Question
Can you use any hearing aid available (for instance, borrow someone else's) or do hearing aids need to be prescribed and made particularly for each individual? Can using the wrong hearing aids cause more problems instead of fixing the hearing loss?
Answer
Hearing instruments are very specific to a given person's needs. Therefore, it is very important that you work with a hearing care professional to determine the proper amplification needed for your situation. Based upon the results of your hearing test, your listening demands and your lifestyle needs, the professional will prescribe a hearing instrument for you. It is strongly not suggested that you borrow someonelse's hearing instrument as it may not fit you properly or be appropriate for your hearing loss.
In fact, using a hearing instrument that is not prescribed for you can be detrimental. First, hearing instruments of all styles need to be molded to the physical shape of your ear. If you use an instrument that hasn't been custom fit (whether it's a custom in the ear product or the earmold of a behind-the-ear instrument), it can cause pain. The other concern is if a person uses a hearing instrument that is too strong for their loss, they could damage their hearing further.
Bio- Elizabeth Brassine received her Masters Degree in Audiology from Northwestern University and is currently working on her Au.D. degree (almost finished-yeah!). She has been with Phonak Hearing Instruments for over 6 years. She currently serves as their Manager of Education and is responsible for customer training as well as education for the staff, including new employee education. She is also responsible for meetings and conventions for Phonak US. Prior to joining Phonak, she worked in 2 different private practice settings.
Liz Brassine, Au.D., is the Manager of Customer Education and Field Support at Phonak Hearing Systems. She has worked for Phonak since 1996. She is primarily responsible for customer training of hearing instrument technology and has spoken at many national and state meetings on Hearing in Noise and high-tech hearing instruments. Previous to this, she held positions as a clinical and dispensing audiologist. She holds an M.A. in Audiology from Northwestern University and an Au.D. from Arizona School of Health Sciences. Liz Brassine is employed by Phonak
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