TIPS FOR GETTING ADJUSTED TO YOUR NEW HEARING AIDS
Most people expect to hear normally like how they used to hear, the very moment they wear the hearing aids. The truth is that it will take some time before you get adjusted to the new pair of hearing aids. As you learn how they work, you also experience all the new sounds and stimuli that your brain has forgotten about in recent years and hence it is quite common for people to complain initially about the new hearing aids.
It is important to remember that hearing aids do not replicate the sound how you used to hear before you had hearing loss. For some people, the biggest change is the change in their own sound. The voice will sound unfamiliar and loud. Even chewing and swallowing will be noticeable. These annoying sensations will soon go away as you wear the hearing aids more.
However, here are some additional tips to keep in mind while you try to get adjusted to new hearing aids.
Wear them at home first
Start by wearing hearing aids at home or in other quiet listening environments. Focus on having one-to-one conversations and let your family members know that you have started using them. Reading aloud and talking to others can help you become familiar with your new voice.
Give yourself some training
As a practice, you can try to listen for the source of sounds and even listen to audiobooks, tv, radio, etc. while you are home alone
Anticipate some discomfort in noisy environments
Hearing aids tend to amplify all the sounds and you will not find any noisy environment comfortable. Even the humming of the fridge might seem too loud for you. You will have to relearn how to ignore background noises and it is important to be patient and take it slow as the brain gets adjusted.
Report any pain
Using hearing aids can cause slight tenderness in the ear at first. But it should not cause any pain. If at all the pain persist, then you must return to the Audiologist for help.
After a few weeks of first-time use, you can visit an Audiologist to get the hearing aid fine-tuning done. You would wear the hearing aid for a longer time and longer stretches post the tuning. Your own sound will start becoming more pleasant and you will eventually learn to tune only to the sounds to need to pay attention to. Overall, you will find it less tiring and using hearing aids will no longer be taxing for the brain.
If you are taking care of someone with a new pair of hearing aids, start speaking to them normally, read out the newspaper for them, make small quizzes that work on their audition ability, offer a listening ear, and also accompany them for their follow-up visits with the audiologist.
By bloghear@123 | February 17, 2023 | Blog | 2 Comments
About the Author: bloghear@123
Related Posts
