Port Washington Hearing Aid Expert Has Advice For Lond Island Seniors

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — During the holiday season, people who would benefit from hearing aid use often find themselves in much louder, noisier environments than their everyday surroundings. Without the advice and hands-on assistance of professional audiologists rather than an over-the-counter device, these people may struggle to hear at the dinner table or at holiday parties, resulting in frequent requests for others to repeat themselves or speak louder or more slowly.

“There's a lot of hearing technology out there, leaving people unclear on which approaches are best,” said Dr. Sophia Behrmann, an audiologist with I Love Hearing in Port Washington and East Meadow.

Seeing an audiologist, she added, “is not just buying a widget off a shelf. This is someone using their medical knowledge to find the hearing aid that’s going to be the best for your precise situation and properly fit it for you. Audiologists are experts at fine-tuning hearing device features, along with professional testing and considering patient feedback to make sure that the hearing aids are optimized.”

According to Behrmann, people considering hearing aids around the holidays — and any time of year — often get better results when another person is involved in their journey. This person is typically an audiologist who talks through an individual’s needs with them, including everything from who they’ll spend the holidays with to the spaces they’ll be in for gatherings.

“Sometimes, it’s, ‘I'm seeing my grandkids who have quiet, squeaky voices,’ or, ‘I'm going to be in my daughter-in-law's house, which has high, weird ceilings,’” Behrmann said. “We take that into account and create specific programs to target those really difficult, really important environments.”

At I Love Hearing, Behrmann said that comprehensive hearing healthcare, alongside proper hearing device selection and fitting, counter the challenges of the holiday season since all solutions are tailored to the individual. The quality and depth of this care aren’t possible to find “online or in a big box store” and can only come from “qualified professionals that spend a lot of time studying and making sure we’re at the top of our game to help patients hear as well as possible,” she said.

The best audiology professionals and practices, Behrmann added, aren’t biased toward any one hearing brand or product.

“First and foremost, look for a practice that's independent,” she said. “You don't want to go someplace that's owned by a big box store or only pushes one brand. Independent audiologists help patients navigate hearing loss in their lives and help the people around them understand how multifaceted it can be. You can’t get the same quality of care online or in a big box store that’s just trying to make a sale, when compared to your audiologist who cares about you, your family, and your needs.”

Working with professionals to develop the best hearing solutions for one’s individual needs, Behrmann said, leads to more holistic outcomes.

“When people pull a hearing aid off a shelf at the drugstore, it’s like wearing clothes bought off the rack,” Behrmann said. "When people come to us, they get something tailored. We are looking directly inside their ears… we're checking for wax, which is not something that's happening everywhere else. We’re evaluating their hearing… We're doing different types of testing, not only in quiet but also in noise to determine how their brains are functioning. We're checking for other health issues that compound the issues of hearing loss.”

This approach often results in treatments that go beyond what individuals initially thought they needed to address when they walked in the door. With professional help, people who use hearing aids get the most comprehensive, effective solutions possible.

“I had a patient that had been to big box stores who walked in with an old device on one ear and said, ‘I only struggle in my work meetings, and that's all I need it for. I'd like to have this one device replaced,’” Behrmann recalled. “Once we got to talking through his needs, through our very deep diagnostic testing, it turned out he actually needed two hearing aids, one for each ear, all the time. Once we got through that trial period and I fitted him with the devices, he said, 'I didn't even realize what I was missing and where I needed help.'”

Behrmann advises this highly personalized, hands-on care for all people who use hearing aids.

“That type of personal care where we're seeing our patients as individuals really helps them succeed,” Behrmann added. “We’re making sure the patient is seen as an individual, as a really important person, because they're the main character in their own story, and when it comes to the holidays, we all know how important making and cherishing these memories can be.”

Patients can make the most of their hearing aids via I Love Hearing’s personalized care and hearing aid selections and fittings. Visit the practice’s website to learn more or to book an appointment at either of its Long Island offices, located in Port Washington and East Meadow.