Hearing Aid Fitting
What To Expect At A Hearing Aid Fitting
On the big day, you will walk into the office ready to hear again, and the audiologist will make sure your devices are fitting properly and are specially adjusted just for you. At our offices, we use the gold standard of care when fitting hearing aids - meaning that we do real-ear measurements. The real-ear measurement process is a snapshot of your hearing aids' ability to properly amplify sounds based on your unique hearing, so when you leave you can be assured that your ears are perfectly fitted. We will also answer any questions you may have about the care and maintenance of the devices. You will want to bring in some family members or friends so they can learn too.
Hearing Aid Fitting Will Help You Get The Best Sound
Programming your hearing aids is an important step in beginning to wear and use them. This applies to all hearing aids including behind-the-ear (BTE), in the canal (ITC), and completely-in-canal (CIC) devices. It may also apply to certain hearing instrument accessories such as telecoils, FM systems, and remote controls for volume adjustment or wireless connectivity.
Before you can begin listening with your hearing instruments, you will need to program them properly for several aspects of your lifestyle.
We will also do real ear measurements for each ear to make sure everything is set just right.
You will have an ongoing relationship with the audiologist who fitted your hearing aids, he or she will offer follow-ups to ensure that they are still working correctly and that the programming for the devices continues to perform the way it should. This allows you to keep your costs down while staying on top of your hearing health.
A typical visit lasts between 15 minutes and half an hour. The audiologist or hearing aid specialist will check the fit of your hearing aid, check electrical connections, and change batteries as needed. They will also program the aids if any changes have been made or to account for any hearing loss that you may have experienced.
Follow-up visits are important because it allows the audiologist to understand your ongoing needs better. They are also able to provide updates on accessories that can improve the use of the hearing aid fully.
For most people, adapting to their new hearing aids takes time and practice. If you know in advance what to expect and how best to help yourself, adapting should become easier and much more fun! Here are some important factors:
- Wear your hearing aids every day for at least 6 hours at the start. You will find that after a while you won't even notice them.
- Be patient and expect your new hearing aids to be different from other things you wear. It takes time to get used to them, but it's worth it!
- Be prepared that there will be some situations where it will feel better not to use the hearing aids: Don't give up wearing them altogether – stick with them and keep working at adapting.
- Try listening again in a noisy environment – this is very important because people with hearing loss often ask for silence or avoid social activities. You can start small with your family or close friends only. This might help you adapt more quickly as well as make all of you happier
- Go back to your audiologist if adapting doesn't go as you expected or if one particular aspect needs adjustment.