We speak to hundreds of people with hearing loss. Here are some of the questions people ask us

1. 1. Why do I need a hearing test? Pure tone testing is the most common type of hearing test. This is when tones of various pitches and volume are played into your ears (using headphones or earbuds). The results are displayed on a graph (Called an audiogram). This data is used by Audiologists to 1) Determine the degree of your hearing loss and, if you decide to purchase hearing aids 2) Used by the Audiologist to program your hearing aids. Try our online test now.
   2. How will Embrace Hearing aids help my tinnitus? Tinnitus is a hissing, buzzing, whistling or ringing in the ears that only you can hear. For some people, tinnitus impacts daily life with increased anxiety, anger and disturbed sleep. Tinnitus is not a disease but rather a symptom caused by an underlying condition, such as hearing loss, an ear injury or even some medications. About 80% of people with tinnitus have some degree of hearing loss without being aware of it, and this is why hearing aids can help.While most people find that the restoration of natural high frequency hearing through the use of custom programmed hearing aids significantly reduces tinnitus symptoms, there is more we can do. All of our hearing aids come pre-loaded with a Tinnitus Sound Therapy manager which many people find helpful. You can turn the manager on/off anytime with the app or the button on the hearing aids. This is not a cure but can definitely help alleviate your symptoms. In addition, our X-Series hearing aids have integrated Bluetooth so you are able to stream any of the many sound therapy apps available online.
   3. Do hearing aids help with the background noise of a restaurant? Yes. The way hearing aids help in restaurants is first, by amplifying the voices of the people at your table so you can hear them more clearly and second, by not amplifying the background noise around you. On high end hearing aids (Like our X-950) a recent clinical study demonstrates even better performance. On premium hearing aids, like the ones we sell, the aids are constantly ‘listening’ to your environment and adapting to it. In fact, today’s hearing aids adapt to your environment thousands of times per second to ensure the best hearing possible for their wearer. When you are in a room with a lot of background noise, the hearing aids recognize that and adjust for it automatically. So while you will still hear the ‘restaurant noise’, it will be at a very low level while the the voices of the people at your table are much clearer to you.
   4. What is a “Bluetooth” Hearing aid? Bluetooth allows you to send the sound from one device (eg. Your phone) to a remote speaker, wirelessly. When you connect your phone to your car, this is done by bluetooth. In recent years, most premium Behind-The-Ear hearing aids have come with some level of bluetooth. This can allow your phone calls to be streamed directly into you hearing aids. Less advanced hearing aids have “1-Way” bluetooth, the sound comes into your aids but you still need to hold your phone up to you hear (or use a small remote microphone) to speak into it. On the best hearing aids today, your voice is transferred back to the phone through the hearing aids. So your phone can be in your pocket or the seat of the car beside you while you are speaking completely hands free.
   5. “I had hearing aids but they whistled and squealed with feedback all the time. Why would these be any different?”. Todays hearing aids are nothing like they were even a few years ago. Massive changes in hearing software and hardware combined with the custom  fitting process make feedback (squealing) a thing of the past. If you ever have an issue with our hearing aids, we can resolve it within minutes and we are here 7 days a week ay (888) 929-9555.
   6. “I can hear my friends OK but I often miss what my wife is saying. Do I really need hearing aids or is it something else?”. According to the National Institutes of Health, only one in five Americans who have hearing loss wear hearing aids. Yet, research has shown that not wearing a hearing aid if you need one can increase the chances of depression, dementia, and even falls, not to mention the social impact and health risks of being less active. For the vast majority of people with hearing loss, their loss is concentrated in the high frequencies so this can make women’s and children’s voices harder to hear than men.The fact that you are reading this suggests that you feel that you have hearing loss. You are probably missing portions of conversations and those around you are having to repeat themselves. Over the years, as you begin to lose your hearing, you begin to read lips without trying. So if it’s quiet and someone is talking directly in front of you, you can read their lips and read their body language to get a sense of what they are saying. This is also true with TV News, where the anchor is looking right at you versus a TV show where they might not be. Or if something is in the next room, or behind you, you begin to guess and make mistakes which can sometimes be embarrassing. Properly programmed hearing aids give you back what you have been missing. Try our hearing test HERE and then we can advise you on what benefit you could expect from hearing aids. 
   7. Why do you recommend this hearing aid style versus the ones my friend has? There are two key types of hearing aids today: “Behind the ear” and “In the canal”. Our Audiologists work with you to understand your personal needs and then we recommend the solution that will be best for you.
   8. What is the difference between the ‘lower’ and ‘higher’ models you sell? All the hearing aids we sell are made by leading manufacturers and are sold at local clinics for 2 to 3 times our prices. So all of our hearing aids are good. Having said that, there are both hardware and software differences on our top of the line models that make them much more effective in more challenging environments like restaurants, meetings and large family dinners. Call us anytime and we can explain in more detail.
   9. Will hearing aids make my hearing worse? Definitely not! All of our hearing aids are custom programmed and approved by the FDA as Class II medical devices. This means the technology has been reviewed and demonstrated clear benefits for those with hearing loss. You will notice the difference as soon as you put them on. NOTE – Before buying hearing aids, check that they will be custom programmed by a Doctor of Audiology to meet the precise needs of your hearing test.
   10. Do I really need two hearing aids? Well…do you really need glasses for both eyes? When most people receive the news that they will need hearing aids, the biggest shock comes from learning how high the cost will be. It can be tempting to try and reduce the cost by buying only one aid for a “dominant” hearing ear and cut the cost in half. Unless you only have hearing loss in one ear, we strongly advice against this practice for a number of important reasons. You can read more about this HERE.

At Embrace Hearing, we are here 7 days a week to help with your hearing loss. Call us anytime at (888) 929-9555.