Congrats! Modern hearing aids are an impressive piece of technology, and you’ve recently become the proud owner of a shiny new pair. But, just like with any new device, there are things that hearing aid owners wish someone had told them.
Let’s look at nine typical mistakes new hearing aid owners make and how to steer clear of them.
1. Not learning how hearing aids work
Or, more specifically, understand how your hearing aid works. The hearing experience will be dramatically enhanced if you know how to use advanced features for different settings 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. Additionally, it might have a special setting that helps you hear on the phone.
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.
Practice using your hearing aid in different places in order to learn how to get the clearest sound quality. Test 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. Just turning the volume up and down won’t even come close to giving you the hearing experience that utilizing these more advanced features will.
2. Expecting instant improvement in your hearing
Consistent with number one, many new hearing aid users think their hearing will be optimal as they leave the office. This is an incorrect assumption. It normally takes up to a month for most new users to become comfortable with their new hearing aids. But stay positive. They also say it’s very worth it.
After you get home, give yourself a couple of days to become accustomed to the new situation. It won’t be that much different than breaking in new shoes. Usually, you will need to go slow and use your new hearing aids a little at a time.
Start in a calm setting with a friend where you’re only talking. It can be a bit disorienting at first because voices might not sound the same. Ask your friends if you’re talking too loud and make the necessary adjustments.
Slowly increase the time you use your hearing aids and gradually add new places to visit.
Be patient with yourself, and you’ll have countless wonderful hearing experiences to look forward to.
3. Being untruthful about your degree of hearing loss at your hearing assessment
Responding truthfully to the questions during your hearing exam will assure you get fitted with the correct hearing aid technology.
If you have your hearing aid and realize that maybe you weren’t as honest as you might have been, come back and ask to be retested. But it’s easier if you get it right the first time. The level and kind of hearing loss will determine the hearing aid styles that work best for you.
For instance, certain hearing aids are better for individuals 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. 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 easy to place and take out, and they need to boost the sounds around you effectively. Your hearing aid fitting is intended to properly calibrate all three of those factors for your individual needs.
When you’re getting fitted, you might:
- Have your hearing tested to identify the power level of your hearing aid.
- Have molds of your ears made and measurements taken.
5. Not tracking your results
It’s highly recommended that you take notes on how your hearing aid performs and feels after you get fitted. If you have trouble hearing in big rooms, make a note of that. Make a note if one ear feels tighter than the other. Even note if everything feels great. With this information, we can customize the settings of your hearing aid so it works at peak effectiveness and comfort.
6. Not thinking about how you will use your hearing aid ahead of time
Water-resistant hearing aids are available. However, water can severely damage others. Some have advanced features you might be willing to pay more for because you take pleasure in certain activities.
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 fit in with your lifestyle you won’t wear them.
You’ll be wearing your hearing aid for a long time. So you don’t want to be disappointed by settling when you really would have benefited from a certain feature.
A few more things to think about
- You may care about whether people can see your hearing aid. Or maybe you want to wear them with style.
- To be very satisfied, talk about these preferences before your fitting.
- You might want something that is extremely automated. Or maybe you enjoy having more control over the volume. How much battery life will you need?
Many issues that arise regarding fit, lifestyle, and how you use your hearing aids can be dealt with during the fitting process. Also, you may be able to demo out your hearing aids before you commit to a purchase. During this test period, you’ll be able to get a sense of whether a particular brand of hearing aid would meet your needs.
7. Neglecting to take proper care of your hearing aid
Most hearing aids are really 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 keep your hearing aid in the bathroom where everyone showers.
Consistently wash your hands before handling the hearing aid or batteries. The life of your hearing aid and the duration of its battery can be impacted by the oils naturally found in your skin.
The hearing aid shouldn’t be allowed to collect earwax and skin cells. Instead, the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning procedures should be implemented.
Taking simple steps like these will increase the life and function of your hearing aid.
8. Failing to keep a spare set of batteries
Frequently, it’s the worst time when new hearing aid owners learn this one. When you’re about to discover who did it at the crucial moment of your favorite show, your batteries quit without warning.
Like most electronic devices, battery life varies depending on your usage and the outside environment. So even if you just changed your batteries, keep a spare set with you. Don’t miss out on something special because of an unpredictable battery.
9. Not practicing your hearing exercises
You might assume that your hearing aids will do all of the work when you first get them. But it’s not just your ears that are affected by hearing loss, it’s also the regions of your brain responsible for interpreting all those sounds.
Once you get your hearing aids, you’ll be able to start the work of restoring some of those ear-to-brain pathways and links. This may happen quite naturally for some individuals, especially if the hearing loss was somewhat recent. But for others, an intentional strategy might be necessary to get your hearing back to normal again. A couple of common strategies include the following.
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. It may feel a bit foolish at first, but don’t let that stop you. You’re practicing reconnecting the feeling 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
If you don’t like 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 of that same text. Then, you read along with the book while the audiobook plays. 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 hear speech again.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/