Hearing Aids
We deliver exceptional hearing care through expertly adjusted hearing aids. Our doctor is committed to Audiology Best Practices and the highest standard of care.
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How do hearing aids work?
All hearing aids have tiny but powerful microphones that pick up the sounds around you. A computer chip inside the hearing aid converts, analyzes, filters and amplifies the sound according to your unique prescription to help your ears compensate for the sounds you are missing naturally. The sound is then delivered to your ear via a speaker.
How much will hearing aids really help me?
While hearing aids can often be life changing for users, it is important to remember that hearing aids do not restore your natural hearing. Hearing aids filter and amplify sound to give you access to the sounds you are missing. Everyone’s experience with, and amount of benefit they get from hearing aids, is very individualized and depends on the following factors:
How long your hearing loss has gone untreated and how much hearing you have left to work with. You should treat your hearing loss as soon as possible. Researchers at the University of Colorado discovered that changes in the brain can be observed within 3 months after initial onset of even a mild hearing loss (Sharma, 2016).
How well you and your frequent communication partners utilize good communication strategies. We’ll teach you and your communication partners to communicate more effectively.
How well fit your hearing aids are by your provider. We use best practices and the highest standard of care to ensure your devices are fit correctly.
How well you maintain your overall health. We coordinate with your primary care doctor to make sure they are aware of any conditions that may affect your hearing moving forward.
How clean your hearing aids are. We’ll teach you how to complete quick maintenance at home and do professional maintenance on your devices to keep your devices clean.
How open you can be with your frequent communication partners about your hearing needs and how committed those individuals are to helping you hear your best. We set every patient up for success with counseling on realistic expectations and training to get the most out of their treatment.
Choosing a hearing aid
Today there are thousands of hearing aids on the market which can make the process of choosing a hearing aid daunting. Hearing aids provide the maximum benefit when they are worn all day every day. You should consider choosing a hearing aid that will be physically comfortable and be well suited for all the listening environments you encounter in your day-to-day activities.
We pride ourselves on extensive patient education, and by the time your hearing aid evaluation has concluded, you will be well-versed in your specific type of hearing loss and the best ways to treat it. We are big believers in education and shared decision making so you will never feel pressured into treatment that isn’t the right fit for you. We’ll help you understand the options best for you so you can decide what works best for you.
We pride ourselves on extensive patient education, and by the time your hearing aid evaluation has concluded, you will be well-versed in your specific type of hearing loss and the best ways to treat it. We are big believers in education and shared decision making so you will never feel pressured into treatment that isn’t the right fit for you. We’ll help you understand the options best for you so you can decide what works best for you.
Hearing Aid Styles
There are 6 standard styles of hearing aids. What style is best for you is dependent on many factors including your preferences, the degree of your hearing loss, the size and shape of your ears and ear canals, your dexterity, and your vision. Dr. Link works with you to determine which is the best for you. Take a peek at the 6 standard styles below:
Invisible In Canal
(IIC)
Completely In Canal
(CIC)
In The Canal
(ITC)
In The Ear
(ITE)
Behind The Ear
(BTE)
Receiver In Canal
(RIC)
Hearing Aid Features
Fortunately today’s hearing aid technology is developing rapidly. We are not prescribing your grandma’s hearing aids anymore! Hearing aid features that are designed to make your life easier:
Rechargeable
Made for iPhone, Android, or Bluetooth
Smartphone Adjustable
Waterproof
Discreet Models
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Hearing Aid Brands
There are many different brands of hearing aids. All major brands of hearing aids are now smartphone compatible and rechargeable and some brands are truly invisible. Everyone’s brain processes sound differently and every brand of hearing aid processes sound differently too. It is important to work with your audiologist to find a brand that works the best with your preferences, needs, and brain’s processing. The Audiology METHOD is an independent practice to ensure Dr. Link can work with the brand that works best for you. The major hearing aid brands we work with are listed below.
Hearing Aids we offer
Audiologist Dr. Julie Link offers hearing aids from all of the top manufacturers.
Starkey Genesis AI
Starkey's Genesis AI hearing aid has undergone a complete overhaul, boasting a state-of-the-art processor, enhanced sound quality, sleek design, innovative fitting software, and an improved patient experience.
Phonak Lumity
Phonak has unveiled their new product platform, Phonak Lumity, with the release of three rechargeable models. Although the three styles may appear similar to the previous Paradise generation, they feature improved speech processing and comprehension.
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Widex Moment Sheer
Widex Moment Sheer hearing aids are designed to provide users with a seamless and natural listening experience. With PureSound technology, sound is processed more quickly and accurately than ever before, making it possible to hear even the softest sounds with ease.
Unitron Vivante
Unitron has introduced the Vivante platform, showcasing their latest advancements in hearing aid technology. This new line emphasizes personalization and optimal sound performance across various environments. Vivante operates on the Integra OS, enhancing the hearing experience with features like HyperFocus for improved clarity in noisy settings. The Remote Plus app complements these innovations by allowing users to tailor their hearing preferences directly from their mobile devices.
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Oticon Intent
Oticon has launched the Intent hearing aid, which integrates their latest BrainHearing technology, aiming to support natural brain processes associated with hearing. This model enhances speech understanding and reduces listener effort, making it easier to follow conversations in dynamic environments. Oticon's Intent is designed for intuitive use and seamless integration with digital devices, catering to users seeking a blend of performance and convenience.
Resound Nexia
The Resound Nexia is crafted to offer a richer, more detailed sound experience, with its advanced processing algorithms that adapt to varying soundscapes. This hearing aid emphasizes connectivity, easily integrating with smartphones and other devices for streaming audio directly to the user's ears. Resound Nexia also features personalized settings controlled via an app, allowing users to adjust their hearing preferences in real-time based on their surroundings.
Signia IX
Signia has enhanced their portfolio with the IX series, featuring ground-breaking Augmented Xperience technology. This platform is designed to process speech and background noise separately, delivering exceptional clarity even in complex sound environments. The IX series is recognized for its RealTime Conversation Enhancement, which dynamically focuses on speech, improving communication in group settings and noisy backgrounds.
Widex Moment Smart RIC
Widex recently unveiled the Moment Smart RIC, a revolutionary hearing aid that virtually eliminates sound delay to deliver real-time audio. This model boasts AI-driven technology that learns from the user's preferences to optimize hearing settings automatically. Widex Moment Smart RIC also supports direct streaming and remote adjustments, providing a highly customizable and user-friendly hearing solution.
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Hearing Aid Fittings
Once you’ve selected your hearing aids, it is important that they are fit using evidence-based audiology best practices to ensure you maximize your benefit from your hearing aids as well as ensure the aids do not contribute to you experiencing further hearing loss. At your fitting, the following should occur:
Proper Fit Check
Your provider should ensure the devices fit comfortably in your ears and won’t fall out.
Electroacoustical Analysis
Did you know there are national quality standards for hearing aids? Research shows that 20% of hearing aids are out of compliance out of the box. An electroacoustic analysis test must be completed prior to your fitting to ensure your devices meet ANSI standards. You don’t want to start your hearing aid experience with hearing aids that are not working properly.
Real Ear Speech Mapping Verification Testing
Every ear canal is different, even the two on your own head are different from each other! That is why it is important to verify that the sound the hearing aid is producing is enough (and not too much) to compensate for your hearing loss. To ensure the hearing aid is delivering the proper amount of sound to your ears (your prescription), a small microphone will be placed in your ear and your hearing aid will be inserted on top of the microphone. Sound will then be delivered to the hearing aid so that your provider can adjust your hearing aid in real time until you are meeting your prescription.
Education and Training
Dr. Link’s goal for you is to be as independent as possible with your hearing aids. You will learn and practice how to insertion and removal your devices from your ears, how to change batteries or use your charger, how to clean your hearing aids, and how to troubleshoot them
Hearing Better Takes Time
For many people, their hearing has been progressively worsening over several months or years. It takes time for your brain to relearn how to hear. The more you wear your hearing aids, the quicker you will adapt to them. Have patience. Dr. Link will be your coach, cheerleader, and accountability buddy to help you every step of the way.
Tips for Adapting Your New Hearing Aids:
Utilize good communication strategies by being within 3-5 feet of the person you are talking to, being face-to-face, and being in the same room.
Wear your hearing aids all waking hours.
Wear your hearing aids at the prescribed volume as much as possible. Keep in mind, the brain cannot understand what the brain cannot hear. If the sound never gets up to your brain, your brain cannot process it and it won’t sound clear.
Clean your hearing aids once a day.
Practice listening in quiet environments first getting used to soft common sounds like your clothes rustling, your footsteps on the floor & your refrigerator running. We often lose these sounds so gradually we don’t even realize we were missing them until we get them back.
After 2-3 weeks of use, try visiting a quiet restaurant with someone you trust.
About 1 month after your fitting and once you have been adjusted to your full hearing aid prescription, try visiting a favorite restaurant with close friends.
Hearing Aid Fitting Follow Ups
To ensure your hearing aids have been fit properly and helping you meet your goals, you should expect to follow up:
- 1 Week post fitting
- 3 weeks post-fitting
- 7 weeks post-fitting
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Hearing Aids Maintenance
Follow Ups
Once you have met your communication goals set at your initial hearing aid evaluation appointment and have demonstrated consistent full time use of at least 12 hours per day, you will graduate from your hearing aid fitting and move into hearing aid maintenance.
Maintenance needs to be completed on your hearing aids to ensure you are always hearing the best you can and help your hearing aids last as long as possible. Hearing aids should last 3-6 years if you take good care of them. You should plan on seeing your audiologist once every 6 months, or sooner if you produce a lot of earwax.
Maintenance needs to be completed on your hearing aids to ensure you are always hearing the best you can and help your hearing aids last as long as possible. Hearing aids should last 3-6 years if you take good care of them. You should plan on seeing your audiologist once every 6 months, or sooner if you produce a lot of earwax.
Need adjustments to your current
Hearing Aids?
You have come to the right place & we are happy to help. We don't need you to purchase hearing aids from us to help you. Give us a call so we can help you:
Diagnose hearing aid malfunctions through our state-of-the-art Electroacoustic Analysis Testing
Clean and make minor repairs to your hearing aids in house
Send your hearing aids in to your hearing aid manufacturer for more major repairs
Troubleshoot pairing your hearing aids to your smartphone or accessory
Hearing Aid Repairs
Due to hearing aids tiny complex components and their placement inside the ear canal, they will break down from time to time even with daily cleaning. When you need a repair, we provide you a loaner device so you don’t have to go without.
Get in touch
Our friendly team would love to hear from you.
Phone Number
(720) 457-1763Opening Hours
Monday - Thursday: 8:30am-4:30pm
Friday: 8:30am-2:30pm
