Hearing Aid Fitting

Congratulations—you’re ready to join the millions of Americans who have realized how wearing hearing aids can make life more satisfying and fulfilling. In the near future, you’ll be hearing sounds you’ve long forgotten about, engaging in stimulating discussions, and listening to music with enhanced discernment for each instrument.

But before you get to all that, you’ll have to go through a brief phase of adjustment to get comfortable with your new hearing aids. Here are five recommendations to to assist you to get through this period and to help you get the most out of your new technology.

1. Visit a Hearing Care Professional

If you desire to have the best hearing possible, there’s no avoiding the initial step, which is visiting a hearing care professional. They can assist you in finding the most appropriate hearing aid that matches your hearing loss, lifestyle, and financial position. And, most significantly, they can custom-fit and program your new hearing aid so that it’s optimized for your unique hearing loss.

Your hearing loss, like a fingerprint, is unique. That means every hearing aid should always be programmed differently—and this requires the practical knowledge of a hearing care professional.

2. Give Your Hearing Aids a Chance

Your brand new hearing aids will take some getting used to. You’ll notice sounds you haven’t listened to in a while, your voice may sound different, and sound might as a whole just seem “off.” This is perfectly normal: you just need time to adapt.

Get started by making a commitment to wear your hearing aids for as much of the day as possible, for at least a couple of weeks. Put them in when you wake up and take them out before bed. Even though it may be uncomfortable initially, you’ll get used to better hearing in no time—and it will be well worth the effort and hard work.

If you find that you’re having difficulty adjusting, set up an appointment with your hearing care professional. Hearing aids can be fine-tuned, so you never have to throw in the towel on better hearing.

3. Start Small

We recommend adapting to your hearing aids to start with in the comfort of your home. Attempt watching a movie or television show and paying special attention to the conversation; take part in one-on-one conversations in a quiet space; and listen to music while trying to identify different instruments and pitches.

Then, when you’re more accustomed, you can test your hearing aids out in more difficult environments like at parties, restaurants, and movie theaters. Modern hearing aids come with advanced features and environmental settings that can effortlessly handle these heightened listening demands—which segues perfectly to the fourth tip.

4. Master the Advanced Features

After you’ve adjusted to your hearing aids, you should set out to learn some of the more sophisticated features. With the assistance of your hearing specialist, you can learn how to maximize the functionality and convenience of your modern hearing aids.

Depending on your particular model, you’ll be able to do things like wirelessly stream music and phone calls directly to your hearing aids, control the volume from your smartphone or digital watch, and easily switch settings to optimize your hearing in a variety of environments. Be sure to talk to your hearing specialist about all the features that might be beneficial to you.

5. Take Care Of Your Hearing Aids

Last, you’ll want to ensure that you maintain your hearing aids. This means daily cleaning, appropriate storage, and managing your battery supply. Your hearing specialist will help you incorporate hearing aid maintenance and care into your daily routine so that it becomes automatic and effortless.

You’ll also want to get your hearing aids professionally cleaned and examined one or two times per year to ensure proper functioning for many years.
