Interview with Selene Finlayson, Registered Hearing Instrument Practitioner & Owner, NexGen Hearing
www.NexGenHearing.com
DWL: How do you know if you cannot hear everything 100%?
Selene: As a rule the deterioration of hearing ability is not painful and is therefore often not taken seriously. Some of the questions to ask yourself if you think you have hearing problems are; I sometimes feel that people are not speaking clearly (mumbling), and volume on the TV is turned up louder.
- When people address me from behind or even from a few feet away, I have difficulty understanding them.
- I have difficulty understanding people in meetings or group discussions.In situations with a high noise level, e.g. in restaurants, on the bus, or parties, I have difficulty understanding other people.
- I find it hard to hear birds singing, footsteps, running water, and other soft everyday sounds.
- Other people tell me I don’t hear well.
The first step is to have a hearing screening done to determine if hearing loss is present and therefore encourage you to take the next steps to improving your hearing and quality of life.
DWL: What type of hearing device is most modern and fashionable for young people?
Selene: The Hearing Care Professional offers a broad range of hearing instruments, from the simplest to the most advanced. The pros & cons of the various models would be discussed taking into consideration your lifestyle needs to help you make your decision.
The most popular style of hearing instrument today is the Receiver in the Ear hearing aid which is suitable for most kinds of hearing loss. These devices are lightweight and very small. In addition the wide choice of colors offered are from subtle to bold and trendy which makes them very cosmetically appealing. This style is easy on the ear because the sound travels in a virtually unnoticeable ultra-thin sound wire, straight into the receiver that sits inside your ear. Another discreet hearing aids is the Completely in the Canal (CIC) or Invisible in the Canal (IIC) hearing aids. These instruments sit deep in the ear canal making them almost invisible. However these types of hearing aids are limited to a more mild/moderate hearing loss.
DWL: How much do hearing aids cost & what do you recommend for someone 40 to 50 years old with hearing difficulty?
Selene: There are many styles of hearing aids available. The degree of the hearing loss, power and option requirements, manual dexterity abilities, lifestyle activities, cost factors, and cosmetic concerns are some of the factors that will determine the style the patient will use. Hearing aids are available in different technology levels which will be determined mainly by lifestyle activities and budget. They range from a very basic technology level which can start from $695 each up to a premium technology level of over $3500 each. A person who leads a more quiet lifestyle would be suited to a basic/essential technology level, where as a person who leads a more active lifestyle would be suited to an advanced/premium hearing aid which has more features to assist with hearing speech in noise e.g. meetings, groups, restaurants.