Finally, you bought a pair of hearing aids. Congrats, it’s a great start to enhancing the quality of your life. There are things you should learn to do and not to do with newer technology such as modern hearing aids. The list with hearing aids is not huge, but it’s an important one.
It’s not just about caring for your hearing aids, either. The device will be less useful and your adjustment time will be slowed by the things you fail to do. Now learn from the mistakes many others in your shoes have made; consider these four things you shouldn’t do with those new hearing aids.
1. Putting in Your Hearing Aids Right After You Buy Them
Without spending some time to learn the basics of how your hearing aids function and exploring the features that come with the brand you bought you might be ignoring powerful features. Most likely if you just turn on your new hearing aid and start wearing them, they won’t work efficiently for you. You might also miss out on the best features like Bluetooth or noise filters.
You can practice adjusting the hearing aid and determine how to obtain the best sound quality by slowing down a bit and reading the documentation.
you will have a general concept of what your hearing aids can accomplish when you purchase them. Now, spend some time learning how to use them.
2. Underestimate the Adjustment Factor
Anytime you get new glasses, your eyes need time to adjust to the difference in the lenses or the shape of the frame. The same goes for hearing aids. High quality sound in a new hearing aid does not happen by magic. It doesn’t work that way.
There is an adaptation period your ears will require if you’re new to wearing hearing aids. Consistency is the key to adjusting quickly to your new hearing aids.
Put them in your ear and don’t keep taking them out. You should fight the urge to keep taking them out. If you are uncomfortable, ask yourself why.
- Is the audio too loud? Maybe you should turn down the volume.
- If it is uncomfortable, take out the hearing aids for short intervals until you get used to it. Go back to the seller and have your hearing aids inspected if they don’t seem to fit right..
- Are you overwhelmed by the background noise? Every day when you first put them in you should go to a quiet place for a few minutes. Sit with a friend and talk. Ask if you are talking too loud. By doing this, you can balance out the sound by making adjustments.
Giving up is the biggest mistake you can make. If you forget about your hearing aids, leaving them in a drawer somewhere, they will do you no good.
3. Fail to Get a Professional Fitting Upfront
There is a lot involved in finding the proper hearing aids, and it begins before you even start looking. If you are not telling the truth about what you can and can’t hear at the hearing test at the audiologist, that’s a problem. You might end up with hearing aids that aren’t the correct ones for your level or type of hearing loss. Some hearing aids pick up a high-frequency sound by design as an example. If you have a difficult time hearing mid or low tones, these are not the best hearing aids for you.
In some circumstances, hearing aids may not really fit your lifestyle. Maybe you spend a lot of your day talking on the phone, so you will need hearing aids that have Bluetooth technology.
While you are still in the trial period for your new hearing aids, take note of the times where you wanted your hearing aids to do something different or when it felt like they didn’t work right. You can go back and talk about those issues with your hearing aid technician. An adjustment might be required or you may possibly need a different device.
When you purchase your hearing aids be sure to find a seller that does free fittings. They won’t work right if they are too big for your ears.
4. Careless Maintenance
Successful upkeep of your hearing aids begins with understanding how and when to do it. Even if you’ve had hearing aids in the past you should take the time to understand how to care for your new device.
When you get the hearing aids, look closely at the warning signs listed in the documentation such as using hair products with your hearing aids in or not turning them off when you take it out.
Also, study the troubleshooting instructions and the maintenance guide.
Understand precisely how to clean your hearing aids because that’s an important part of good maintenance. Don’t quit at just cleaning the device, either. You also have to correctly clean your ears.
If you want to get the most out of your hearing aids, it’s up to you. The process begins as you are shopping for them and proceeds when you begin using them. Get a hearing test with a hearing specialist to find out what type of hearing aid will best fit your needs.