Tag: Untreated hearing loss

What is bundled hearing aid service?

Posted on by Andros Audiology

When purchasing a hearing aid, it is common to find bundled services. What does bundling mean?

Equipment costs

Bundling means combining equipment and service costs for hearing aids. One part of the price for hearing aids is the cost of the equipment. Hearing aids are sophisticated computers. Another part of the hearing aid price is the cost for the professional that works with your devices. Hearing aids require a licensed profession to program, fit and maintain their function. Therefore, bundling entails combining these services into one cost.

To help explain the cost of the equipment, the small sophisticated computer in your hearing aid is like the small powerful computer in your last smart phone. We invest millions of dollars each year to make these devices smarter, faster, smaller, and stronger. Each ear needs its own computer. This will double the equipment cost.

Professional Care

Your hearing aid professional will spend time on an initial visit to ensure the devices are custom fit to your ears. You will then likely need 2-4 follow-up visits to fine tune the fit after your first fit. Next, after the initial fitting and trial period, hearing aids will need routine maintenance. Earwax, moisture, and debris can clog up a hearing aid thus affecting its function. It is important that you have easy access to hearing care to maintain the devices. Thus, hearing care professionals want patients to feel comfortable coming in as many times as needed to maintain their devices. Paying for each visit separately might stop from people from routine care. Bundling prices prevents this.

Bottom Line

If you ever feel like the cost for your devices is not within the typical range, feel free to ask your provider to break down the costs, or, in addition, shop around. Check out our blog post about hearing aid cost for more information here. And always, for services in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, call (651) 888-7888.

Photo by Dawid Sobolewski on Unsplash

Why Hearing is Important

Posted on by Andros Audiology

Your hearing is important because it is what connects you with the world around you. It is one of our five precious senses. It is not something that is typically asked about by your family practice doctors but it is the sense that stimulates the brain the most. How important is hearing, really?

Birth-to-school age

We begin hearing in the womb and can recognize our mother’s voice before we are even born! Early on in life, our hearing allows us to start learning language. Unless sign language is used, our hearing is an integral part in language development. Babies and toddlers will imitate the sounds of the world around them before they develop language. Strong language development lays the groundwork for our educational years.

School-age

While in our school-aged years, our hearing becomes important for both social and educational reasons. People who are unable to hear their teachers may start to fall behind their peers. This may also impact and shape social connections. Our life experiences build through our educational years. Hearing loss can be isolating and have an impact on how social connections are built.

Adult

Once people are entering the workforce, hearing can have a major impact on employment opportunities and earning potential. A study published in the Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology (2012) found that people with hearing loss are more likely to be either unemployed, or earn significantly lower incomes than their normal hearing peers.

Retirement

The more common impacts of hearing loss tend to show in our elderly and aging population. Hearing loss becomes increasingly common as age increases. Our bodies wear out with age, and hearing is no different. Keeping the brain stimulated and active is a key activity to prevent this wear and tear from impacting our brains. If hearing loss prevents people from engaging in their social lives, the brain can start to shrink from lack of use. This can also lead to isolation, depression, and overall lower quality-of-life. If hearing loss goes untreated long enough, it can even cause neurological changes.

Hearing is important at every stage of life. We can take steps to prevent noise-induced hearing loss by wearing hearing protection in hazardous levels of noise. Some hearing loss in unpreventable. This is why it is important to get routine hearing evaluations so that you can catch changes before they may problematic and bothersome. Call our office today at (651) 888-7888 to schedule your hearing evaluation!