Welcome to the world of hearing

Welcome to the world of hearing

Congratulations to you and your family for investing in your future by purchasing hearing aids!  Now that you have made the commitment to hear better and are learning how to adjust to your new hearing instruments, here are a few suggestions to help you along the way.

KEEP IN MIND:

When it comes to the science of restoring hearing, no matter how technically advanced your hearing technology is, hearing aids cannot cure hearing loss, but they can help you hear better.

There are many different types of hearing instruments, and not all hearing aids perform the same with every type of hearing loss. Your friend’s or family member’s hearing aid brand or style may not work for your type of hearing loss.

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Do not expect your family doctor to be knowledgeable about hearing loss, brands of hearing aids and whether or not you need them. Data shows that only 13% of physicians screen for hearing loss.

Expect your hearing aids to provide benefit to you during the trial period.  Benefit meaning your ability to understand speech has demonstrably improved in the listening situations important to you (within realistic expectations).  This is what you hoped for and you should expect benefit.  If you do not experience an improvement, work with your hearing healthcare professional to see if the instrument can be adjusted to your specific needs. Never purchase a hearing aid that does not give you sufficient benefit.

Adjustment period: Do not compare your hearing aids to glasses.  Remember that you are retraining your brain to understand sounds.  Your brain needs to readjust and interpret sounds that you may not have heard for years.  Give your hearing aids a chance, being sure to follow the instructions of the hearing healthcare provider. Most people need a period of adjustment (called acclimatization) before deriving the maximum benefit from their hearing aids even up to four months. Give yourself time.  You will notice small changes immediately but patience and realistic goals are the key to success.

*From article written by Sergei Kockin, Ph. D on Better Hearing Institute website.