Hearing aids are most effective when they are fitted and adjusted correctly. Discover what you need to do to make sure your hearing aid fits well and how to get the most out of it.
Introduction:
Hearing Aid Fitting: If listening devices are suggested after your hearing aid fitting is tried, your hearing consideration expert will work with you to determine the right portable hearing aid. The process of figuring out what you need in a hearing aid is called a portable hearing aid assessment. It starts with looking at your needs and giving advice based on what you need. Hearing aid.
Preferences and expectations
Your hearing specialist will have a detailed chat with you to find out about your daily life, what you hope for, what you like, and what you think about any past experiences with hearing aids. By combining this info with your hearing test results, the specialist can suggest a few choices for you to think about.
Hearing test results:
Your hearing test results will be put on a chart called an audiogram. It will also show how well you can understand words. Both sounds and words are important for figuring out what kind of help you need with your hearing.
The level of your hearing loss will help decide which types of hearing aids might be best for you, and which features will help you the most. In the past, people with severe hearing loss needed bigger devices, but that’s not always true anymore. Even small hearing aids can help a lot if you have serious hearing loss.
What are your lifestyle needs?
Read Also
Your provider needs to know what kind of lifestyle you want. Maybe you’ve been avoiding certain places and events because of your hearing loss. Now is the time to think about what you want to do with your new hearing aids! If you talk on the phone a lot, you’ll need a hearing aid that works well with phones. If you’re always on the water, waterproof hearing aids might be best. And if you work in a busy office, you might need a hearing aid that works with assistive listening devices. Advanced digital hearing aids are great for people in different listening situations, while basic models are good for those who are mostly at home.
(Remember that if versatility or mobility is an issue, seeing an audiologist using telehealth might be a choice.)
What are your preferences?
- There are lots of different things to think about when choosing hearing aids. Do you want ones that are super small and hard to see, or do you want ones that are big enough to show off a cool color and your style? Do you like being in charge of adjusting the volume, or do you want technology that does it for you? Do you want extra gadgets like remote controls, or do you want to control them with your smartphone using an app and Bluetooth?
Your choices might depend on how good you are with your hands, especially when it comes to picking the right kind of batteries for your hearing aids. Do you like rechargeable batteries that you charge every night? If not, are you okay with changing a small battery every few days or weeks?
Have you worn hearing aids before?
It’s crucial to think about your past experience with hearing aids before choosing a new one. Did you enjoy using your previous hearing aids? What did you like about them – the design, the sound, or something else? Were there any sounds you struggled to hear with your old hearing aids? Are there any new features you’re interested in trying out? Sharing this information will assist your hearing specialist in figuring out what you need in your new hearing devices to continue or enhance your success with hearing aids.
Hearing aid selection
Once you’ve talked about what you need with your hearing care professional, they will show you a few different options at different prices. Sometimes, you might get to try out demo hearing aids for a few hours or days. After you’ve made your choice, they will order your hearing aids and set up an appointment for the initial programming, also known as a fitting.
If you chose a custom-fit ITE or a BTE with earmold, your hearing care professional will take an impression of your ear canal. For RIC or RITE styles, measurements will be taken to ensure a good fit. An earpiece will be made and adjusted during the fitting.
Initial hearing aid programming
Upon arrival at the hearing center, the hearing aid will be connected to a computer by the hearing care professional for customization according to your hearing impairment and personal preferences. Some pros like to set it up before you come in, while others do it when you’re there. Lots of providers will also check the volume levels with real ear measurement to make sure it’s right.
If you have tricky hearing loss, like if one ear hears better than the other, it might take a few visits to make sure the sound is perfect, especially if you need different settings for different places.
Adjusting to hearing aids takes times
It’s not as simple as new eyeglasses
Once you put on your hearing aids, get ready to hear all sorts of sounds you may have forgotten about. At first, everything might seem super loud! Your brain will need time to figure out which noises to pay attention to and which ones to ignore. Enjoy the sound of your footsteps or the rustle of your clothes. Rest assured, your audiologist will conduct tests to ensure that your hearing aid is perfectly suited to your needs. They’ll also teach you how to change the battery, use different features, and keep your hearing aid clean and safe.
Some people might only need a day or two. But for most people, it could take a few weeks to a few months. A lot of patients wait a long time before getting a hearing aid. So their brains have to adjust to hearing well again. Eventually, your brain will get used to your new hearing aids and things will start to sound normal.
It’s really important to wear your hearing aids, even if it’s just for a little bit at first. Then add an hour each day until you’re wearing them all day. The more you wear them at the start, the better it will be for you in the end.
Adding custom hearing aid settings
Most hearing aids are set to pick up speech in quiet places, but the real world is much noisier and more complicated. If you’re a musician or work in a loud environment, your hearing care provider can customize your hearing aid settings, including special music settings.
A good hearing care provider will listen to what you need and make a plan that works best for you. Not all hearing aids are the same, and the best one for you will be a mix of cool technology made just for you and a hearing care pro who really gets what you need.
Do you need to have hearing aids fitted?
Your audiologist will always be there for you, even after your hearing aid fitting. They are your partner in everything related to your hearing aid. Please get in touch with them if you have any questions or worries or if something goes wrong with your hearing aid with them. They are here to help you.