Congratulations—you’re ready to join the millions of Americans who have discovered how wearing hearing aids can make life more satisfying and fulfilling. Soon, you’ll be hearing sounds you’ve long forgotten, participating in stimulating conversations, and listening to music with enhanced discernment for each instrument.
But before you get to all that, you’ll have to work through a brief period of adjustment to get used to your new hearing aids. Here are five recommendations to help you make it through this stage and to help you get the maximum benefit out of your new technology.
1. Consult a Hearing Care Professional
If you are looking for the best hearing attainable, there’s no avoiding the first step, which is visiting a hearing care expert. They can assist you in finding the most suitable hearing aid that matches your hearing loss, lifestyle, and budget. And, most of all, they can custom-fit and program your new hearing aid so that it’s fine tuned for your distinctive hearing loss.
Your hearing loss, like a fingerprint, is unique. That means every hearing aid should always be programmed differently—and this requires the skill-set of a hearing care professional.
2. Give Your Hearing Aids a Chance
Your new hearing aids will take some getting used to. You’ll notice sounds you haven’t heard in many years, your voice may sound different, and sound might overall just seem “off.” This is completely ordinary: you just need time to adjust.
Start off by making a commitment to wear your hearing aids for as much of the day as possible, for at a minimum a few weeks. Put them in when you wake up and take them out before going to bed. Even though it may be uncomfortable at first, you’ll adjust to better hearing in no time—and it will be well worth the effort.
If you find that you’re having a tough time adjusting, arrange 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 at Home
We suggest adapting to your hearing aids to start with in the comfort of your home. Try watching a movie or TV show and paying specific attention to the conversation; engage in one-on-one conversations in a quiet room; and listen to music while trying to identify a variety of instruments and pitches.
Then, when you’re more comfortable, you can test your hearing aids out in more challenging environments like at social gatherings, restaurants, and movie theaters. Modern hearing aids have sophisticated features and environmental settings that can easily handle these heightened listening demands—which segues nicely to the fourth tip.
4. Master the Advanced Features
After you’ve adjusted to your hearing aids, you should continue to learn some of the more sophisticated features. With the help of your hearing specialist, you can discover how to make best use of the functionality and convenience of your modern hearing aids.
Depending on your chosen model, you’ll be able to do things like wirelessly stream music and phone calls directly to your hearing aids, manipulate the volume from your smart-phone or digital watch, and effortlessly change settings to maximize your hearing in different environments. Make sure to speak to your hearing specialist about all the features that may be helpful to you.
5. Maintain Your Hearing Aids
Finally, you’ll want to ensure that you care for your hearing aids. This means daily cleaning, appropriate storage, and managing your battery supply. Your hearing professional will show you how to 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 annually to ensure proper functioning for years to come.
We’d love to hear from you: if you currently wear hearing aids, tell us about your experiences! Let us know how you adapted to your hearing aids and any recommendations you’d give to those just getting started.