If you are interested in getting a hearing aid for your child, then you are likely pretty concerned about the proces. After all, you need to make sure that you balance an effective hearing aid with cost and comfort. There are several different types of hearing aids offered by companies like Suburban Hearing Services, each of which offer different benefits. To help you figure out which option is best for you, here are some questions that you will need to ask yourself:
Is the appearance of the hearing aid your biggest concern?
If your child is worried about getting a hearing aid that people will notice, then you don't need to worry. There are plenty of options that are practically invisible, including ITC (in the canal) and ITE (in the ear) hearing aids.
ITC units rest deep inside the ear, which means that they are pretty hard to spot. They tend to be pretty small, which means that you might need to make some sacrifices. It's hard to combine a low cost, a small size, and high effectiveness, which means that you will either need to get a weak, cheap ITC or an expensive, powerful ITC.
ITE units are essentially the same, but they rest closer to the surface. This does mean that they are closer to see, but they are still quite easy to conceal.
With ITC's and ITE's, you will also need to worry about your child growing out of the hearing aid. It isn't particularly hard to adjust the hearing aid to conform to a growing ear, but you want to make sure that you identify any such changes before it becomes extremely uncomfortable for your child.
Is the comfort of the hearing aid your biggest concern?
You might also be worried about the comfort of your child. Since they will need to be wearing the hearing aid for a large part of their daily life, you want it to be as comfortable as possible.
For this, an BTE (behind the ear) hearing aid is going to be your best bet. These units are almost entirely outside the ear, with only a small portion extending into the ear. This creates the most comfort, since it will mean less equipment packed into the ear. This also makes the aid much easier to remove if that becomes necessary.
There is also variety within BTE's, meaning that you can get a small or a large unit. Smaller units can be pretty hard to spot, especially if the wearer has long hair and gets a flesh-colored aid. The main benefit of larger BTE's is that they have more room for the technology, which can ultimately result in lower costs or higher effectiveness.
Share10 February 2016
My name is Katie Langer. For a long time, I was bed ridden and I felt like I had no control over my life. I simply went along with what was instructed by my doctor and I didn't ask questions. It wasn't that my doctor wasn't willing to work with me, but I preferred to simply not think about the illness I was suffering from. I didn't realize that some of the symptoms I was suffering from were side effects of my medication and were not normal. After communicating more with my doctor, I was able to alleviate my symptoms. Since then, I've taken an interest in patient-doctor relationships and how to improve them.
