Advice for first-time hearing aid users | It is important for first-time hearing aid users to get a proper start. Here you can find advice on wearing hearing aids for the first time.
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Most modern hearing aids offer a multitude of options, parameters and features which can reduce the effects of most types of hearing loss and be set individually to ensure the user a clear, very natural and comfortable sound quality.
As a result of the many setting options there is also a risk of not ‘getting it right’ the first time. However, the user and the hearing healthcare professional in most cases succeed in finding the correct sound balance from the beginning, and for more than half of the first-time users hearing aids seem to work quite satisfactorily within a few months.
For others it is not quite so easy. The first challenge is for the ears and the brain to get used to a lot of sounds that the user may not have heard for years. If the volume of the hearing aid is set too loud, the user can be almost shocked by the sound.
Secondly, the hearing loss of one person differs from that of another, and the fine tuning of the hearing aid may be crucial. Maybe the hearing aid amplifies the wrong frequencies (high and low pitch) or provides too much amplification in a frequency range where the user is particularly sensitive to sound – so that the hearing aid has a negative effect instead of a positive one. In this context, it should be pointed out that there are people with very special hearing losses/disorders who cannot be helped with hearing aids.
The user, of course, has to wear the hearing aids to find the correct balance. So, if the hearing aids are in the drawer instead of in the ears, it is very difficult to determine what is wrong.
Among the things first-time users have to get used to are:
 to accept the new sound environment |
| to have something in the ear |
| to feel the ears are plugged up |
| to hear the sound of one’s own voice and internal sounds |
| to speak at a suitable volume level |
The first couple of days the sounds the user hears through the hearing aids may seem unnatural and overwhelming, and it may be difficult to distinguish the various sounds. Please be aware that it is not only the ears that have to get used to inter-preting and perceiving new sounds, but also the brain.
However, if the sounds through the hearing aids are generally perceived to be painful, highly distorted or confused, there is something wrong, and the user should consult with the hearing healthcare professional.
If wearing the new hearing aids just feels strange, it is a good idea to wear them for at least an hour at a time, several times a day, and preferably in different listen-ing situations. If the volume is still perceived to be too loud after a couple of weeks, and the user feels more tired with hearing aids than without, a solution may be to have the volume reduced.
In order for the hearing healthcare professional to make the correct adjustments of the hearing aid volume, it is important to be more specific than: ’It sounds wrong or it doesn’t sound good!’ Try to notice whether the problem is the low frequencies or the high frequencies, whether the sound is distorted or seems unnaturally loud and whether speech sounds correct. Also be aware if the sound is perceived as comfortably loud/soft in quiet and very noisy environments.
Listen for different sound sources, such as cutlery, china, faucets, toilet flush, cars, footsteps on hard floors, children’s voices, music, doors banging, laughter, tools, machinery etc. Try to sense whether these sounds form a natural part of the sound environment. If you sense an imbalance in all these daily sounds – or if spe-cific sounds seem wrong or annoying – it can give the professional an indication as to what is wrong.
In most digital hearing aids, it is possible to adjust the balance between loud and soft sounds. Notice whether soft sounds (ticking of a clock, refrigerator hum, distant traffic noise) are unnaturally loud, while keeping in mind that these were sounds that were not audible before.
Ask the people around you with normal hearing how the balance is for them.
Having something in the ear |
It takes time getting used to having something in the ear. It may easily take from a couple of months and up to six months before one no longer notices having some-thing in the ear. When this is said, it is, however, important that the hearing aids fit properly. If the earmould of a behind-the-ear model or the shell of an in-the-ear model does not fit tightly in the ear canal, the hearing aid will not work optimally or will whistle (feedback).
If the user experiences pain in the ear when wearing a hearing aid, something is wrong. The first couple of days the hearing aids may feel somewhat tight and pro-duce some soreness in the ear canal. If this sensation does not disappear within a week, the user must consult with the hearing healthcare professional to have the earmould/shell adjusted. In rare cases, it may be necessary to remake the ear-mould/shell.
In rare cases, an itch, burning sensation or allergy may occur in the ear because of the earmould/shell. If these symptoms do not disappear within a couple of weeks, they can perhaps be cured with ear drops. If the allergy persists, it may be necessary to make the earmould in another material.
Perception of one’s own voice |
When users are first fitted with hearing aids, they may perceive their own voices to be unnatural in the beginning. First-time users usually get used to the sound of their own voices after some months. A continuous problem may indicate that the hearing aid fitting is not correct. It usually also takes time to get used to ’internal’ sounds, such as chewing, and the feeling of plugged up ears. In this respect, the design of the earmould/shell vent is also of significance.
Initially, it may be difficult to evaluate the volume of one’s own voice. In this case, family or friends can help find the right balance.
If case of problems - regardless of the cause – the user should consult with the hearing healthcare professional. It may take several visits to solve the problem. Many users are discouraged by this or feel ’difficult’, but giving up does not benefit anybody.
Hearing aids may be an important help to increase hearing impaired people’s quality of life and joy, and the hearing healthcare professional is, of course, also interested in a successful outcome.
The learning process will take time, but millions of experienced users can testify that the results are worth the effort. And remember: there is only one who can decide whether the hearing aids work properly – and that’s the user.
Good luck!
