Congrats! You’ve just become the proud owner of hearing aids – a wonderful piece of modern technology. But, as with any new device, there are things that hearing aid wearers wish someone had informed them about.
Let’s assess how a new hearing aid user can eliminate the 9 most common hearing aid mistakes.
1. Neglecting to comprehend hearing aid functionality
Or, more specifically, know how your hearing aid works. It most likely has exclusive features that drastically enhance the hearing experience in different environments such as restaurants, movie theaters, or walking down the street.
Your wireless devices, including smartphones and televisions can probably sync wirelessly to your hearing aids. In addition, it might have a specific setting that helps you hear on the phone.
If you fail to learn about these functions, it’s so easy to get stuck in a rut by using your technologically-advanced hearing aid in a basic way. Hearing aids nowadays can do more than make the sound louder.
In order to get the clearest and best sound, take some time to practice using the hearing aid in different settings. Ask a friend or family member to help you so you can test how well you can hear.
Like anything new, it will get easier after a little practice. Simply raising and lowering the volume won’t even come close to giving you the hearing experience that using these more sophisticated features will.
2. Expecting immediate improvement in your hearing
In line with number one, many new hearing aid users think their hearing will be perfect as they leave the office. This assumption is usually not how it works. It normally takes up to a month for most new users to become comfortable with their new hearing aids. But don’t get frustrated. They also say it’s very worth it.
Give yourself a few days, after getting home, to get accustomed to your new situation. 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.
Start in a calm setting with a friend where you are just talking. Familiar voices may not sound the same at first, and this can be disorienting. Ask about your own voice volume and make corrections.
Slowly begin to go to new places and use the hearing aid for more extended periods of time.
You will have wonderful hearing experiences in front of you if you can just be patient with yourself.
3. Not being honest about your degree of hearing loss during your hearing assessments
In order to be sure you get the correct hearing aid technology, it’s important to answer any questions we may ask truthfully.
Go back and get retested if you realize you might not have been entirely honest after you get your hearing aids. But it’s easier if you get it right the first time. The hearing aid type and style that will be best for you will be determined by the level and kind of hearing loss you’re experiencing.
For instance, some hearing aids are better for individuals with hearing loss in the high-frequency range. People who have mid-range hearing loss will call for different technology and etc.
4. Not getting a hearing aid fitting
Your hearing aids need to handle several requirements at the same time: 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 boost the sounds around you effectively. All three of those variables will be resolved during your fitting.
During hearing aid fitting sessions, you may:
- Have your hearing tested to identify the power level of your hearing aid.
- Have your ears accurately 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 trouble hearing in big rooms, make a note of that. If your right ear seems tighter than your left, make a note of that. If everything feels right, make a note. With this knowledge, we can customize the settings of your hearing aid so it works at peak effectiveness and comfort.
6. Not anticipating how you’ll utilize your hearing aids
Water-resistant hearing aids are available. However, water can significantly damage others. Some have state-of-the-art features you might be willing to pay more for because you take pleasure in certain activities.
You might ask our opinion but the decision is yours. You won’t wear your hearing aid if it doesn’t fit in with your lifestyle and only you know what features you will use.
You and your hearing aid will be together for a number of years. So you don’t want to regret settling when you really would have benefited from a certain function.
A few more things to contemplate
- You may prefer something that is really automated. Or perhaps you like having more control over the volume. How much battery life will you need?
- Consult with us about these things before your fitting so you can make sure you’re completely satisfied.
- You might care about whether people can see your hearing aid. Or, you may want to make a bold statement.
During the fitting process we can address many of the issues with regards to lifestyle, fit, and how you use your hearing aids. Also, you may be able to try out your hearing aids before you commit to a purchase. During this test period, you’ll be able to get an idea of whether a particular brand of hearing aid would fit the bill.
7. Not properly caring for your hearing aids
Most hearing aids are quite sensitive to moisture. You may want to invest in a dehumidifier if you live in an extremely humid place. It’s a bad idea to store your hearing aid in the bathroom where people take showers.
Before you handle your hearing aid or its battery, be certain to clean your hands. The life of your hearing aid and the duration of its battery can be impacted by the oils normally found in your skin.
Don’t let earwax or skin cells build up on the hearing aid. Instead, clean it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Taking simple actions like these will improve the life and function of your hearing aid.
8. Failing to have a set of spare batteries
Frequently, it’s the worst time when new hearing aid users learn this one. All of a sudden, when you’re watching your favorite show, your batteries quit just as you’re about to learn “who done it”.
Your battery life depends, like any electronic device, on the outside environment and how you use it. So even if you recently changed your batteries, keep an extra set with you. Don’t miss something important because of an unpredictable battery.
9. Neglecting your hearing exercises
When you first get your hearing aids, there might be a presumption, 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.
You can begin to work on rebuilding those ear-to-brain connections after you get your new hearing aids. For some individuals, this might happen quite naturally and this is especially true if the hearing loss developed recently. But for others, an intentional strategy might be required 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 restore those pathways between your ears and your brain is to spend some time reading out loud. Even if you feel a little weird initially you should still practice like this. You’re doing the essential 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
If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of reading something out loud yourself, then you can always go the audiobook route. You can buy (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 as the audiobook plays. You’ll hear a word as you’re reading it just like reading out loud. And that helps the hearing-and-language part of your brain get used to hearing (and making sense of) speech again.
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Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/