Congratulations! Modern hearing aids are an amazing piece of technology, and you’ve just become the proud owner of a shiny new pair. But, just like with all new devices, there will be things that hearing aid wearers wish somebody had told them.
Let’s examine how a new hearing aid user can avoid the 9 most common hearing aid errors.
1. Not knowing how hearing aids work
To put it simply, learn your hearing aid’s functions. The hearing experience will be greatly improved if you know how to utilize advanced features for different environments like on the street, at the movies, or in a restaurant.
Your wireless devices, including smartphones and televisions can most likely connect wirelessly to your hearing aids. It might also have a setting that makes phone calls clearer.
If you fail to learn about these features, it’s so easy to get stuck in a rut by using your technologically-advanced hearing aid in a basic way. Modern hearing aids do more than simply increase the volume of external sounds.
In order to get the clearest and best sound quality, take some time to practice wearing the hearing aid in different places. Test out how well you hear by getting a friend or family member to assist you.
After a little practice, as with anything new, it will get easier. Simply raising and lowering the volume won’t even come close to providing the hearing experience that using these more advanced features will.
2. Thinking that your hearing will instantly improve
In line with number one, many new hearing aid users think their hearing will be optimal as they leave the office. This assumption is normally not how it works. It generally takes up to a month for most new users to become comfortable with their new hearing aids. But don’t get discouraged. They also say it’s really worth it.
Give yourself a few days, after you get home, to get accustomed to your new experience. It won’t be that much different than breaking in new shoes. You might need to wear it in short intervals.
Start by just talking quietly with friends. It can be a bit disorienting initially because people’s voices may sound different. Ask your friends if you’re speaking too loud and make the required adjustments.
Slowly begin to go to new places and use the hearing aid for longer periods of time.
Be patient with yourself, and you’ll have countless great hearing experiences to look forward to.
3. Being untruthful about your degree of hearing loss at your hearing assessment
In order to be certain you get the correct hearing aid technology, it’s crucial to answer any questions we may ask honestly.
Go back and get another test if you realize you may not have been totally honest after you get your hearing aids. Getting it straight the first time is easier. The hearing aid type and style that will be ideal for you will be determined by the degree and kind of hearing loss you have.
As an illustration, individuals with hearing loss in the high frequency range will need a particular type of hearing aid. People who are dealing with mid-range hearing loss will call for different technology and etc.
4. Neglecting to have your hearing aid fitted
There are numerous requirements that your hearing aids need to simultaneously manage: they need to be comfortable on or in your ears, they need to be easy to put in and remove, and they need to boost the sounds around you efficiently. All three of those variables will be resolved during your fitting.
When you’re getting fitted, you may:
- Have your hearing tested to identify the power level of your hearing aid.
- Have your ears precisely measured or have molds made (or both).
5. Not tracking your results
It’s important that you take notes on how your hearing aid performs and feels once you get fitted. If you have problems hearing in large rooms, make a note of that. If your right ear seems tighter than your left, make a note of that. Even make a note if everything feels great. This can help us make personalized, tiny adjustments to help your hearing aids reach peak comfort and effectiveness.
6. Not planning how you will utilize your hearing aid in advance
Some hearing aids are water-resistant. However, water can seriously damage others. Some have state-of-the-art features you might be willing to pay more for because you enjoy certain activities.
We can give you some suggestions but you must choose for yourself. Only you know which advanced features you’ll actually use and that’s worth investing in because if the hearing aids don’t fit in with your lifestyle you won’t use them.
You and your hearing aid will be together for a number of years. So if you really need certain functions, you don’t want to settle for less.
A few more things to contemplate
- How visible your hearing aid is may be important to you. Or, you may want to make a bold statement.
- To be entirely satisfied, discuss these preferences before your fitting.
- You may want something that is really automated. Or perhaps you like having more control over the volume. Is an extended battery life essential to you?
Many challenges that come up with regards to fit, lifestyle, and how you use your hearing aids can be dealt with during the fitting process. Also, you might be able to demo out your hearing aids before you commit to a purchase. This trial period will help you determine which brand will be best for your needs.
7. Not appropriately taking care of your hearing aids
The majority of hearing aids are quite sensitive to moisture. If where you live is very humid, getting a dehumidifier might be worth the money. Storing your hearing aid in the bathroom where people take baths or showers may not be the best idea.
Always wash your hands before touching the hearing aid or batteries. Oils found naturally on your hand can effect how well the hearing aid functions and the life of the batteries.
Don’t let earwax or skin cells build up on the hearing aid. Instead, the manufacturer’s suggested cleaning procedures should be implemented.
The life and function of your hearing aid will be improved by taking these basic steps.
8. Not getting spare batteries
Frequently, it’s the worst time when new hearing aid owners learn this one. All of a sudden, while you’re watching your favorite show, your batteries die just as you’re about to find out “who done it”.
Like most electronic devices, battery life varies depending on how you use it and the external environment. So always keep a spare set of batteries handy, even if you recently changed them. Don’t allow an unpredictable battery to cause you to miss out on something important.
9. Not practicing your hearing exercises
When you first purchase your hearing aids, there might be an assumption, and it’s not always a baseless assumption, that your hearing aid will do all the heavy lifting. But the parts of your brain in charge of interpreting sound are also impacted by hearing loss not just your ears.
Once you’ve got your hearing aids, you’ll be able to begin the work of rebuilding some of those ear-to-brain pathways and links. This might happen quite naturally for some people, especially if the hearing loss was somewhat recent. But for other people, an intentional strategy may be necessary to get your hearing back to normal again. The following are a couple of prevalent strategies.
Reading out loud
One of the most efficient ways you can recreate those pathways between your ears and your brain is to spend some time reading out loud. Even if you feel a bit odd initially you should still practice like this. You’re practicing reconnecting the experience of saying words with the sounds they make. The more you establish those connections, the better your hearing (and your hearing aid) will work.
Audiobooks
You can always use audiobooks if reading out loud isn’t attractive to you. You can purchase (or rent from the library) a physical copy of a book and the audiobook version of that same text. Then as the audiobook plays, you can read along. This does the same job as reading something out loud, you hear a word while you’re reading it. And that helps the hearing-and-language part of your brain get used to hearing (and making sense of) speech again.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/