Congrats! Modern hearing aids are an impressive piece of technology, and you’ve just become the proud owner of a shiny new set. But new hearing aid users will wish someone had informed them about certain things, just like with any new technology.
Let’s examine how a new hearing aid user can avoid the 9 most common hearing aid errors.
1. Neglecting to comprehend hearing aid functionality
Or, more specifically, know how your hearing aid works. The hearing experience will be greatly improved if you know how to use advanced features for different settings like on the street, at the movies, or in a restaurant.
It might be able to connect wirelessly to your smartphone, TV, or stereo. It may also have a setting that makes phone conversations clearer.
If you use this sophisticated technology in such a basic way, without understanding these features, you can easily get stuck in a rut. Modern hearing aids do more than simply increase the volume of outside sounds.
To get the clearest and best sound, take some time to practice wearing the hearing aid in different settings. Check out how well you hear by asking a friend or family member to help you.
After a bit of practice, as with anything new, it will get easier. Simply raising and lowering the volume won’t even come close to giving you the hearing experience that utilizing these more advanced features will.
2. Thinking that your hearing will immediately improve
In line with number one, many new hearing aid owners think their hearing will be optimal as they leave the office. This assumption is normally not how it works. Some say it takes a month or more before they’re entirely comfortable with their hearing aid. But don’t get frustrated. They also say it’s very worth it.
Give yourself a few days, after you get home, to get used to your new experience. It won’t be that much different than breaking in new shoes. Usually, you will need to go slow and wear your new hearing aids a little at a time.
Begin by just talking quietly with friends. It can be a bit disorienting initially because voices might not sound the same. Ask your friends if you’re speaking too loud and make the required adjustments.
Slowly increase the time you wear your hearing aids and gradually add new places to visit.
Be patient with yourself, and you’ll have countless great hearing experiences to look forward to.
3. Being untruthful about your level of hearing loss at your hearing exam
In order to be certain you get the ideal hearing aid technology, it’s important to answer any questions we may ask truthfully.
If you already have your hearing aid and realize that perhaps you weren’t as honest as you may have been, come back and ask to be retested. Getting it straight the first time is easier. The hearing aid type and style that will be best for you will be determined by the degree and kind of hearing loss you’re experiencing.
For instance, certain hearing aids are better for people with hearing loss in the high-frequency range. People who have mid-range hearing loss will need different technology and etc.
4. Not getting a hearing aid fitting
Your hearing aids need to handle several requirements at once: they need to be comfortable on or in your ears, they need to be simple to put in and take out, and they need to amplify the sounds around you efficiently. Your hearing aid fitting is meant to correctly calibrate all three of those variables for your personal requirements.
During hearing aid fitting sessions, you may:
- Do hearing tests to adjust the proper power for your hearing aid.
- Have molds of your ears made and measurements taken.
5. Not tracking your results
Once you’ve been fitted, it’s worthwhile to take notes on how your hearing aid performs and feels. If you have difficulty hearing in large rooms, make a note of that. Make a note if one ear feels tighter than the other. If everything feels great, make a note. This can help us make personalized, tiny changes to help your hearing aids achieve peak comfort and efficiency.
6. Not planning how you will use your hearing aid ahead of time
Some hearing aids are water-resistant. Others, however, can be damaged or even ruined by water. Maybe you take pleasure in certain activities and you are willing to pay extra for more sophisticated features.
We can give you some suggestions but you must decide for yourself. Only you know which advanced features you’ll actually use and that’s worth committing to because if the hearing aids don’t work with your lifestyle you won’t use them.
You’ll be using your hearing aid for a long time. So if you really need certain features, you don’t want to settle for less.
A few more things to think about
- You might care about whether your hearing aid is able to be seen. Or, you might want to make a bold statement.
- You may prefer something that is very automated. Or perhaps you enjoy having more control over the volume. Is an extended battery life important to you?
- To be entirely satisfied, discuss these preferences before your fitting.
During the fitting process we can deal with many of the challenges with regards to lifestyle, fit, and how you use your hearing aids. Also, you may 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 correctly taking care of your hearing aids
Moisture is a significant problem for the majority of hearing aids. If you live in a humid place, acquiring a dehumidifier might be worth the investment. Keeping your hearing aid in the bathroom where people take baths or showers is a bad idea.
Consistently wash your hands before touching the hearing aid or batteries. The performance of your hearing aid and the duration of its battery can be effected by the oils naturally present in your skin.
Don’t let earwax or skin cells build up on the hearing aid. Instead, clean it according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Taking simple steps like these will improve the life and function of your hearing aid.
8. Not getting spare batteries
New hearing aid users often learn this concept at the worst times. Suddenly, while you’re watching your favorite show, your batteries die just as you’re about to learn “who done it”.
Like most electronic devices, battery life varies depending on your usage and the outside environment. So always keep an extra set of batteries handy, even if you just replaced them. Don’t miss out on something important because of an unpredictable battery.
9. Not practicing your hearing exercises
When you first get your hearing aids, there may be a presumption, and it’s not necessarily a baseless assumption, that your hearing aid will do all the work. But it’s not just your ears that are impacted by hearing loss, it’s also the parts of your brain in charge of interpreting all those sounds.
Once you get your hearing aids, you’ll be able to start the work of rebuilding some of those ear-to-brain pathways and connections. This may happen quite naturally for some people, especially if the hearing loss was somewhat recent. But others will need a more structured approach to rebuild their ability to hear. The following are a couple of prevalent strategies.
Reading out loud
One of the most efficient ways you can restore 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 doing the important work of connecting the words (which you read) to the sound (which you say). Your hearing will get better and better as you continue practicing.
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, you read along with the book while the audiobook plays. You’ll hear a word as you’re reading it just like reading out loud. This will train the language parts of your brain to understand speech again.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/
