To be our best we need to
live smart and hear well.

Hearing Aids-Winnipeg Hearing Centre Polo Park Hearing Banner

5 Tips For Getting Used To Hearing Aids

Posted on , updated on by David

Man Getting Used to Hearing AidsLike so many new things in life, it takes time to get used to using hearing aids. While you will hear a difference the very first time you use them, it can take a few weeks to several months for you to become fully accustomed to your hearing aids. During this trial period, you will have settings adjusted to achieve optimal performance for all your different hearing environments.

Our service guarantee includes free adjustments for the life of your hearing aids.

Communication is important so remember to call any time you have questions no matter how unimportant you think they may be. To help you get accustomed to your new hearing aids here are our top five tips:

1. The presence of the hearing aid might feel odd.

Whether the hearing aid is completely in your ear or behind the ear model getting used to it being there will take a few days. The common analogy is that it’s like getting used to your first pair of eyeglasses or contacts. Periodically you notice them and may features a bit but over time your brain will ignore the fact that they’re there.

2. Small steps to start.

Most of our clients find that it’s best to wear your hearing aids for as many hours a day as you feel comfortable for the first week . Over time gradually work your way up until you’re wearing them all day long. Starting off in situations where you’re comfortable and the hearing environment isn’t overly challenging is a good way to build early success. So, wear them around home with your friends and family two ease into a daily routing. Before long you will be out in socializing in challenging listening situations such as the shopping mall or busy restaurants. With time you will find that you will automatically block out background noise and hear what you focus on.

You might feel a bit overwhelmed at first but don’t worry, it’s all a part of your brain acclimating.

3. Be patient

If you are like most people your hearing loss has been a gradual process over the period of years. Now all of a sudden there are a huge number of sounds your brain hasn’t heard in a long time and it takes time and effort to re-learn them. Speech is just one group of sounds to lean over again. Consider background all the background noises we delete in everyday living. The sound of the wind, keys jangling, change clinking in your pocket, sounds from another room in your house, and any number of faint sounds that have been absent will all become hearable again.

4. Set Realistic Goals & Make Notes

While hearing aids will definitely help you hear better, they are not a perfect replacement. This is where keeping a journal can help you visualize your progress and keep track of anything that doesn’t feel quite right while you retrain your hearing. The more information you can share with us the better. Include what you were hearing, how it sounded and where you were. Locations are important as hearing aids have many different profiles that can be used for a specific environment and some even use your smartphones GPS to know which profile to use automatically.
No one can remember everything so make notes to make getting adjustments easier.

5. Attend follow up appointments

No matter how well you feel about all the changes taking place, it’s important to attend your follow up appointments to get the most out of our new hearing aids. Our staff will likely have subtle but significantly useful changes they can offer to further improve your hearing aid adjustment profile. With all the programming available for specific listening situations and your experience over time, there will always be adjustments to help you have a better experience than you might have expected.

We would like to answer any question you have about our service guarantee or about hearing aids in general. Give us a call at (204) 788-1083 or contact us online.

2 Days Only: Live Test Our Latest Hearing Aid Technology

Posted on , updated on by David

Polo Park Hearing Aid Free Trial

If you have been curious about the benefits of hearing aids, now is your chance! We are sponsoring a lunch and learn November 6th and 7th, 2018. We will have hearing aids on hand tuned to your specific needs so you get to try them out in a real-world environment.

All you need to do is make an appointment to come in for a FREE hearing test and evaluation so that we can custom program the hearing aids to meet your specific needs. Well have Chris Hoey from  Sivantos and our staff on hand to answer all your questions and make any needed adjustments.

To book your hearing evaluation, simply give us a call at (204) 788-1083 Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.  Alternatively, send us a message online:

Your Name (required)

Your Email (required)

Subject

Your Message

How Much Do Hearing Aids Cost?

Posted on , updated on by David

Ask Dr. G: How much do hearing aids cost?

Doctor, how much do hearing aids cost? #AsktheDoc

Posted by Starkey Canada on Tuesday, October 16, 2018

You Get What You Pay For

The quality of your hearing aid is much more important than you may think. Prices start in the $2000 range for a modern digital hearing aid that we consider to have good quality sound and features that will provide good value for the dollar.

Hearing aids are typically worn for more than 12 more hours a day – you definitely want the best sounding hearing aids.

Why do hearing aids cost so much?

The first thing to consider is the fact that hearing aid is a medical device and not a simple amplifier. There’s a lot technology that goes into that small package. Features such as noise reduction, feedback reduction, Bluetooth, and now even artificial intelligence are becoming standard. Consider the incredibly sensitive microphones and powerful electronics that are miniaturized and stuffed into a small package customized to fit your ear comfortably all day long.

 Bluetooth hearing aids make cell phone calls clear and easy to understand – stress free!

The cost to produce the hearing aid is just one part of the total cost. Consider the tens of millions of dollars that goes into developing the technology in terms of hardware and software every year. From there we can add in:

  • Component cost to build the hearing aids
  • Hardware and software development costs
  • Custom molding for comfort
  • Custom programming for your specific hearing loss
  • Time spent fine-tuning the hearing aids after initial fitting
  • Maintenance and checkup every six months for years to come

Our Service Guarantee means zero maintenance cost for the life of your hearing aids.

Use Versus Price

When you consider the average hearing aid will last five or more years while being worn 12 hours or more a day that’s a lot of value for money well spent. The math:

365 days a year X five years = Cost of $1.21 a day per hearing aid

Realistically, if you have two hearing aids your cost to hear well and live better is under $2.50 a day. That’s less than half the price of a coffee at Starbucks to be able to interact with people socially and at work. No more missing out on conversations in restaurants and social gatherings. No more embarrassment from asking “what did you say” over and over. Maybe hearing aids are actually cheap when you consider how long the last and how they improve your lifestyle & well being.

Why No Low-Cost Hearing Aids?

We simply won’t sell a hearing aid that doesn’t meet our specifications and required level of quality. There is absolutely no value in having a cheap hearing aid that you can’t use outside in the wind and is constantly buzzing with feeding back. Our clients would rip them out of their ears in the first hour. Cheap hearing aids are more like simple amplifiers that simply raise all the sound levels at all the frequencies and cause more problems than they solve.

You wouldn’t by glasses that are blurry – why would you buy a cheap hearing aids that sounds fuzzy?

Understanding Hearing Aids

Hearing loss simply put, doesn’t get better. There is hope in the fact that hearing aids will significantly improve your ability to hear by not only making sounds louder and making them easier to understand.

Although extremely simplified, hearing aids work like this:

  • First the microphones pick up all the sounds around you.
  • A computer then filters out wind and other noises.
  • The computer adjusts the volume at specific frequencies to match your hearing loss pattern.
  • Any human voices are then processed electronically to make then more intelligible.
  • The filtered, processed, and amplified sounds are then sent to the receiver in your ear canal.

Our staff can program a digital hearing aid to match different environments such as being outside, or in a restaurant, to meet your exact needs. As your needs may change, we will adjust settings over time to keep your hearing in tune.

All hearing aid models are available for a free 45 trial

Try before you buy

All our hearing aids are available for a free 45 trial with absolutely no obligation to purchase. We perform a complete hearing test and evaluation. Once we have discussed the results and determine your needs we will choose which hearing instrument is best for you.

To book your hearing evaluation, simply give us a call at (204) 788-1083 Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.  Alternatively, send us a message online contact us online.

Free Hearing Aid Cleaning & Check-Ups

Posted on , updated on by Staff

free cleaning-hearing-aids in WinnipegHearing aids need regular maintenance to ensure 100% performance. We recommend scheduling an appointment for a hearing aid cleaning and performance check every 6 months. It is an easy way to keep your hearing aids working at peak efficiency and as part of our service guarantee, Polo Park Hearing Centre provides routine maintenance free of charge for the life of your hearing aids.

Routine maintenance is free of charge for the life of your hearing aids.

While cleaning your own hearing aids on a regular basis is very helpful in maintaining good day to day performance, during a 6 month cleaning and checkup one of our Hearing Instrument Specialists will clean areas where regular cleaning tools can not reach. One such area is the microphone itself. Also, some hearing aids such as the Behind-The-Ear (BTE) style hearing aids have a replaceable plastic tube that connects the hearing aid body to the ear mould. The tube often becomes brittle over time and is difficult to clean so it is considered regular maintenance to replace item from time to time.

Taking Care Of Your Hearing Aids

In Manitoba we live in an extreme environment with a wide range of temperatures from the very hot to the very cold. That combined with the nature of the tiny, sensitive electronics packed into a small housing, regular checkups are a good idea. If moisture becomes a problem over summer, there are moisture proof containers that will dry all the hearing aid’s components overnight.

If for any reason your hearing aids should not sound clear and become weak or scratchy, call us to make an appointment for a quick maintenance check – it’s free and part of our service guarantee. Call us at (204) 788-1083 Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Alternatively click contact us online.

Hearing Loss Can End A Relationship

Posted on , updated on by Staff

Hearing Loss Can Kill A Relationship - ssWhen communication begins to fade, so does the quality of our relationships. Hearing loss is often gradual and goes unnoticed day-to-day until over a period of years, it has reached the point where simple daily communication becomes work.

Constant Effort

It’s not always easy for people to accept their hearing loss and seek treatment. In fact, the majority people will wait seven or more years before seeking help from a hearing professional. During that time, the effort made to compensate for the effects of worsening hearing loss increases steadily along with stress levels.

Meaningful conversation gradually grinds to a complete halt.

Changing Social Behaviour

Decisions and behaviours start to change to accommodate hearing loss. For example, restaurants begin to be chosen for acoustics over cuisine thus severely limiting the number of places to choose from. Noisy social events such as birthday parties are no longer enjoyable to the noise levels. Often the person with hearing loss begins to feel isolated when in public because they are avoiding talking with people they once easily conversed with. Eventually they begin to cut their stay short either leaving their spouse on their own at the even or shortening their stay as well. Eventually as socializing becomes even more difficult, some couples begin to take their own vehicles knowing the one that can’t hear well will leave not long after arriving.

Entertainment also become a point of contention between couples where on suffers from untreated hearing loss. While movie theatres are often loud, the contrasting quiet moments and speech is lost resulting in constant promoting of “What was that?”. At home watching a simple television show ends up becoming a fight over the control of the volume.

The concept of a casual talk eventually becomes nothing more than a memory.

Conversation

To compensate for hearing loss people will often begin to learn to interpret facial expressions and even lip read to understand what’s being said. This means that the person with hearing loss must always be looking the speaker to have a chance to understand. In the case of profound hearing loss conversations often become a series of individual words shouted in hopes of being understood. The loss goes beyond failing to understand words and becomes a lack of understanding and empathy that is supported by intimate conversations between couples. The theme of isolation reappears.

Making the most of the relationships we have with the people we love is vital to our health and happiness.

Seek Help

There is a point where even the strongest relationship will suffer to the point of breaking. This doesn’t have to happen as the effects of hearing loss are reversed when treated. A complete hearing evaluation and test will identify what treatment is best and rule out medical intervention. The answer to hearing loss may be as simple as tuning a set of hearing aids to the precise needs of the individual.

To learn more about how a hearing test & evaluation can restore hearing, call us at (204) 788-1083 Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Alternatively click contact us online.

World’s First Hearing Aid With Artificial Intelligence

Posted on , updated on by Staff

Livio AI: Hearing Aid or Wearable?

Starkey is changing how the world views hearing aids. The Livio AI is the first hearing aid to use integrated sensors and artificial intelligence to track physical activity and cognitive health. Livio AI’s features that go well beyond the “medical device” for the aging.

  • Fitness and overall wellness tracking.
  • Integrates with Apple Health and Google Fit apps.
  • Amazon® Alexa connectivity.
  • Translation programs for 27 languages.
  • Reduce listening effort by improving natural listening & speech clarity in the noisiest environments.
  • Natural user interface with tap control or Bluetooth app.

All these features are designed to help optimize the users’ hearing experiences while enabling them to improve their overall health, treat hearing loss, reduce the associated risks of dementia, anxiety, social isolation and the increased risk of falling. Livio AI is truly a total solution for both hearing health and the health risks associated with hearing loss.

First and foremost, Livio AI is the best performing and best sounding hearing aid we have ever made. Livio AI is so much more than just a hearing aid, it is a gateway to better health and wellness,” Starkey Hearing Technologies President Brandon Sawalich.

Starkey Livio AI - Artificial Intelligence in a Hearing Aid

Starkey’s Best Sounding Hearing Aid

Although there is a lot of attention on the new features, the Livio AI excels at it’s core function of making hearing easy regardless of the acoustic environment.

Artificial intelligence integrates the information from both hearing aids to understand the wearer’s listening environment, adjust appropriately and learn from the experience. A big benefit of the technology is how it makes understanding speech easier in noisy environments. Whether you are outside, at a restaurant, or at a gathering with music playing, Livio AI will detect a person’s speech, the direction it is coming from and filter out the background noise it has analyzed through machine learning. The net result is less stressful communication that improves the wearer’s enjoyment of social situations.

Livio AI’s benefits are ultimately designed to improve key areas of well-being by reconnecting users to the people, places and activities they love.

Are you curious about trying out the Livio AI? We offer a free trial period and lifetime service. 

Call us at (204) 788-1083 Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Alternatively click contact us online.

hearing aid
Hearing Aids don't have to
be obvious
Click for a list of our hearing
aid products - Including our
ultra-discreet Invisible-In-The-Canal (IIC) Hearing Aids

Hearing aid financing Winnipeg
Ride-for-Dad-2016-Winnipeg
Polo Park Hearing Centre Winnipeg Facebook Page
Polo Park Hearing Centre, Hearing Aids & Assistive Devices, Winnipeg, MB
© Polo Park Hearing Centre 2010 - 2011