FAQ

Welcome to our hearing library. Here you will find answers to many of your questions as well as additional information and resources.

Why should I get hearing aids from JC Audiology instead of on the Internet or a big box store?

A--Because you are worth it.

Your hearing is one of your most critical senses, and the only sense that can be improved via digitally-adjusted computer circuits.  The devices you need require not only a good fit physically with your ears but a precise match of electroacoustical settings with your unique auditory needs. 

Can’t that be done with any dispenser of hearing devices?

A—To some extent, yes, but at JC Audiology the key difference is that you’ll have an experienced audiologist testing your hearing (in an annually calibrated sound-treated booth for most accurate testing and fitting protocols), and an audiologist providing you with recommendations, and an audiologist doing the actual fitting of the devices and an audiologist doing all the follow up and adjustments you may need as you adjust to your hearing devices.  Most big box stores do not have an experienced audiologist with decades of hearing aid dispensing success and thousands of satisfied patients.

Do hearing aids need servicing?

A—Yes, and that’s another big difference we have at JC Audiology over other dispensers.  Hearing aids are essentially miniature computers, and yet they take more abuse than most of the computerized devices you own, due to body temperature, skin oils, ear wax and moisture related issues (electronics and moisture aren’t the best of friends).  We service more than 150 hearing aids every month at JC Audiology, with nearly every one being back in use in one day.  There are about a dozen hearing devices that come into the JC Audiology Hearing Aid Hospital every month that aren’t working at all, and we revive more than 90% of them.  That same day service for hearing aids is unheard of in big box stores, many franchises, and is non-existent with companies or individuals who sell over the internet.

Why do different sellers have different prices?

A—There are multiple reasons but the key thing to keep in mind is that the price advertised can often be misleading.  Some dispensers sell hearing aids in an ‘unbundled’ way, meaning the devices are one cost and then any servicing, repairs or other maintenance would incur additional costs.  Other dispensers include in the price of their hearing devices the total costs that would cover all services, adjustments and periodic clean and checks of the devices.  It has been our experience at JC Audiology that patients are most satisfied and have the best long term outcomes with this latter approach.

There may also be an issue because some companies advertise a price that may be very low.  However, that price is really for a device that is for someone with a very mild hearing loss for which the hearing aid is basically an amplifier with little or no other features.  A more moderate hearing loss requires more sophisticated devices and more careful, professional calibrations so that the hearing device best matches your unique hearing characteristics.  And, with hearing aids now compatible to smartphones, TV streaming devices, and other accessories, the prices for them are never the low figure you see in corporate ads.

I think I hear just fine.  Why should I get my hearing tested?

The average person waits seven years after the onset of hearing loss before getting a hearing test. Hearing loss can have a large impact on a person’s quality of life.  And, on those loved ones around you who may have mentioned to you that they have to repeat themselves to you, or that the TV volume you prefer is too loud.  A comprehensive hearing test will determine if there is a hearing loss that should be treated with hearing aids. 

About 48 million Americans have hearing loss, mostly as a result of living full and active lives in all types of noisy environments.  While it may seem unpleasant to admit another age-related malady, it’s best not to ignore the decline in hearing due to cascading cognitive declines associated with untreated hearing loss.  The good news is that hearing aids can boost brain function.  The Journal of American Geriatrics Society published a study that found that the rate of cognitive decline slowed after participants started wearing hearing aids.  Another study by the University of Maryland said that hearing aids boost brain function, citing two groups of individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss who were tracked for six months.  Most of the hearing aid users showed improvement in working memory and neural speech processing, and a greater ease of listening. These recent studies follow other published research of the past couple of years in which hearing loss was linked to other health and social problems, such as falls, depression and increased financial burden.  A study published in the JAMA Otolaryngology journal in November 2018 said that health-care costs for those with untreated hearing loss are 46% higher over a decade than for those without hearing loss, in part due to increased hospitalizations.  Healthy hearing leads to a healthy life!

How do I decide what type of hearing aid to use?  What’s the advantage with in-the-ear devices vs. behind-the-ear?  What about batteries or rechargeable hearing aids?

A—That’s where a good audiologist will help.  We have successfully fit hearing aids on people from all walks of life, who have a variety of hearing losses, and we have close relationships with a number of hearing aid manufacturers, and take continuing education courses from the best in the field of audiology. Most importantly, we thrive on providing every patient with the best service possible.  We can answer all these questions and more during your initial consultation with our audiologist, which we are pleased to provide at no charge to you.