50+ Lifestyles

Ask the Audiologist

By Laura Schroeder, Au.D.
Audiology Consultants, P.C.

What is New in Hearing Aid Technology?

Just like any technology, hearing aids get a little better every year. Patients will often reminisce about their parents’ or grandparents’ hearing aids – but things have changed since then! A lot of the same features are still available, but they have improved dramatically. For example, feedback or squealing is often a concern. Older hearing aids had minimal ability to reduce or eliminate this annoyance, but new hearing aids are so good at managing feedback that it is rarely an issue. Another feature that has been around for a while is noise reduction, or the ability to separate speech from noise and then turn down the noise. While understanding speech in noisy places will always be the most difficult situation for most people, hearing aids are much better at reducing background noise than they used to be.

Current hearing aids also offer new features. The two most powerful new features are rechargeable hearing aids and Bluetooth connectivity. Rechargeable hearing aids allow you to stop carrying batteries with you everywhere. These hearing aids are placed in their charger each night and will last the entire next day. Dealing with a dead battery in the middle of dinner is a thing of the past!

Bluetooth connectivity allows your hearing aids to communicate with your cell phone and other devices. Your smartphone can be used like a remote control to make adjustments such as volume, which allows you to easily see what changes you’re making and is discrete. In addition, many cell phone, even flip phones, can be set up with hearing aids so that when you receive or make a phone call, you can hear the other person’s voice through your hearing aids. This allows you to hear them with both ears and makes it easier to hear on the phone, even in noisy places. If you like to listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks on your phone, these can be streamed through your hearing aids as well.

If you’re concerned that you’ll have the same problems with hearing aids as your relative did ten, twenty, or more years ago, rest assured that hearing aids have better sound and more features now than ever before. Contact your friendly local audiologist to discuss current technology in more detail and find out what hearing aids can do for you!

Laura Schroeder is an audiologist at Audiology Consultants, P.C.  For more information consult our ad in this publication for store locations and phone numbers.