Is a Bluetooth Hearing Aid Worth It?

The technology of hearing aids is constantly improving, with new upgrades appearing all the time, each promising different features and advantages. One of the latest additions to the options for hearing aids is a hearing aid equipped with Bluetooth technology. 

If you’re unaware of Bluetooth and its capabilities, this might feel overwhelming and confusing – however, a Bluetooth enabled hearing aid could prove highly useful in your day-to-day life, so it’s worth investigating how they work. Bluetooth hearing aids offer all the features of regular hearing aids, and they are available in most types such as behind the ear, in the ear and in the canal. However, they do have a few added bonuses, as explained below.

What is a Bluetooth hearing aid?

A Bluetooth hearing aid is one that is enabled with Bluetooth technology. So far, many devices such as phones, laptops and televisions, already have this technology installed. It offers a way to connect two devices wirelessly across a short geographical distance, for example within the same room or house. 

A Bluetooth hearing aid functions exactly as any other hearing aid would – the Bluetooth element is an added feature that allows you to directly connect to other devices and listen to sound straight from the source. This has many benefits.

Sound quality

One of the great benefits of using Bluetooth within your hearing aid is that it can hugely improve your experience of the sound quality of phone calls, music, television shows and more. 

If your Bluetooth hearing aid is directly connected to your music player, that music will be playing directly from your hearing aid into your ear, rather than travelling across the room and being filtered through your hearing aid. This means you will hear with greater clarity while still being able to adjust the volume. The same is true of phone calls, so you can hear the voices of your loved ones directly into an ear, just as if you were wearing earphones to listen to the call.

Practicality

The wireless connectivity of Bluetooth may make it easier for you to interact with the many technologies in your life. Having almost immediate access to these media sources without having to search for the remote, fiddle with the volume or even use your hands at all, can be a great advantage of Bluetooth hearing aids. You will be able to multitask, get things done or even just relax that little bit more.

Custom control

Bluetooth hearing aids essentially operate as a wireless pair of headphones – and they also offer unprecedented control over the volumes of different technologies. There are a couple of ways to adjust volume, either through the hearing aids themselves or through an app on your phone if you are technologically savvy. Having all your devices within easy access and easy control can be a great benefit to Bluetooth hearing aids.

Outside sound

It is important to be aware that, when listening to a device through Bluetooth, the main microphone inside your hearing aid will either reduce its volume or turn off completely. This can be great, as it eliminates distractions and allows you to focus on the source you are listening to, whether that be a conversation, a piece of music or a great bit of television. 

However, in other situations it may not be ideal as you will not have as great of an awareness of your surroundings – so this is a consideration to make before you switch that Bluetooth on.

Extra set-up

With these added features and benefits, comes a small amount of added complexity. Your Bluetooth hearing aid will need to be connected to each of your devices before it can work with them. 

This is a simple process that requires a few set-up steps, but it may be worth asking your audiologist or a tech-savvy family member or friend to help you along, especially if you’ve never worked with Bluetooth before! However, after this initial set-up, your Bluetooth hearing aids will be ready to go, and simple to use – it’s as easy as pressing a button.

What next?

Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids are an exciting option, particularly for those who enjoy listening to media on different devices. If you think they sound right for you, or if you just want to find out a bit more, call Clifton Springs Hearing Center today at 315-496-4314. Here, you will be able to receive advice from an audiologist on how to find the best Bluetooth hearing aid for you.