Congratulations! You’ve just become the proud owner of hearing aids – a wonderful piece of modern technology. But new hearing aid users will wish somebody had informed them about certain things, as with any new technology.
Let’s go over nine typical mistakes new hearing aid owners make and how you can avoid them.
1. Not learning how hearing aids work
Or, more specifically, know how your hearing aid works. It likely has unique features that drastically improve the hearing experience in different settings such as restaurants, theaters, or walking down the street.
It might be able to sync wirelessly to your smartphone, TV, or stereo. In addition, it might have a special setting that helps you hear on the phone.
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 outside sounds.
Practice wearing your hearing aid in different settings in order to learn how to get the clearest sound quality. Test out how well you hear by getting a friend or family member to assist you.
Like anything new, it will get easier after a bit of practice. And your hearing experience will be much better than when you just raise and lower the volume.
2. Expecting instant improvement in your hearing
It’s not unusual for a new hearing aid owner to think that their hearing will be perfect from the first day. This assumption is usually not how it works. It usually takes up to a month for most new users to become comfortable with their new hearing aids. But don’t get frustrated. The time you take is easily worth it according to those who are persistent.
Give yourself a few days, after getting home, to get used to your new experience. It won’t be that much different than breaking in new shoes. Sometimes, you will need to go slow and wear your new hearing aids a little at a time.
Begin by just quietly talking with friends. It can be a bit disorienting initially because voices may sound different. Ask your friends if you’re talking too loud and make the required adjustments.
Slowly begin to go to new places and use the hearing aid for more extended periods of time.
Be patient with yourself, and you’ll have countless great hearing experiences to look forward to.
3. Being dishonest about your level of hearing loss at your hearing test
In order to be certain you get the right hearing aid technology, it’s important to answer any questions we may ask truthfully.
Go back and get another test if you realize you may not have been entirely honest after you get your hearing aids. Getting it straight the first time is better. 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 have mid-range hearing loss will call for different technology and etc.
4. Not getting a hearing aid fitting
There are several requirements that your hearing aids need to simultaneously juggle: they need to be comfortable on or in your ears, they need to be simple to put in and remove, and they need to boost the sounds around you efficiently. Your hearing aid fitting is intended to properly calibrate all three of those variables for your personal requirements.
When you’re getting fitted, you might:
- Have your hearing tested to determine the power level of your hearing aid.
- Have your ears precisely measured or have molds made (or both).
5. Not tracking your results
Once you’ve been fitted, it’s worthwhile to take notes on how your hearing aid feels and performs. Make a note if you are having trouble hearing in a big room. 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 custom, tiny adjustments to help your hearing aids achieve optimum comfort and efficiency.
6. Not thinking about how you will use your hearing aid in advance
Some hearing aids are water-resistant. However, water can significantly damage others. Perhaps you take pleasure in certain activities and you are willing to pay extra for more sophisticated features.
We can give you some recommendations 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 work with your lifestyle you won’t wear them.
You’ll be wearing your hearing aid for quite a while. So you don’t want to be disappointed by settling when you really would have benefited from a certain feature.
Some other things to consider
- How visible your hearing aid is might be something you’re worried about. Or maybe you want to wear them with style.
- Speak with us about these things before your fitting so you can be sure you’re entirely satisfied.
- Maybe you want a high degree of automation. Or maybe you like having more control over the volume. How much battery life will you require?
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 demo period will help you figure out which brand will be best for your requirements.
7. Not correctly taking care of your hearing aids
The majority of hearing aids are really sensitive to moisture. You might want to get a dehumidifier if you live in an extremely humid place. It’s a bad idea to keep your hearing aid in the bathroom where everyone showers.
Before you handle your hearing aid or its battery, be sure to clean your hands. The life of your hearing aid and the duration of its battery can be effected by the oils naturally present in your skin.
The hearing aid shouldn’t be allowed to collect earwax and skin cells. Instead, clean it based on the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Taking simple actions like these will increase the life and function of your hearing aid.
8. Failing to have a spare set of batteries
New hearing aid wearers frequently learn this concept at the worst times. When you’re about to discover who did it at the crucial moment of your favorite show, your batteries die without warning.
Your battery life depends, like any electronic device, on the external environment and how you use it. So even if you recently replaced your batteries, keep an extra set with you. Don’t allow an unpredictable battery to cause you to miss out on something important.
9. Neglecting your hearing exercises
You might assume that your hearing aids will do all of the work when you first get them. But the parts of your brain responsible for 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 connections. This might occur quite naturally for some individuals, particularly if the hearing loss was somewhat recent. But for other people, an intentional approach may be required to get your hearing back to normal again. A couple of typical strategies include the following.
Reading out loud
One of the best ways you can restore those connections between your ears and your brain is to spend some time reading out loud. Even if you feel a little strange at first you should still practice like this. You’re practicing reconnecting the feeling of saying words with the sounds they make. Your hearing will get better and better as you keep 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. This does the same work as reading something out loud, you hear words while reading them. And that helps the hearing-and-language region of your brain get used to hearing (and understanding) speech again.
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Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/