Congrats! 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. Neglecting to comprehend hearing aid functionality.
To put it bluntly, learn your hearing aid’s features. The hearing experience will be dramatically enhanced if you know how to use advanced features for different environments like on the street, at the movies, or in a restaurant.
Your wireless devices, like smartphones and televisions can probably connect wirelessly to your hearing aids. It might also have a setting that makes phone calls clearer.
If you use this advanced technology in such a basic way, without learning about these features, you can easily get stuck in a rut. Modern hearing aids do more than simply raise the volume of outside sounds.
Practice wearing your hearing aid in different settings in order to learn how to attain the clearest sound quality. Test out how well you hear by asking a friend or family member to assist you.
After a bit of practice, as with anything new, it will get easier. Just turning the volume up and down won’t even come close to providing the hearing experience that utilizing these more sophisticated features will.
2. Expecting immediate improvement in your hearing
It’s not uncommon for a new hearing aid users to think that their hearing will be optimal from day one. This is an incorrect assumption. Some people say it takes a month or more before they are entirely comfortable with their hearing aid. But stay positive. The time you take is easily worth it according to those who are diligent.
Give yourself a few days, after getting home, to get accustomed to your new situation. It’s like breaking in a new pair of 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. Familiar voices may not sound the same initially, and this can be disorienting. Ask about the volume of your own voice and make adjustments.
Slowly begin to go to new places and wear the hearing aid for longer periods of time.
Be patient with yourself, and you’ll have countless wonderful hearing experiences to look forward to.
3. Being dishonest about your degree of hearing loss at your hearing test
Responding truthfully to the questions during your hearing test will assure you get fitted with the optimum hearing aid technology.
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 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 have.
For instance, certain hearing aids are better for people with hearing loss in the high-frequency range. People who are dealing with mid-range hearing loss will call for different technology and etc.
4. Failing to have your hearing aid fitted
Your hearing aids need to handle a few requirements at the same time: They need to efficiently amplify sound, they need to be simple to put in and remove, and they need to be comfortable in your ears. All three of those variables will be addressed 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 precisely measured or have molds made (or both).
5. Not tracking your results
After you’ve been fitted, it’s worthwhile to take notes on how your hearing aid feels and performs. If you have problems hearing in big rooms, make a note of that. Make a note if one ear seems tighter than the other. Even make a note if everything feels great. With this knowledge, we can customize the settings of your hearing aid so it works at peak efficiency and comfort.
6. Not planning how you will utilize your hearing aid ahead of time
Some hearing aids are resistant to water. However, water can significantly damage others. Some have sophisticated features you may be willing to pay more for because you take pleasure in certain activities.
You can ask our opinion but the decision must be yours. You won’t wear your hearing aid if it doesn’t fit your lifestyle and only you know what features you will utilize.
You’ll be using your hearing aid for a long time. So you don’t want to regret settling when you really would have benefited from a certain feature.
A few more things to contemplate
- Talk with us about these things before your fitting so you can be certain you’re entirely satisfied.
- Perhaps you want a high degree of automation. Or maybe you’re more of a do-it-yourself kind of person. Is an extended battery life essential to you?
- You might care about whether people can see your hearing aid. Or maybe you want to wear them with style.
Many challenges that arise with regards to fit, lifestyle, and how you use your hearing aids can be dealt with through the fitting process. Also, you may be able to try out your hearing aids before you commit to a purchase. During this trial period, you’ll be able to get an idea of whether a particular brand of hearing aid would meet your needs.
7. Neglecting to take sufficient care of your hearing aid
Most hearing aids are very sensitive to moisture. You may want to invest in a dehumidifier if you live in an overly humid location. It’s a bad idea to store your hearing aid in the bathroom where people take showers.
Consistently wash your hands before touching the hearing aid or batteries. Oils found naturally on your hand can effect how well the hearing aid works and the life of the batteries.
Don’t let earwax or skin cells accumulate on the hearing aid. Instead, clean it based on the manufacturer’s instructions.
The life and function of your hearing aid will be improved by taking these simple steps.
8. Not getting spare batteries
New hearing aid wearers often learn this concept at the worst times. Suddenly, when you’re watching your favorite show, your batteries die just as you’re about to discover “who done it”.
Your battery life depends, like any electronic device, on the external environment and how you use it. So even if you recently changed your batteries, keep a spare set with you. Don’t miss out on something special because of an unpredictable battery.
9. Neglecting your hearing exercises
You might assume that your hearing aids will do all of the work when you first purchase them. But the parts of your brain in charge of interpreting sound are also affected by hearing loss not just your ears.
Once you get your hearing aids, you’ll be able to begin the work of restoring some of those ear-to-brain pathways and links. This may occur quite naturally for some people, especially if the hearing loss was rather recent. But for other people, an intentional approach might be required to get your hearing firing on all cylinders again. A couple of common strategies include the following.
Reading out loud
Reading out loud is one of the easiest ways to rebuild those connections between your ears and your brain. Even if you feel a little odd at first you should still practice like this. You’re doing the important work of linking 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 try audiobooks. You can purchase (or rent from the library) a physical copy of a book and the audiobook version together. 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. This will teach the language parts of your brain to understand speech again.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/