HEARING AIDS
There are more options than ever before for hearing aid and protective devices. We can help you choose the best option for your hearing and customize your hearing healthcare equipment based on your listening needs and lifestyle.
What hearing aid services can you get at Iowa ENT Center?
Iowa ENT Center offers complete, comprehensive hearing aid services, from evaluation and testing to fitting and after-care. We’ll help you understand your options so you can choose the right hearing aid device that suits your lifestyle and fits your budget.
We help people who are hard of hearing to understand speech more clearly. Many people can improve their daily quality of life and have an easier time communicating with a hearing aid device.
Iowa ENT Center hearing aid services include:
- Comprehensive hearing evaluation. First, we’ll complete a comprehensive hearing evaluation to determine the specific nature of your hearing problems and to determine the best way to meet your hearing healthcare needs. This testing will tell us the extent of your hearing loss, reveal any possible medical conditions that could affect your hearing and suggest how well you might do with hearing aids.
- Consultation to discuss test results, determine treatment plans and explore expected outcomes. We don't take a “one size fits all” approach to hearing aids. Every person has different needs and can expect a variety of outcomes depending on the treatment that's right for them.
- Review of hearing aid options and recommendations. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of different hearing aid styles and technology so you can make an informed decision about choosing the best hearing aid device to fit your needs.
- Fitting and explanation of your fully customizable hearing aid equipment. You’ll get a hearing aid device that's the right fit for your ear and your level of auditory comprehension. One of the benefits of getting a hearing aid, in addition to increasing the volume of what you hear, is improving your ability to understand what you hear. We'll customize your hearing aid settings to you.
- After-care and maintenance. We provide maintenance, service and repair on all makes and models of hearing aid devices. We’ll help you find the hearing aid batteries and accessories to keep your hearing aid functioning properly, and we’ll help you with any after-care questions or adjustments that you might need to feel comfortable and confident with your new hearing aid device.
Which hearing aid devices does Iowa ENT Center offer?
Iowa ENT Center offers a range of digital hearing aid devices. We work with the most advanced digital hearing aid technology. These are not “your father’s hearing aids.” The technology for hearing aids has improved dramatically in recent years, with digital features to enhance processing, reduce feedback and noise and improve the clarity of speech. You can even synch your hearing device with your smartphone for even more control and convenience.
Depending on your lifestyle and budget, there's a level of digital hearing aid technology that's right for you. Digital hearing instruments can also be adjusted over time to meet the changing needs of your hearing loss.
There are two main styles of hearing aids that we provide:
- Receiver-in-the-ear (RIE). The main section of this hearing aid is hidden behind your ear, but the receiver is mounted externally in a small tube fitted into the ear with a soft dome. As a result, RIE hearing aids are usually smaller than standard behind-the-ear hearing aids.
- Behind-the-ear (BTE). These hearing aids hook over the top of your ear and carry amplified sound through a tube to a custom ear mold inside of your ear canal. This type of hearing aid is the most visible type of hearing aid and tends to be capable of more amplification than other hearing aid styles.
Other styles are also available at patient request:
- Invisible in-ear canal. This style of hearing aid is least noticeable because it’s custom molded to fit inside your ear canal. An advantage of this style of hearing aid is that it’s less likely to pick up wind noise and is easy to use while talking on the phone.
- In-the-ear. Also known as ITE hearing aids, this style of hearing aid is custom molded to fit in your ear canal, but it's larger and more visible than the invisible option. The advantage of this option is that it’s easier to handle and adjust than the invisible option.
What other hearing healthcare services does Iowa ENT Center offer?
- Hearing protection. We can fit you with specialized, custom-made devices to protect your hearing while working or playing in loud environments. These devices are ideal for industrial/construction workers, hunters, farmers, motorcyclists, musicians, concertgoers and homeowners who want to protect their hearing while around loud environments and noises.
- Water protection. We can help you choose protective equipment that's specially designed for swimming, water sports, showering and ear tubes. Custom-fit and -sized ear plugs are available.
- Custom ear pieces for personal electronic devices. Do you have trouble getting headphones to fit? We can make custom ear pieces to improve your listening experience with smartphone earbuds, musician monitors and other accessories.
- Other assistive listening devices. Being hard-of-hearing doesn’t have to prevent you from fully enjoying your favorite electronic devices. We can adapt your hearing aid device to work well with smartphones, TVs, Bluetooth devices and other accessories. We also offer an array of other stand-alone assistive listening devices that include special telephones, television monitors, alarms and smoke detectors.
Iowa ENT Center’s hearing instrument specialist
We have a dedicated clinical hearing instrument specialist on staff–Curt Pargeon, HIS, COHC. He's ready to help you with all of your questions about hearing aids and assistive listening devices, including fittings, repairs and reprogramming.
To see if you’re a candidate for a hearing aid or to schedule an evaluation with Curt Pargeon, HIS, COHC, request an appointment below, or call us at 515-223-4368.
