Join us as Doug Leonard delves into the nuances of hearing aid technology, highlighting essential aspects such as loop systems, phone compatibility, and fitting styles that cater to different physical capabilities. Discover how these features can be tailored to provide maximum benefit and why it's crucial to consult with experienced audiologists to make informed decisions that will enhance your auditory experience.
This is Sound Advice with audiologist Doug Leonard from ASI, Audiological Services of Iowa. Doug, we're talking about features in hearing aids today and things that people really want and sometimes they don't know that they need in hearing aids. This is the whole point of you just sitting down and communicating with patients all the time about their hearing aids and how to treat their hearing loss.
Yeah, I mean, that's the great point, John, is the consultative process that we go through with a patient to help them figure out what they need. And It does help that we do demos with almost everybody because that demo can kind of iron out some of those things. But we need to know what's important to that patient, you know, not just their hearing test and their hearing loss, but where do they need help? What do they do? What are their activities? You know, what's their social life involved? What things do they go to church? Do they go to the movies? Do they have meetings? I mean, there's a million different things that you have to think about. And unless you spend time with patients and get to know them a little bit more on a personal level, you're not going to necessarily get the right thing chosen for them.
Let's talk about some of these features. Again, loop system, we've talked about that in the past. Folks don't necessarily know if their hearing aids are going to work with that. That's something they need to talk to you about.
Yeah, and that's really why this conversation or this topic came up for sound advice was because I had a patient who came in with her daughter recently, and they became aware of a church that was down in Atlantic that installed a loop system, and her hearing aids didn't have that. Well, I didn't realize that she attended church there at that particular church, and that wasn't something that at the time was an option for her. That's, again, why you have to ask those questions. A loop system like we have here at St. Lawrence and Carroll, if patients have trouble hearing in that environment, they can get a hearing aid that has a telecoil. It's not a super common thing anymore. A lot of manufacturers actually are taking telecoils out of hearing aids. in lieu of Bluetooth. But, you know, someone attends Mass at St. Lawrence and they want to use that, they have to have the right type of hearing aid.
And again, if a patient has dexterity issues, has vision issues, those are things that you need to address as well.
Yeah, because they have to be able, you know, we talked a few weeks ago about losing hearing aids. A lot of that comes down to making sure they get inserted properly. And does the patient have numbness in their fingers? Do they have a bad arthritis? Do they have a tremor? We might choose a different particular style for them to help them get them in better. And vision can contribute to the same challenges too.
And again, the questions could go all the way down to what kind of phone do you have?
Yeah, because there are certain hearing aids that are compatible with Android phones better than Apple products. Or does the patient have a flip phone? And if they have trouble hearing on the phone, we need to know that because certain manufacturers' devices work better with those than others. So it's really getting to know your patient and the patient trusting the audiologist to allow them to have that information.
It's all about getting you the features that are going to give you the most bang for your buck. In other words, the ones you're going to use and really take advantage of, and it's going to increase your quality of life. So talk to folks at ASI, Audiological Services of Iowa. Doug, what days are you here in Carroll, and what is your phone number?
Yeah, I see patients in Carroll Mondays and Wednesdays, and the phone number is 792-5933. Give them a call and just see what they can do for you. Audiological Services of Iowa, and improve your life in 2025.
