Evaluation of Hearing Aids and Programming in Wenatchee, WA

This depends on how your hearing loss is impacting you and those around you. Generally, hearing aids are appropriate for people with a mild hearing loss all the way to a severe to profound hearing loss. Some people may have normal hearing in the bass pitch tones but have a hearing loss in the treble pitch tones. Hearing aids are appropriate for that level of hearing, too. The best way to know is to complete a hearing aid demonstration, which is done routinely at Better Hearing.

It may seem like it, but hearing aids are capable of more than just making things louder. Prescription hearing aids are programmed for each of your ears and provide targeted amplification for the specific frequencies you have trouble hearing. Hearing aids treat soft sounds differently than loud sounds – soft sounds are the ones you have trouble hearing, and loud sounds are already loud (they don’t need to be much louder!) Hearing aids also attempt to reduce background noise and enhance the speech closest to you by using directional microphones and advanced signal noise processing techniques.

Although prescription hearing aids are a technological wonder, they do not and cannot restore your hearing to “normal”. Hearing aids help to give your brain access to sound, specifically the sound that you are missing because of your hearing loss. Your brain processes that sound and tries to make sense of it. Much like glasses, when you remove your hearing aids your hearing loss remains. The goal for hearing aid use is to hear better with a hearing aid than without one – not to hear like when you were 20 years old.

That’s the million-dollar question. First is the cost of developing the hearing aids. Hearing aid’s pack a lot into their small size. Not only do they amplify sound, but they also analyze your sound environment and classify the noises that are present. The advanced features in hearing aids have been developed through years of research and development by hearing aid manufacturers. Much like other technological advances in consumer electronics, this research and development is costly. However, unlike other consumer electronics, hearing aids are classified as a medical device and must meet strict safety and quality standards. The regulatory process increases costs but ensures reliability and performance. Second, the price you pay is not exclusive to the hearing aid itself. Prescription hearing aids at Better Hearing are a bundled expense. This means the total price that you pay for treating your hearing loss includes:

• The prescription hearing aids
• The fitting, verification, and orientation of the devices
• Ongoing follow-up with our providers (for 1, 2 or 3 years, depending on the service plan offered with the purchase)
• Hearing aid device cleaning, supplies, in-office repairs
• Manufacturer warranty (repair and loss and damage) and loaner hearing aids for repairs
• Product updates, Bluetooth connection help, and other assistance

Prescription hearing aids sold in the state of Washington require a minimum of a 30-day trial period for returns or exchanges.

Our providers are highly skilled, educated, and experienced when it comes to treating hearing loss. But don’t just take our word for it, read what others have to say here.

In 2022, the FDA created a new category of hearing aids called “over-the-counter” (OTC) hearing aids. This new category differentiated hearing aids purchased through an audiologist’s office as “prescription hearing aids” because they are fitted by a professional licensed by their state to diagnose and treat hearing loss. The hearing aids at Better Hearing are prescription hearing aids – Better Hearing does not currently offer OTC hearing aids.

OTC hearing aids are often referred to as “self-fitting” hearing aids. They are designed to be worn right out of the box and can be adjusted with either on-board controls or through an app. The ability to adjust to the sound you hear depends on the model of OTC hearing aid. Some OTC hearing aids only allow volume adjustment, whereas others may have pre-set frequency response curves based on the most common hearing loss configurations. Some OTC hearing aids have the ability to test your hearing with the device on your ear through the app on your smart phone. The orientation to the devices and follow-up care for repairs, manufacturer warranty, and return period also vary.

Cochlear Implants are different from hearing aids, as they transmit sound through an implanted electrode array. Cochlear implants are appropriate for people with severe to profound hearing loss or for people where hearing aids don’t provide enough benefit. To determine if a cochlear implant is the best treatment option for your hearing loss, you would need to see an audiologist for a cochlear implant evaluation. Better Hearing does not offer cochlear implant evaluations or provides programming services for cochlear implants.

The price you pay for prescription hearing aids is a bundled expense. This means the total price you pay for treating your hearing loss includes the devices themselves, the fitting, verification, and instruction on how to use them. Part of why our patients find great benefit with their prescription hearing aids is due to the Better Hearing Program. This is a specifically designed treatment process that, when followed, has a 96% success rate with treating hearing loss – which means we only process 4% returns per year. One of the best examples of why our patients find success is the utilization of Real Ear Measures. This measurement allows us to make sure the sound coming out of the hearing aid and into your ear is at just the right volume at each specific frequency. Want to know more about Real Ear Measures? Watch this video here.

Want to learn more about our Better Hearing Program? One of our experienced providers would love to meet you and see if it’s a good fit for your needs – contact us to schedule a consultation!