This past March I was invited to the Yakimovich Wellness Centre to talk about hearing aid options that are in the marketplace. Based on the reviews, I went away feeling like the attendees were educated consumers in what is sometimes a very confusing industry.
The basis of my talk centered around two different types of hearing aids that are cosmetically quite appealing:
Completely in the canal: This category has been around for a number of years, but in the past year we have seen two new additions to this category. The first was the launch of the Lyric hearing aid by Phonak which is the first disposable, extended wear hearing instrument of its kind. The second generation of lyric has been available for about 7 months and for people who want a truly invisible option that requires no daily changing of batteries, or inserting, this is a fantastic solution. I recently fit a woman who had severe arthritis and was dependent on someone else to change her batteries and insert them, until now.
With the launch of lyric came a new class of daily wear hearing aids called invisible in canal or IIC style aids. The manufacturers created a very small in the ear hearing aid to compete with Lyric that still gets removed daily, but is competitive in the depth of placement in the canal and therefore cosmetic appeal.
The second category is the kind where there is tiny wire than sneaks down the front of the ear with a small receiver that fits inside the ear canal. This is called “Receiver In The Ear” or RITE.
There are several benefits of this style. Cosmetically it is quite discreet, especially if you have any hair that is long over the ear. It leaves the ear canal open, which helps considerably with the feeling many people experience when using hearing aids which is that their voice sounds loud to them. Many of my clients report getting into the shower only to realize they are still wearing their aids because they are that comfortable. They are easy to adjust to and are far more common than any other style of aid on the market. It is flexible in its power as well, so there is much more ability to turn it up over the years if hearing loss decreases.
There is much to consider when you need hearing aids and I would encourage you to read the buying guide to find out more about pricing. To book a consultation appointment, call Dr. Wright at 250-479-2969.