Whether you’ve been wearing a hearing aid for years or are just starting to think about getting a device to treat your hearing loss, you might be wondering about your options. Technology continues to evolve, providing manufacturers with opportunities to redesign existing products or bring to market brand new product categories. “There’s always something new with hearing aids and technology,” says Dr. Ingrid Edwards, clinical director and audiologist at Heuser Hearing Institute. While your audiologist will guide you to the device that best fits your needs, here are two interesting options to consider.
Extended-Wear Hearing Aids
Designed to be worn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for months at a time, extended-wear hearing aids are inserted deep into the ear canal by a hearing professional and require no further maintenance for the duration of the battery life, explains Dr. Edwards. Invisible to others, the devices stay in while you sleep, shower, and engage in all your regular everyday activities. Once the battery is depleted, your audiologist simply removes the old device and inserts a fresh one.
Built-In Health Tracking Features
Several hearing aid manufacturers are now including built-in sensors that sync up with smartphone apps to track the wearer’s heart rate, quality of sleep, levels of physical activity, or other information. There are many different health and lifestyle indicators that can be obtained and measured through the ear, Dr. Edwards says. An important safety feature available with some models is the ability to send out an alert to designated contacts when a fall is detected.
P.S. Other ways to upgrade your hearing.
BY YELENA SAPIN
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