It's easier when you work with your audiologist
Unfortunately, hearing aids don’t work like a pair of glasses, which allow you to see perfectly again as soon as you put them on. That’s because when you stop receiving certain sounds for an extended period of time, you forget them and have to get used to them again, step by step. But as a hearing aid user, you don’t have to go through this alone. It’s much easier with the help of a hearing care professional you trust.
There’s often a big gap between expectations and reality. Unfortunately, this also applies to hearing aids. While many patients expect to be able to hear everything perfectly right after their first fitting, hearing care professionals know that this can often take quite some time. Getting used to hearing aids isn’t always easy. But it’s worth the effort when you receive expert, personalized guidance from a hearing care professional. But how exactly does this process work?
In the first step, the hearing care professional or ENT doctor creates an audiogram. It shows the hearing threshold—that is, the volume at which a sound can be heard—at various pitches (frequencies). From this, the hearing care professional determines what level of hearing performance can be achieved with which hearing aid. Using the audiogram, the hearing aids are adjusted to the patient’s individual needs. In addition, a direct measurement is often taken inside the ear canal to ensure that the correct earmolds are fitted.
Fine-Tuning Required
While these measurements indicate the basic acoustic settings needed to improve hearing, the hearing experience is also highly subjective. No measuring device can determine this. Therefore, achieving the optimal individual setting takes time and involves an adjustment period. This is because the brain must first relearn how to process the regained auditory impressions. The better it succeeds in doing so, the more the optimal settings of the hearing aids will change. Therefore, patients should schedule several appointments with their hearing care professional to adjust the hearing aids step by step. The costs for this are included in the price of the hearing aids.
How long this adjustment period takes depends on many factors. High-pitched sounds, in particular, tend to sound rather unpleasant and unnatural at first. Even then, however, the hearing aids must not be removed. This is because getting used to them is only possible if they remain in the ears at all times. During this phase, the hearing aid specialist supports the optimal hearing experience not only through objective measurements but also by asking questions about the patient’s personal impressions as well as any improvements or problems with hearing. In reality, patience is the best guide here—Jana Verheyen, an audio coach who is herself severely hard of hearing, puts it aptly: “Either way, inner calm, perseverance, and patience are required.” Getting used to the hearing aids isn’t easy for everyone, but it’s worth it for a significantly improved quality of life.
You can get expert, personalized advice on hearing aids from a hearing aid specialistor an ENT doctor in your area.
