Frequently Asked Questions

The test involves a conversation about what you’re experiencing, a camera view of your ear canal and ear drum, then some sound and speech testing that will map out any hearing loss details so you can have a good understanding of the reasons for what you’re experiencing.  Hearing Services

You will never be pressured at Modern Hearing Solutions to buy Hearing Aids.  After being presented with the information and a live demonstration of how hearing aids sound in your ears, the decision is always yours, with no pressure.  And a 30-day return policy if you change your mind later.

There are several causes, and often it’s a combination of the following:

• Aging:  Presbycusis is hearing loss that is brought on as we age.  It doesn’t automatically affect everyone, but it’s quite common.
• Loud Sounds:  Noise-induced Hearing Loss is common among people of all ages, and the statistics of NIHL among young people is staggering.  These sounds can be as simple as a single gun-shot blast, long-term exposure to noise that may not seem painful at the time, even just jamming to the latest tunes with your earbuds on High.
• Head Injuries
• Genetics or Birth Defects
• Drug or Treatment Reaction (antibiotics, chemotherapy, radiation
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Stroke

Yes, and they generally fall into 3 Categories:

• Conductive Hearing Loss is caused by a condition that affects the Outer or Middle Ear, preventing sound waves from reaching the Inner Ear where they can be interpreted by the nerve center (Cochlea) and sent to the brain.  The treatment for Conductive Loss can vary and may include medical or surgical intervention. If this is what we discover, we will make the appropriate medical referral.
• Sensorineural Hearing Loss happens as a result of Inner ear damage – inside of the Cochlea.  Problems with the nerve pathways from the inner ear to your brain can also be a cause.  This is the most common type of permanent hearing loss. Most of the time, medicine or surgery cannot fix it, but Hearing Aids can help.
• Mixed Hearing Loss is really just a combination of Conductive and Sensorineural hearing loss.

This is a common complaint among those suffering from hearing loss.  That’s because the loss is typically focused on certain frequencies. Since individual words are made up of both high and low frequencies, you may only be getting parts of the words and struggling to guess at the rest.  Did they say “STOP” or “POTS”, “PHONE” or “HOME”. Without the ability to hearing the complete word, speech clarity is lost. We typically compensate for this lack of clarity by reading lips, asking the speaker to repeat themselves, or giving up and just smiling and nodding.  This is exactly the kind of issue that hearing aids are designed to address, since programming for each device is specifically customized to the exact frequency loss in each ear.

Sometimes, but it’s always a good idea to check with the carrier for any benefit. Otherwise, that’s something we can do in the office for you.

Typically, those people with hearing loss that prefer NOT to wear the hearing aids they’ve purchased because they just don’t like how they sound.  This is actually quite common it they’re not getting the appropriate follow-up care. Here’s why:

When we’re not used to hearing certain sounds for a long time, the brain adjusts to that by reclassifying that reduced hearing level as “normal”.  If suddenly given the full range of that sound back all at once, the brain rebels and says “too much – Not normal!” The sounds are quite unbearable.  To properly adjust to hearing those sounds again requires a graduation of that sound over a period of time. That’s what we specialize in: keeping you comfortable while training the brain to accommodate these long-forgotten sounds.

Virtually all true hearing aids today are digital. Years ago, they were analog, and any adjustments to them was done by turning the screws on potentiometers. However, modern hearing aids are very sophisticated computers, which are periodically adjusted with software upgrades, just like your home PC, MAC, tablet, or smartphone. As such, they are able to make quick adjustments to changing acoustic environments, as well as turning down background noise and focusing on speech. Very sophisticated computer programs and equipment are used to fine-tune them to sound as natural and comfortable as possible.

That is certainly becoming an option, but to do so ignores the use of a provider and the care that he provides both in assessing test results and the best acoustic solution – not to mention the lifetime follow up care that will be required for you to enjoy your investment for years to come.

Yes, depending on the type of hearing aids you purchased. That’s why it’s important to talk to your provider about your desire for this feature to ensure that the hearing aid you choose will communicate directly with your phone. This feature can allow you to make direct changes to your hearing aid preferences, as well as stream phone calls, music, and books on tape directly to your ears – in stereo.

The purpose of these differences is to accommodate 1) the Type of hearing loss discovered, 2) the Preference of the wearer, and 3) the Abilities of the wearer. There are many variations, but they basically fall into two categories: In-The-Ear (ITE), or Receiver-In-the-Canal (RIC). The type of hearing aid that will sound most natural is governed to a large degree by the type of hearing loss that is discovered during the test – ITE or RIC, for example. Beyond that, other features, such as connectivity to a phone, or the ability to use a recharger, also come into play, based on physical needs and preferences.

The average life of hearing aids is supposed to be about 5 years. However, I’ve had folks come into my office with hearing aids 20 years old, and still working like they did when they were new. Of course, the problem with that is that the technology of 20 years ago wasn’t all that great. Most people will upgrade their hearing aids, not because they stop working, but because the technological advancements in them is changing so fast, that they wish to hear better and more naturally.

Yes, and No. If your hearing aids use disposable batteries, then you will typically have to change them every week or so. However, given recent advances in battery technology, rechargeable batteries for hearing aids have really become very stable, and a good investment. This allows a nightly recharge of 3-4 hours and lasting each day up to 20 hours or so before needing another charge. There are also features for being away from an electric plug for days at a time. These rechargeable batteries may be of the type that need to be changed only every year.