9 Mistakes Every New Hearing Aid User Makes

Hand written blue letters spelling the words common mistakes on a lined paper notebook

Congratulations! You’ve just become the proud owner of hearing aids – an incredible piece of modern tech. But new hearing aid owners will wish somebody had told them certain things, as with any new technology.

Let’s examine how a new hearing aid owner can eliminate the 9 most common hearing aid errors.

1. Not knowing how hearing aids work

Or, more specifically, know how your hearing aid works. The hearing experience will be significantly improved if you know how to utilize advanced features for different environments like on the street, at the movies, or in a restaurant.

It may be able to sync wirelessly to your smartphone, TV, or stereo. It might also have a setting that makes phone calls clearer.

If you use this advanced technology in such a basic way, without learning about these features, you can easily become stuck in a rut. Hearing aids nowadays can do more than make the sound louder.

In order to get the clearest and best sound, take some time to practice wearing the hearing aid in different settings. Test out how well you hear by asking a friend or family member to assist you.

As with anything new, it will get easier after a little practice. Simply turning the volume up and down won’t even come close to providing the hearing experience that using these more advanced features will.

2. Expecting instant improvement in your hearing

It’s not unusual for a new hearing aid owner to think that their hearing will be perfect from the first day. This is an incorrect assumption. It usually takes up to a month for most new users to get comfortable with their new hearing aids. But stay positive. The time you take is easily worth it according to those who are diligent.

Give yourself a few days, after you get home, to get used to your new experience. It won’t be that much different than breaking in new shoes. You may need to wear it in short intervals.

Start in a quiet setting with a friend where you are only talking. Simple voices might not sound the same initially, and this can be disorienting. Ask your friends if you’re speaking too loud and make the necessary adjustments.

Slowly begin to visit new places and use the hearing aid for longer periods of time.

Be patient with yourself, and you’ll have countless great hearing experiences to look forward to.

3. Not being truthful about your degree of hearing loss during your hearing exam

Responding truthfully to the questions during your hearing test will ensure you get fitted with the optimum hearing aid technology.

If you already have your hearing aid and realize that perhaps you weren’t as honest as you might have been, go back and get retested. Getting it straight the first time is easier. The level and kind of hearing loss will determine the hearing aid styles that will work best for you.

For instance, certain hearing aids are better for people with hearing loss in the high-frequency range. People who are dealing with mid-range hearing loss will call for different technology and etc.

4. Failing to have your hearing aid fitted

Your hearing aids need to manage several requirements at the same time: they need to be comfortable on or in your ears, they need to be simple to place and take out, and they need to amplify the sounds around you efficiently. All three of those variables will be resolved during your fitting.

When you’re getting fitted, you might:

  • Undergo hearing tests to calibrate the correct power for your hearing aid.
  • Have your ears precisely measured or have molds made (or both).

5. Not tracking your results

Once you’ve been fitted, it’s worthwhile to take notes on how your hearing aid performs and feels. Make a note if you are having trouble hearing in a large room. If your right ear feels tighter than your left, note that. Even note if everything feels right on. This can help us make personalized, minute adjustments to help your hearing aids achieve peak comfort and efficiency.

6. Not planning how you will use your hearing aid in advance

Water-resistant hearing aids are available. However, water can significantly damage others. Maybe you take pleasure in certain activities and you are willing to pay extra for more sophisticated features.

You might ask our opinion but the choice must be yours. Only you know which advanced features you’ll actually use and that’s worth committing to because if the hearing aids don’t fit in with your lifestyle you won’t wear them.

You’ll be using your hearing aid for quite a while. So if you really need certain features, you don’t want to settle for less.

Some other things to take into consideration

  • To be very satisfied, discuss these preferences before your fitting.
  • Maybe you want a high degree of automation. Or perhaps you like having more control over the volume. Is a longer battery life essential to you?
  • You may care about whether people can see your hearing aid. Or perhaps you want to wear them with style.

Many challenges that arise regarding fit, lifestyle, and how you use your hearing aids can be addressed through the fitting process. In addition, many hearing aid manufacturers will allow you to try out the devices before making a decision. During this test period, you’ll be able to get a sense of whether a particular brand of hearing aid would meet your needs.

7. Neglecting to take sufficient care of your hearing aid

Moisture is a real challenge for most hearing aids. You may want to invest in a dehumidifier if you live in an overly humid location. Keeping your hearing aid in the bathroom where people take baths or showers may not be the best idea.

Consistently wash your hands before handling the hearing aid or batteries. Oils found naturally on your hand can effect how well the hearing aid functions and the duration of the batteries.

Don’t let earwax or skin cells build up on the hearing aid. Instead, clean it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Taking simple actions like these will improve the life and function of your hearing aid.

8. Not getting spare batteries

Often, it’s the worst time when new hearing aid users learn this one. When you’re about to discover who did it at the crucial moment of your favorite show, your batteries die without warning.

Your battery life depends, like any electronic device, on the external environment and how you use it. So always keep a spare set of batteries nearby, even if you recently changed them. Don’t miss something important because of an unpredictable battery.

9. Neglecting your hearing exercises

When you first purchase your hearing aids, there might be an assumption, and it’s not necessarily a baseless assumption, that your hearing aid will do all the work. But the regions of your brain responsible for interpreting sound are also impacted by hearing loss not just your ears.

You can start to work on rebuilding those ear-to-brain pathways after you get your new hearing aids. For some people, this may happen rather naturally and this is especially true if the hearing loss happened recently. But others will need a more focused plan to rebuild their ability to hear. The following are a couple of prevalent strategies.

Reading out loud

One of the most efficient ways you can recreate those connections between your ears and your brain is to spend some time reading out loud. Even if you feel a little strange at first you should still practice like this. You’re doing the important work of linking the words (which you read) to the sound (which you say). Your hearing will get better and better as you continue practicing.

Audiobooks

You can always try audiobooks if reading out loud isn’t attractive to you. You can get a physical copy of the book and an audio copy. Then, you read along with the book as the audiobook plays. You’ll hear a word as you’re reading it just like reading out loud. This will teach the language parts of your brain to understand speech again.

Resources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.

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