Bluetooth is a wireless technology that connects electronic devices to transfer information. For hearing aids this means that you can finally connect directly with your cell phone, television, computer, iPod, or any other Bluetooth enabled device. This means that you can hear your TV or cell phone as if you were directly wired to them without any sort of background interference. While its not a necessary option, it is very nice and extremely convenient – especially in the car.

The connection is accomplished by using a another piece of equipment to link the cellphone to the hearing aids. These devices are generally worn around the neck, but a few manufacturers have designed devices that you can carry in your pocket. The device that you wear around your neck has a microphone in it so that you can talk on the phone. The wire around your neck is what sends the sound to the hearing aid.

Depending on your lifestyle, Bluetooth may be a great option for you. If you talk on your cell phone a lot, it will be a great option for you. If you don’t need Bluetooth for the cellphone, you probably don’t need it for other things like TV or iPods. For many patients the extra equipment is a little overwhelming and many do well on the TV and Cell phone without Bluetooth. Bluetooth is simply for connection to other devices only and doesnt make the hearing aids any louder, but it is a nice convenience factor if you spend a lot of time on the cell phone.

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In every profession there are, unfortunately, people who will try to take advantage and rip you off. While the vast majority of the professionals in the hearing aid world are fantastic, there are always exceptions to the rule. Below are five ways that you can do so that you can avoid getting ripped off:

1) Overpaying. This is probably the most common mistake. We have heard the horror stories of people paying $8,000 or more for a pair of hearing aids. One of the ways you can avoid this, is to simply tell the specialist that you want to think about hearing aids before you buy them and then go shopping around. They shouldn’t have a problem with you doing that. Ask them for how much they will sell you the aid and what’s included such as warranty, return privilege, return fees, loss and damage fees, service fees, etc. Be specific as to the make and model so you can make certain you’re comparing apples to apples.

2) Buying More Hearing Aid Than Necessary – Some offices only seem to tell you about the latest, most advanced hearing devices on the market. They don’t mention that in many cases these products are more hearing instrument technology than you really need. Sometimes your lifestyle or hearing loss is such that you will not benefit any more from the most advanced hearing aid circuitry than something less advanced. Most offices allow trial periods on hearing devices. Unless you just know you want the top of the line, try hearing aids a step or two down first. Then, if you feel you still need more help, you can upgrade. Make sure they give you a new trial period!

3) Not Buying a Good Enough Hearing Aid – Just as buying top of line is not always best, buying a bottom of line hearing aid can also be a mistake. Often it would be well worth a couple of hundred dollars extra to buy a hearing aid more suitable to your needs. It will make your hearing aid experience, and your life, much better.

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Years ago, I worked in a school where our boss—the principal—had suffered from hearing loss. Elaine wore one of the newer models of hearing aids available at the time, so it was fairly discreet, but we teachers were aware of it. I’m ashamed to admit that we took advantage of that knowledge, too. During staff meetings, we would jockey for position on her weak side, knowing we could get away with chatting to colleagues as long as Elaine wasn’t looking. Yes, I admit it: we were as disrespectful of her sometimes as our students were of us. It was probably a good thing that the principal’s use of a hearing aid was not common knowledge, or the students, too, might have learned to take advantage of it, especially if they had ever witnessed the teachers doing so.

With today’s technology, we rowdy teachers would be out of luck. Digital hearing aids currently on the market feature significant advances in signal processing. What that means is that Elaine could enjoy increased audibility of the sounds she wants to hear without experiencing discomfort from a high intensity of unwanted sounds. Low-level environmental sounds can be reduced in intensity, while sounds of interest—like chatty teachers’ voices—come through loud and clear. In fact, today’s hearing aids can differentiate between the sound of voices and background noise, helping improve speech recognition.

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