with your new hearing aids!
Your audiologist will use a small camera to look inside your ears, just like they did at your hearing assessment. They will check that there have been no changes over the last week or two, and that your ear canals are nice and clear. Once this has been confirmed your audiologist will place the hearing aids in your ears without switching them on and will make any adjustments necessary to ensure that they are comfortable and secure. Step 2 of appointment (Otoscopy and comfort fit): remove ‘after this conversation’.
The next stage is adjusting your hearing aids to your specific needs is to make sure that the sound of the hearing aids is tuned to the shape of your ears. Because everybody’s ear canals are a different shape, the sound from the hearing aids will echo differently, meaning that the sound that reaches your eardrums will be different. Real Ear Measurements (or REMs) allow your audiologist to measure the sound as it reaches your ear drums and to make sure that this echo is compensated for.
Once your hearing aids are all programmed up your audiologist will repeat some of the speech tests that you had at your hearing assessment to measure the improvement in your functional hearing with the new hearing aids. If there are any adjustments needed to ensure the best balance of listening comfort and sound clarity your audiologist will make those adjustments now.
Your hearing aids are all set up, now you just need to know how to use them! Your audiologist will explain to you simply and clearly how to insert your hearing aids into your ears, how to control them and how to maintain them to ensure that they keep working as well as possible for you.
While you are getting used to your hearing aids you can see your audiologist as often as you need to in order to make sure that you are getting the benefit that you wanted from your new hearing aids. To begin with they will make an appointment to see you in 1 week and will arrange to phone you in 1-2 days time to check that you are getting on well with your hearing aids and don’t have any immediate questions.
Our Prices
The specific features and benefits available in these categories will depend on the make and model of hearing aid selected. Your Audiologist is an expert in helping you to decide which hearing aid would be the best option for you, so please get in touch if you have any questions and we will be happy to help.