It can be difficult to choose the right hearing aids for your needs if you don't have the right information and advice. When you speak to your audiologist, they can take you through the different styles available and help you to find the right hearing aids. By discussing your lifestyle, your medical history and your hearing needs, you can work together to find the best option. However, you might want to inform yourself independently of what's available and how the different choices compare. Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are just one option that you might consider. But are they right for you?

Level of hearing loss

One thing to think about with BTE hearing aids is your level of hearing loss. An excellent benefit of these hearing aids is that the style allows for lots of power and a variety of features. BTE hearing aids tend to be larger than other options, which makes them ideal for all types of hearing loss. In addition, BTE hearing aids are smaller than they once were, with options like the mini BTE available. They can still fit in plenty of power thanks to the shrinking of technology.

Ease of handling, wear and use

The larger size of a BTE hearing aid has another advantage. If you want something with controls that are easy to use and that is easy to put in and take out, a BTE hearing aid is a great choice. This makes the style excellent for children, as well as older adults or anyone else who might struggle with dexterity or fine motor skills. BTE hearing aids have a larger body and clear controls, so it should be easy for most people to manually change settings and handle them for everyday use.

Choice of features

BTE hearing aids can also feature a broad range of different functions. Some smaller styles aren't capable of having a variety of features because there isn't enough space. BTE hearing aids are large enough to fit a number of different features inside them, even though they are smaller than they once were. You can consider options such as dual microphones, telecoils and wireless connections. Talk to your audiologist about what features are available and which ones might be best for your lifestyle. They can recommend which features are worth having and which ones might not be that useful for you.

Your audiologist can talk to you about whether BTE hearing aids could be right for you. If not, they can show you some other styles.