When it comes to enhancing a hearing impaired person's ability to hear and communicate, hearing aids are by far the most effective means of staying tuned in to the rest of the world. Although hearing aids do not restore normal hearing, they do help you understand what is being said to you, and those around you will be appreciative of your efforts to improve your ability to communicate with them.
Studies have shown that a person with hearing loss usually suffers about seven years with untreated hearing loss before purchasing their first hearing aid. Unfortunately, during this time their world becomes more and more silent as they no longer hear the hundreds of sounds others hear every day in their regular listening environment. Therefore, when the person with hearing loss finally gets their new hearing aids a whole new world of sounds opens up for them. Often they are surprised, and sometimes even startled, at the countless sounds they had been missing and are now able to hear. Many of the sounds they no longer even recognize and have to relearn what they are. Also, because they waited so long to be fitted with hearing aids, sounds that others listen to each day and take for granted may sound loud or abnormal to the new hearing aid user.
Adjusting to wearing hearing aids for the first time may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks of continual hearing aid use. This process involves listening to and identifying all the "new" sounds that have not been heard in years, as well as a subconscious "retraining" of the brain in how to listen and hear again. Those who have a more severe degree of hearing loss, and who have never worn a hearing aid before, may take a bit more time adjusting as they begin hearing sounds they have probably not heard in many years.
To enjoy and use your hearing aid to its fullest, it is important to understand that the first few weeks of hearing aid use is a period of adjustment and is vital to communication success.
Tips to help you adjust to your new hearing aids.
o Expect your own voice to sound a bit strange and louder during the first few days of hearing aid use. People with hearing loss tend to speak a bit louder to more easily hear themselves. So, when wearing your hearing aids for the first time your voice will sound a bit different and louder to you. However, with daily hearing aid use you will soon learn to recognize your own voice, and to regulate the loudness level of your voice, which will result in you speaking in a more normal manner.
o Become familiar with the use of your hearing aids and its features. The more acquainted you are with your hearing aids the more quickly you will adjust to them. Learn how to put them on and take them off, how to identify right from left, how to change the batteries, how to clean and care for them, and which features are activated on them. Your hearing aids may be set to automatic so that it self-adjusts as you move from one listening environment to the next. Or the volume control can be activated allowing you to adjust the loudness level. Additionally, the program button on the hearing aids may be set to several situational options that you can manually adjust for more precise tuning as you move from one listening environment to another.
o Try to gradually get accustomed to all of the new sounds you are hearing by starting off in a quiet environment and slowly moving on to more complex sound environments. Do not instantly go into a complicated listening environment like a mall, restaurant, or party, as it may be confusing and frustrating. Start using your new hearing aids in your home environment by listening to the TV or radio, before moving on to other environments like church and restaurants. Give yourself time to understand how the hearing aid changes what you hear and eventually your brain will get very good at listening to and filtering all the sounds you are now hearing. Have a friend or loved one help you identify sounds you may not be sure of.
o Understanding speech when other noises are present in the background is a difficult thing for most people, even for those who have no hearing loss. However, persons who have a hearing loss due to auditory nerve damage may find this type of listening environment extremely challenging, even with the help of hearing aids. If you struggle with speech in the presence of background noise, ask your audiologist to adjust the hearing aids to help you hear speech as precisely as possible in these environments. With daily hearing aid use, patience, and practice, you will learn how to successfully listen to several voices at the same time, even in the presence of background noise.
o Take your cell phone with you when being fit with your new hearing aids to see if it will work well with the hearing aids. Some people who wear hearing aids experience problems with the radio frequency interference caused by phones, resulting in a buzzing noise when they place the phone near the hearing aid. If your cell phone is hearing aid compatible, your audiologist can activate the telephone feature on the hearing aids that will link the two devices to each other without interference, giving you a clear conversation via phone. Otherwise, you may want to ensure your next phone purchase is one that is hearing aid compatible. When purchasing a hearing aid compatible phone be sure to ask if it has a hearing aid rating (HAC) M3 or T4.
o If your hearing aid has a whistling sound coming from it, check to ensure the hearing aid or earmold is properly seated in your ear canal. Whistling sounds from your hearing aids can also be caused by wax buildup in the ear canal, fluid clogs, or from the hearing aid itself needing an adjustment or repair. If you are unable to identify the cause of the whistling sound, contact your audiologist for assistance.
o Allow your hearing aids to become a part of you. After a few weeks of acclimatization you should be wearing your hearing aids during all of your waking hours. As soon as you get up in the morning, even if you are home alone with no one to communicate with, you should put your hearing aids on and they should remain on until you go to bed at night. Since the majority of our hearing is done with the brain and not our ears, hearing aids are only a conduit to get the sounds to our brain at the precise level needed for proper auditory functioning. Studies show that those who wear their hearing aids all day, even when home alone, are in fact retraining their brain to hear again with the use of hearing aids. Such persons become significantly more successful hearing aid users than those who only wear their hearing aids when they are going out or when other people are around.
o Be patient! Remember, it may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to get adjusted to wearing new hearing aids. This adjustment period varies from person to person depending upon many varying factors. The key is to be patient. Before you know it, wearing your new hearing aids will become an enjoyable, discreet, and vital part of your daily routine.
o For further information on any hearing-related disorder, please contact Dr. Deborah Nubirth, doctor of audiology, in New Providence at Comprehensive Family Medical Clinic, Poinciana Drive at 356-2276 or 677-6627 or 351-7902 in Grand Bahama; or email dnubirth@yahoo.com.
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