Congratulations! You’ve just become the proud owner of hearing aids – a wonderful piece of modern technology. But, just like with all new devices, there are things that hearing aid owners wish someone had informed them about.
Let’s assess how a new hearing aid owner can eliminate the 9 most common hearing aid errors.
1. Failing to understand hearing aid functionality.
To put it simply, learn your hearing aid’s functions. The hearing experience will be greatly enhanced if you know how to utilize advanced features for different settings like on the street, at the movies, or in a restaurant.
Your wireless devices, including smartphones and televisions can probably sync wirelessly to your hearing aids. It may also have a setting that makes phone conversations clearer.
If you don’t learn about these functions, it’s so easy to get stuck in a rut by using your technologically-sophisticated hearing aid in a basic way. Modern hearing aids do more than simply raise the volume of external sounds.
To get the clearest and best sound quality, take some time to practice wearing the hearing aid in different places. Ask a family member or friend to help you so you can check how well you can hear.
After a bit of practice, as with anything new, it will get easier. Just raising and lowering the volume won’t even come close to providing the hearing experience that using these more advanced features will.
2. Thinking that your hearing will automatically improve
Consistent with number one, many new hearing aid owners think their hearing will be perfect as they leave the office. This isn’t a correct assumption. It generally 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 well worth it according to those who are persistent.
Give yourself a few days, after you get home, to get accustomed to your new situation. It won’t be that much different than breaking in new shoes. You may need to use it in short intervals.
Start by just quietly talking with friends. Familiar voices may not sound the same at first, and this can be disorienting. Ask about your own voice volume and make 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 many great hearing experiences to look forward to.
3. Not being honest about your level of hearing loss at your hearing appointment
Responding honestly to the questions during your hearing test will ensure you get fitted with the proper hearing aid technology.
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 right the first time is easier. The level and kind of hearing loss will determine the hearing aid styles that will work best for you.
For example, some 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
There are numerous requirements that your hearing aids need to simultaneously manage: They need to efficiently boost sound, they need to be easy to put in and take out, and they need to be comfortable in your ears. All three of those variables will be resolved during your fitting.
During hearing aid fitting sessions, you might:
- Do hearing tests to adjust the correct power for your hearing aid.
- Have your ears accurately measured or have molds made (or both).
5. Not tracking your results
It’s highly recommended that you take notes on how your hearing aid performs and feels once you get fitted. Make a note if you are having trouble hearing in a big room. If your right ear feels tighter than your left, note that. Even make a note if everything feels great. With this information, we can personalize the settings of your hearing aid so it functions at peak effectiveness and comfort.
6. Not planning how you will utilize your hearing aid in advance
Some hearing aids are resistant to water. Others, however, can be damaged or even destroyed 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 choose for yourself. Only you know which state-of-the-art 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 use them.
You’ll be wearing your hearing aid for quite a while. So you don’t want to regret settling when you really would have benefited from a certain function.
Some other things to take into consideration
- Talk with us about these things before your fitting so you can be certain you’re completely satisfied.
- You may care about whether your hearing aid is able to be seen. Or perhaps you want to wear them with style.
- 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 important to you?
Throughout the fitting process we can address many of the issues with regards to lifestyle, fit, and how you use your hearing aids. What’s more, many hearing aid manufacturers will allow you to try out the devices before deciding. This test period will help you figure out which brand will be best for your needs.
7. Not correctly maintaining your hearing aids
Moisture is a real problem for most hearing aids. If you live in a humid place, acquiring a dehumidifier may be worth the money. It’s a bad idea to keep your hearing aid in the bathroom where everyone showers.
Before you touch 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 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. Not having spare batteries
New hearing aid wearers frequently learn this lesson at the worst times. When you’re about to find out who did it at the critical moment of your favorite show, your batteries quit without warning.
Like many electronic devices, battery life fluctuates depending on how you use it and the external environment. So even if you just replaced your batteries, keep a spare set with you. Don’t miss out on something important because of an unpredictable battery.
9. Neglecting your hearing exercises
When you first get your hearing aids, there may be an assumption, and it’s not always a baseless assumption, that your hearing aid will do all the heavy lifting. But the regions 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 once you get your new hearing aids. For some individuals, this might happen rather naturally and this is especially true if the hearing loss developed recently. But other people will need a more structured approach to rebuild their ability to hear. The following are a couple of common strategies.
Reading out loud
Reading out loud is one of the easiest ways to rebuild those pathways between your ears and your brain. 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). The more you create those connections, the better your hearing (and your hearing aid) will work.
Audiobooks
If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of reading something out loud yourself, then you can always go the audiobook route. You can get a physical copy of the book and an audio copy. Then, you read along with the book as the audiobook plays. You’ll hear a word while you’re reading it just like reading out loud. This will train the language parts of your brain to hear speech again.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/