Hearing Health & Buying Hearing Aids Online

Feb 24, 2020

Hearing Health & Buying Hearing Aids Direct Online

Hearing loss affects about 1 in every 6 adults in the united states. Approximately 37 million adults report trouble hearing. Hearing loss is not something you deal with alone however, your friends and family suffer with you. Having to ask someone to repeat themselves over and over again is often frustrating and can make you feel embarrassed. Frustration and anxiety are not the only feelings you may encounter with hearing loss though. It is shown that most adults who suffer from hearing loss also suffer from depression due to the negative effect of not being able to properly communicate with your friends and family.

Buying hearing aids is one of the main solutions to help with hearing loss but there is a big problem with purchasing them. Hearing aid providers tend to price hearing aids at a sometimes unaffordable amounts. The average cost of hearing aids from local providers is upwards of $6000! That “cost” of hearing aid service tends to push people away from buying hearing aids which is why in the United States only 1 out of every 4 people that need hearing aids actually wear them.

Buying hearing aids shouldn’t break the bank and it most certainly shouldn’t cause stress, however many times you will leave a clinic feeling like you just left a negotiation table. Buying hearing aids should be an exciting time but the ttruth is for the majority of patients needing them, it is simply not a reality.

Buying hearing aids online is one way of avoiding the hassle of negotiating with the audiologist or specialist. When you buy online from the right authorized retailer you are maintaining the same level of in house service you would normally get from your local clinic all from the comfort of your own home. Hearing aids have evolved to allow for remote programming meaning that adjustments can be made from anywhere in the world. No more will you have to wait at a local clinic to get an adjustment you need. An authorized retailer can connect directly to most hearing aids and remotely program them freeing up valuable time for you.

PRO’S & CON’S of BUYING ONLINE

PRO LIST	CON LIST
Save anywhere from 30 to 50 percent compared to buying locally	No face to face interaction with your specialist
Adjustments can be performed from anywhere in the world by authorized retailers	Shipping times can take up to 7 days in the US (If using standard shipping)
Same manufacturer warranty and loss & damage insurance included from authorized retailers	Parts and Accessories have to be shipped through the mail and cannot be picked up at a local store
Return periods tend to be longer when purchasing online and Direct Hearing offers a 100% money-back guarantee	Some online retailers will ask that you pay for shipping (Direct Hearing offers free expedited shipping)

Buying hearing aids online without local service is not for everyone. When shopping for hearing aids you need to identify what is most important to you. If you have extenuating medical conditions that cause your hearing loss it may be in your best interest to consult a local audiologist or ENT. However for those who suffer from a mild to profound hearing loss and want to save time and money buying online may be the perfect option. -- Keep in mind that not all online companies are made equal, so do your research and make sure the company you are buying from is reputable and has your hearing interest at heart. Call and ask questions about service, reliability and any specific expectations.

Sources:

BMJ-British Medical Journal. Apr 30, 2014. Professional musicians run almost four-fold risk of noise-induced deafness. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140430192647.htm

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Dec 11, 2018. Statistics about the Public Health Burden of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/public_health_scientific_info.html

Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Nov 14, 2019. Link between hearing and cognition begins earlier than once thought. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191114115922.htm

The Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. Feb 25, 2013. Hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23337978

National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Fact Sheet: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss

U.S Department of Veteran Affairs. 2019. Annual Benefits Report FY18: Compensation. https://www.benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/abr/docs/2018-compensation.pdf

World Health Organization. Mar 20, 2019. Hearing loss and deafness. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss

World Health Organization. May 1, 2014. The global burden of disabling hearing impairment: a call to action: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4007124/