Do you feel like you’re missing out on the sounds and conversations you love? That’s a good indication you need to look into hearing aids.
You don’t have to be a senior citizen to discover hearing issues, either. Hearing loss affects millions of people, from childhood all the way up to those great-great-grandparent years and beyond. The hardest part isn’t discovering hearing loss, it’s how to choose hearing aids that work best for your situation.
At Injoy, we know hearing aids aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. The settings need to be tweaked, the fitment needs to be tried, and above all—your satisfaction needs to be upheld. So we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you find the best hearing aid solution so you can get back as much of your hearing as possible.
Knowing the Difference: Hearing Aids vs Amplifiers
First things first: hearing aids don’t just make audio louder. However, some devices do that, and the companies touting them sometimes call them “hearing aids” because they “aid” hearing, so to speak.
This inaccuracy really muddies the water when figuring out how to choose hearing aids. So let’s start by understanding the difference between hearing aids vs hearing amplifiers.
What is a “hearing aid?”
Hearing aids are battery-powered devices that you wear behind or inside the ear. They work to amplify specific wavelengths based on your hearing abilities and amplification needs. They can help correct hearing loss, and can even address tinnitus.
Almost all hearing aids require a prescription, and are FDA regulated.
Real hearing aids don’t cure hearing loss. However, when you choose the right hearing aids, adjusted for your hearing situation, they can significantly improve your ability to participate in conversations. You may be able to rejoin fun, noisy social activities like watching sports or concerts with others. And hearing aids can help enhance the quality—and often safety—of your daily life.
What is a “hearing amplifier?”
You might have read about “personal sound amplification” devices. These are also called hearing amplifiers.
Hearing amplifiers don’t require a prescription, and the FDA doesn’t regulate them. They can be significantly cheaper than hearing aids, but that comes at a cost.
Hearing amplifiers make every sound louder, period. They don’t differentiate for the frequencies you actually need to amplify. As such, they can actually damage your hearing by increasing frequencies that have already caused you to have hearing loss.
There are two basic types of hearing amplifiers:
PSAP
PSAP stands for “personal sound amplification products.”
People use PSAPs to hear small noises in their immediate surroundings. Hunters often employ a PSAP to detect the sounds of animal movement.
OTC
OTC stands for “over the counter.” These devices also amplify audio, but most often with limited control that you adjust yourself.
Your settings won’t be tweaked by a licensed audiologist, and you’ll get no help when you need adjustments.
Neither PSAP or OTC amplifiers are meant for severe hearing loss. They can’t be tuned for the proper amplification of beneficial frequencies, and could actually deliver further damage.
How to Choose Hearing Aids: In the Ear vs Behind the Ear
Because hearing aids address true hearing loss, the next step is deciding which kind of hearing aid you want.
We put them in two easy-to-understand types: In the Ear, and Behind the Ear.
In the Ear Hearing Aids
This type of hearing aid can go completely into the hearing canal, to sitting in the ear. These custom-made hearing aids are designed to directly fit into the structure of your ear. They can be virtually invisible (completely in the canal), or rest in the bowl-shaped area of your outer ear.
Some people prefer these because they generally have the least visibility. Compared to behind the ear hearing aids, they do have some drawbacks:
- They’re almost universally more expensive than behind the ear
- The batteries are tiny, with shorter life spans
- The tiny batteries can be difficult to manipulate
- Much higher susceptibility to ear wax clogging the speaker
- In the canal versions aren’t rechargeable
- If they have features, may be hard to adjust because of tiny size
Behind the Ear Hearing Aids
With behind the ear hearing aids, the microphones and technology sit discreetly behind the ear. A tiny tube hooks over the ear to the small earpiece that rests in your ear canal.
At Injoy, this is the style choice for all hearing aid levels we offer. We’ve chosen this single style for several reasons, including:
- Work great for telehearing/telehealth, which reduces your cost.
- Custom-molding in the ear devices is very expensive for clients
- Can be very discreet in design and color choices
- Can have directional microphones to help with listening environments
- Are capable of more amplification and better tuned amplification
- Readily able to have rechargeable batteries
- Allow for more tech inside for better functional flexibility
- FYI-Telecoils are in several hearing aids, but with blue tooth this feature has become old technology.
- Allows remote control, adjustable by you on your phone or by our licensed audiologists
- Has bluetooth connectivity (part of those expanded tech capabilities)
- Allows us to sell them for half the price of brick & mortar!
Of course, we offer them in 3 different tiers, so that you can choose just what you want or need for better hearing.
Pre-checklist for How to Choose Hearing Aids
There are some things you need to do before you start picking out hearing aids. They’re crucial not only to finding the right hearing aid, but to feeling confident before you click the purchase button.
One: Get an Ear Check Up
We always recommend having your primary care provider do an ear exam prior to your search for hearing aids. There could be a physical issue causing the hearing loss, from wax build-ups to infections to tumors and more.
We’re not trying to scare you; rather, we want you to be sure that any issues your doctor needs to address are addressed before any audiologist steps into the picture. Your health is paramount!
Two: Choose a Reputable Audiologist
Once you know any causes of hearing loss are ruled out by your primary care physician, find a reputable audiologist to help you assess your hearing.
The convenient surprise? You don’t have to go to a brick and mortar office for that.
On-Staff Audiologist
At Injoy, Dr. Jamie Parks, AuD, is our on-staff licensed audiologist. She earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from Salus University, and spent two decades working as a professional audiologist in clinical settings, helping thousands of people just like you.
Now, Dr. Parks performs hearing tests via our free online hearing test that she helped design, and also conducts virtual face-to-face consultations via the Injoy phone app. No driving to an office, no sitting in a lobby. Have your consultations in the convenience of your own home! Besides, the coffee is way better in your kitchen than in a waiting room.
She has been instrumental in designing our cutting-edge platform so that it works to give outstanding service and results to people suffering hearing loss.
Dr. Parks leads our in-house team of licensed audiologists and healthcare professionals. Schedule an appointment; she’s just a click away.
Budget for the Expense
Our hearing aids may be half the price of brick-and-mortar stores, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same price as earbuds so you can listen to music while you jog.
Hearing aids are an investment in your quality of life. They help keep you connected to the world of sound, to conversations and communication. Your hearing aids are tuned and customized to ensure you get the best possible improvement for your hearing loss.
Every set of hearing aids that Injoy delivers has decades of research behind it. We need to reword this, it could be misleading since we don’t actually manufacture our hearing aids. The hearing aid industry constantly seeks improvements, and every year offers more technical advancements including:
- Cutting-edge features
- App features & user design
- Performance Programming
- Algorithm research & updates
- Constant advancements in connectivity
This unending quest to be the best hearing aid on the market impacts pricing. Check out our product page. The prices on our 3 tiers of hearing aids are right there, in print, where you can see them, compare them, and get ready for them.
A Note About the Cost
Some private health insurance providers offer benefits for hearing aid prescriptions. We’ll be happy to help you find out if your health insurance provider has woken up to helping you hear better.
Special Financing
At Injoy, we know that nobody wants to buy hearing aids. But when you do need them, you need them! That’s why we offer special financing to help you, because the most important thing to us is you getting back to enjoying the sounds of your life.
Time to Start Talking
Once you’ve had an ear check-up, talked to an audiologist, and figured out your budget, it’s time to get in the weeds on your choices for hearing aid. Don’t hesitate to ask about some of the nitty-gritty details.
Trial Period
Ask the hearing aid provider how long you have to try out your hearing aids before you decide to keep them.
While you’re finding out how long you get to take your hearing aids for a test spin, find out if the trial period is risk-free. And by risk-free, we mean zero risk, period.
Why are we being super-specific about that? Because when Injoy says risk-free, we actually mean it. Most hearing aid companies give you a trial period to test out the devices. However, they charge you for the hearing aids. If you’re not satisfied, you send the hearing aids back, and then those companies take days, and sometimes weeks, to send you your refund.
Essentially, they lock up your money until they decide to give it back. We don’t like that. At all.
Our True Risk-Free Trial
At Injoy, our risk-free trial period means no risk at all. We don’t charge you while you’re trying them out. Wear them in different situations. See how they work. Talk with us regarding any questions, at all, about your devices. Let’s see if they astound you like we think they will.
If you’re not absolutely satisfied with Injoy hearing aids, then you can return them during the trial period—and you’re done. That’s it. No worry about when your refund will arrive, because we didn’t charge you for them in the first place. No hidden restocking/restoring fees, none of that.
It’s called trust. Old-fashioned, we know. But we like it, and we trust you to be honest about your experience, so that we can give you the best service possible.
Are the Hearing aids Adjustable?
One of the important factors for how to choose hearing aids is the flexibility of the devices, and their power.
You’re going to rely on these for years. Ask your retailer if the level you’ve chosen can have its amplification increased (or decreased) in the future. They should say yes, that your devices can be adjusted at pretty much any time to suit your hearing needs.
Keep in mind that hearing aids don’t last forever. At some point, you will need to buy new ones. However, the ones you have should have flexibility to meet your needs while you own them.
What’s the warranty?
Any hearing aid you buy must have a warranty on it. Don’t accept anything less than 3 years of warranty coverage for your devices, and 1 year for accessories and chargers.
At Injoy, we’ll even help you if your warranty has expired. For up to 5 years after purchase, we’ll accept repairs and services of your Injoy hearing aid. We’ll give you the price for repairs quickly, and that way you can ask questions and approve them when you’re ready.
And our professional support is always available to you as part of being an Injoy customer, no fees or extras. When you purchase Injoy hearing aids, you become part of the family.
How Fast is Delivery?
Be sure to find out how long it will take the company to send you your hearing aids.
Here’s a fact: most people who suffer hearing loss wait 5 years before finally buying them. That may seem hard to believe, but we get it. Nobody wants hearing aids.
But once you realize you need them, there’s no more waiting. You need them now. That’s why Injoy has fast shipping. How fast? Your new hearing aids arrive at your doorstep within 2 to 3 days fast.
How much does that kind of expedited shipping cost? Nothing. You don’t pay an extra dime for it. We do it because we understand. This isn’t our first rodeo, and we want you to be treated right, the first time and every time. You’ve waited long enough for better hearing.
Don’t forget the cool stuff!
There are benefits to buying Injoy hearing aids, and we think they’re pretty darn cool! Always feel free to compare us to other hearing aids. We welcome it.
Injoy hearing aids come in 3 different levels of functionality, so that you can pick the price that best suits your situation. No matter which level you choose, our licensed audiologists will customize your settings for just-right improvement.
However, there are some pretty sweet features you might want to consider, available depending on your level choice:
Water resistance.
Some of our hearing aids are waterproof up to ½ meter, and will be sweat-proof and shower-proof.
Ultra Zoom
Adaptive programming that improves speech understanding in noisy environments.
Two-way Bluetooth Connectivity
Imagine taking a phone call in your hearing aids. No need for extra devices, just connect and converse. It’s that easy. And it’s hands-free!
Stereo Bluetooth Streaming
No more being told to turn down the TV! Connect your compatible bluetooth devices to your Injoy hearing aids and listen to music, podcasts, the ballgame and more right in your hearing aids.
Rechargeable batteries
No fumbling with tiny batteries, no more forgetting to buy them and running out, no worries about how to dispose of them. Choosing rechargeable Injoy hearing aids gives you freedom to keep on keepin’ on.
Smartphone App
Need to make adjustments? Do it with your Injoy app. Need prescription adjustments? Our licensed audiologists do it with you, for you, over the app. DIY or do it with us. Injoy makes it easy to keep your hearing the best it can be.
There are more features. A LOT more. But we’re starting to get kind of self-conscious about bragging about our products. We geek out hard about it, and could talk at length about all the things hearing aids can do these days.
Contact us to find out more, and check out our FAQs. We’ll explain it all, in easy terms, and you’ll be empowered to make decisions that are right for you.
And that is what we both want.
How does improving your hearing sound?
You now have the starting tools for how to choose the right hearing aids. Call us at Injoy, and let’s begin getting you ready to rock your world with clear conversations, less stress, and a stronger connection to the sounds of your life.
We’re a group of industry veterans who are excited about doing our jobs in a tele-hearing/remote care model. Our passion is to help people, and make the process of getting that help as easy as possible.
Listen. Hear. Live! Injoy.
