As a first-time hearing aid user, the experience can be confusing, especially if your hearing loss came gradually over a long period.
Due to the hearing loss, you probably missed out on hearing certain sounds clearly or completely, and your brain had to readjust to make do with only the sounds it can interpret.
And now that you have your hearing aid, your brain can receive and interpret those sounds you missed out on, which can make a first time hearing aid user confused and uncomfortable, understandably.
In this article, we will discuss adjustment and tips for first-time hearing aid users.
1. Give Yourself Time
First-time users will need time to get used to their hearing aids. Don’t expect your brain to remember how to identify, hear, and interpret every sound immediately. Also, you may need to wear your hearing aids for a couple of days or weeks before you get comfortable in it.
When you start using your hearing aids, sit in a quiet spot to allow your brain to get used to the new sound quality in your living space. Some sounds may seem too loud at first, like the ticking of your clock or hum of your air conditioning. Don’t get worried; it’s completely normal as your brain is getting reacquainted with those sounds.
Read this post to understand about the common hearing aids problems users face.
2. Don’t use it for extended periods, Yet
Getting back your hearing skills takes practice. As a first-time hearing aid user, start by wearing your device only for a few hours. When you get to a point where you feel exhausted or overwhelmed, you can remove them, but try to increase the number of hours you wear them every day.
The longer you wear your hearing aids, the better you’ll get at identifying sounds, interpreting voices, and focusing on the voice or sound you want to hear.
3. Read to Your Hearing
Before you got your hearing aids, people may have told you to “stop shouting” from time to time. When you begin to experience hearing loss, it’s only natural that you would raise your voice when talking to hear yourself.
Now that you have your hearing aids, you can properly regulate your volume. An effective way to control your voice is to read to your hearing (read aloud) while wearing your hearing aids. It will help you determine the appropriate volume for speech as well as helping you to recognise the sounds of words and speech again.
4. Choose a Simple Device
Hearing aids are usually simple devices with volume control buttons and a switch to change between different settings. However, some devices are more sophisticated and will come with many functions, including Bluetooth and smartphone connectivity. When choosing a hearing aid, opt for something nice and simple. It will help you to understand and get used to the device much faster.
5. Get Your Friends and Family to Help You
Friends and loved ones can be helpful during your adjustment period. Their visits can allow you to practice speaking with appropriate volume levels. It will also help your brain to properly associate sounds, words, and nonverbal body language as they interact with you.
They can also help you to set the television volumes to a level comfortable for their ears, giving you a chance to listen and adjust to these new volumes. Don’t try to turn the volume on your TV set higher than a person without hearing loss would, or you could further damage your hearing.
In a Nutshell
When it has to do with offering helpful tips for first-time hearing aid users, we always make sure to get this message across, “new hearing aid adjustment process takes time.”
Therefore, be patient with yourself and your hearing aids to get the best results. For those who live locally, if you need help with your hearing aid, visit our branch in KL, Cheras, Bangi, Shah Alam, Melaka, Johor Bahru in Malaysia.