Q&A

Subject: Looking for more powerful hearing aids

From: BB

My 9 year old son has been using Oticon E39PL hearing aids since he was 3. For several months now he has been asking us for "more power". It is frustrating to hear from local audiologists that he has the most powerful aids on the market. Do you know of something we could evaluate which would be of benefit to him? If not, do you think something will be available soon? We will be in the market to buy something new soon anyway because of the age of the instruments and want to know if waiting a few months will allow us to get something better for him in the long run. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. BB

Starkey and Phonak also are noted for power aids. Try to find an audiologist who carries several brands of hearing aids and get her to let your son try the different models. Sometimes the type of amplification can influence the perceived loudness of the aids, perhaps a strong digital set to provide linear amplification would sound louder to your son.

Solveig