Is there an optimal time to take the plunge into configuring your own hearing aids? If you are considering doing this then you will likely face the same issue.
When you get new hearing aids, you want to trust that the audiologist will set them up correctly. It can take months and more to get used to new hearing aids and/or settings, so you don’t know to start with whether you’ll have the same hearing aids six months down the line. Unless you are filthy rich or reckless, you don’t want to be splashing out on expensive dedicated programming equipment to correspond with each change of hearing aid.
Officially it seems that you are not allowed to self-configure your own hearing aids anyway. In my experience audiologists will think you’re mad if so much as suggest programming your aids yourself. If you have an audiologist who will help and support you to do so, consider yourself very lucky! Most of us can’t afford to upset our audiologist or screw up the settings in our hearing aids.
Therefore, in trying to strike a balance between rules and reality, I suppose many of us will just have to reach a level of frustration where we are prepared to accept any risk and expense. The danger is that, like in my case, it could take you five years to become sufficiently frustrated. If my project is successful, I’m sure I will be wishing I’d started this five years earlier and then be beating myself up for it!
The good news is that my early research suggests that one expensive PC interface can be used to program all (or almost all) hearing aids which are available today. Other items (hardware and software) are needed but these are much more affordable than the interface. This means that, if you choose to take the plunge, you can still use your main investment with other devices which you might switch to.
I can only suggest that, if you’re minded to configure your own hearing aids, start investigating as early as possible so that you don’t wish you’d got started sooner.
Splash! Glug glug glug...
No comments:
Post a Comment