If you’ve just been fitted for a new pair of hearing aids, congratulations! Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with a hearing loss or you have upgraded from an old pair of hearing aids, the use of hearing aids brings significant benefits to your life. As with all new, life-changing things, adjusting to a new pair of hearing aids will take some time and patience, but it is well worth the effort. Here are tips for adjusting to a new pair of hearing aids.
Make Sure They are Comfortable
Your hearing aids should not cause you any pain or be a discomfort to wear. Hearing aids are meant to be worn every day during your waking hours, so if you experience any pain or discomfort with your devices, let our team at Elevate Audiology know. Come visit us for readjustments to make sure that the physical fit is just right.
Start Slowly
After the hearing aid fitting process, you may notice how clear sounds appear now, compared to before. Hearing aids are designed to amplify sounds and clarify speech, amongst their many other functions. While at first everything may appear loud, try not to adjust the volume. During the hearing aid fitting process, your hearing specialist took measures to ensure that the hearing aids properly treat your specific hearing needs. Give yourself time to adjust to the experience of hearing sounds clearly. If the hearing aids do not seem to function properly, please visit us at Elevate Audiology for adjustments.
Start slowly while wearing your hearing aids by wearing them first in quiet spaces, such as your bedroom. Use this opportunity to adjust to sounds that you hear outside the window or in other parts of the house. Avoid going to a loud restaurant or a rock show with your aids right away, as this may be overwhelming.
Practice, Practice, Practice
There are many excellent ways to practice listening with your new pair of hearing aids. Got a show you’ve been meaning to watch for awhile? Try watching your favorite programs without the use of captions and with the volume turned down lower than before. Use this opportunity to see if you can catch everything that’s being said.
New hearing aid users often report the “weirdness” of hearing their own voice. Give yourself the opportunity to familiarize yourself with your own voice by reading aloud to yourself or having a one-on-one conversation with a friend.
Practicing with friends is always a great option. Invite a small group of people over for coffee or tea and try out your hearing aids in a quieter, small group conversation. Use this opportunity to make adjustments to the different features offered by your hearing aids that help clarify speech sounds in different settings.
Once you feel more comfortable with your hearing aids, take them out on the town! Go for a walk around the block and listen to the sounds of your neighborhood. Pick a destination, such as the library, coffee shop, post office, or grocery store, and practice with your hearing aids while interacting with customer service representatives.
Familiarize Yourself with the Technology
Modern hearing aids offer a wide range of technological options, from wireless connectivity with smart phones to streaming audio from home entertainment systems. Get the specs from your hearing specialist and learn more about how your hearing aids can increase accessibility in the different areas of your life. If you have Bluetooth-compatible hearing aids, most hearing aid manufacturers offer an app that links up with your hearing aids. This app gives you options for customizing your listening experience, controlling your tinnitus treatment therapy (if you have tinnitus), and even archiving your preferences by location using your phone’s GPS. Play around with the different options you have both at home and out and about to learn more about how your hearing aids can serve you best
Visit Us at Elevate Audiology
At any point, if you have technical difficulties with your hearing aids, do not hesitate to contact us at Elevate Audiology. The process of adjusting to hearing aids does take time, and we want to help you feel comfortable with your new devices.
If you are concerned about your hearing abilities and are interested in learning more about hearing loss treatment, contact us at Elevate Audiology today.