What do You Need for a Successful Hearing Aid Fitting?

A proper fitting and adjustment by a hearing instrument specialist

In order to get the most out of your hearing aids, they should be properly fitted and adjusted by an experienced hearing instrument specialist.

​A hearing instrument specialist will work with you to find the appropriate hearing aids for your needs. This decision happens during a hearing aid fitting. You will discuss your individual hearing requirements and have them addressed by your provider. You should schedule follow-up appointments, which will guarantee that you are getting the best benefits from your hearing aids.    

What happens during a hearing aid fitting?
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Your hearing instrument specialist will start by learning about your lifestyle, what you expect to get from using hearing aids, your personal preferences and discuss any past experiences that you've had with hearing aids. This information - along with the results from your hearing test - will allow your hearing aid provider to give you suitable options to look over. 

Results from your hearing test

After the hearing test, your hearing aid provider will have an audiogram which will be used to select the best hearing device for you. The range of hearing loss will establish which hearing aid style would be beneficial to you.   

What are your specific needs for your daily routines?

When selecting a hearing aid, the hearing instrument specialist will need a good idea of how you'd like to navigate through your life. Have you been avoiding particular settings or socializing with others due to your hearing loss? 

Think about the things you are missing out on because of your hearing loss. If you talk to friends and family over the phone, you will need a hearing aid that you can use while talking and listening to others with your phone. If you work in, or frequently visit, a bustling area, hearing aids and an assistive listening device might be useful in order to make it easier to navigate through group conversations. 

Digital hearing aids can be programmed for those who frequently experience many different listening circumstances that have a lot of background noises. A basic model can be used for sedentary individuals, who typically stay home, where there is little background noise. 

What type of hearing aids do you prefer?

Your hearing aid selection depends on your personal preferences. Do you want discreet hearing aids that rest inside your ear canals or larger devices that are more colorful and can be placed behind the ears? Would you rather be able to control the volume levels yourself, or have them automatically change to an optimum setting? Would you like to use a small remote control, or an app on your smartphone to control your hearing devices? 

There are rechargeable hearing aids and hearing aids that require you to change out your batteries. Your dexterous abilities may depend on whether you are willing to change out a small battery when necessary. These are some options that your hearing instrument specialist will discuss with you.

Choosing your hearing aids

Your hearing instrument specialist will recommend some options that are suitable for you. At Pure Sound Hearing Aids, we provide a free hearing aid trial so that you can test out which hearing aid devices work best for you. After you've made your decision, your hearing aids will be ordered for you to purchase, and then they will be programmed during a follow-up appointment. 

If you choose a customized in-the-ear (ITE) style or a behind-the-ear (BTE) with an earmold style, one of our hearing instrument specialists will take an impression of your ear canal in order to create custom hearing aids.

Basic hearing aid programming

When your hearing aid is delivered to our office, the hearing instrument specialist will connect it to a computer and adjust it based on how severe your hearing loss is, and your personal preferences.  

Adapting to your hearing aids

After your hearing aids are first programmed, you are going to hear sounds that you have not heard in a very long time. Initially, you may perceive every sound to be too loud. Your brain needs time to relearn the noises that should be ignored, such as sounds of your own footsteps. Your hearing instrument specialist should conduct some tests in order to verify that the hearing aid is programmed to the correct settings. 

If you wear hearing aids that are not rechargeable but use batteries, you will be given instructions on how to change those batteries. You will also be given instructions on using features and general maintenance.      

Remember that adapting to hearing aids takes time. For some, it may only take one to two days. For others, it might take a few weeks or months to adapt to them. You must be patient. It helps to wear them, even if it's only for a couple of hours on your first day, and you should continue to wear them for an hour longer on the following day.  

A successful hearing aid fitting depends on you, your hearing aid provider, and the communication that you have with each other. The proper hearing aid provider will work with you to understand your hearing needs and accommodate an approach that will get the greatest results. If you, or a loved one, are in need of hearing aids, contact us at Pure Sound Hearing Aids for a free hearing test and consultation.

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