WHAT TO EXPECT

As hearing loss occurs gradually, you don’t notice when you first begin to miss hearing some of the softer everyday sounds like air conditioners or refrigerators. When you first wear hearing devices, you will notice that there are many more sounds and they may sound different from what you’re used to. It takes time, patience and perseverance to learn to listen again. The brain is suddenly getting a lot more information than it’s used to, so it needs time to adjust. The more you wear your hearing instruments, the better your brain will get used to the extra information it’s receiving and the more benefit you will get from your hearing aids.

Listening will become an enjoyable experience once again.

For the first few days it’s best to wear your hearing instruments in quiet, familiar environments. Start by wearing them for a few hours the first day and gradually wear them for longer periods of time. Listen to and familiarize yourself with the sounds around you. Sounds like fans, clocks, running water and eating will sound loud initially, but you will get used to them. If your instruments have manual controls, practice using them. Once you are comfortable, wear your hearing devices in noisy situations such as restaurants or shopping centres.

Hearing aids are programmed to suit your individual hearing loss. It’s common to require a number of tuning appointments as your brain becomes accustomed to the extra input.

How long does it take to get used to wearing hearing instruments?

This varies from one person to the next and depends on hearing loss, motivation and a range of other factors. Research has suggested that it takes the average person who wears their hearing aid/s everyday, 3 – 6 months to get used to wearing them. However, the longer the brain has gone without stimulation, the longer the adjustment process will be. Be patient and persevere. Give the brain time to learn to listen again.

What do they feel like ?

When wearing some models, you may notice that your ears feel blocked. This is because a hearing aid or ear mould is blocking your ear canal. This sensation takes a few weeks to get used to. If you are experiencing any discomfort, please contact us and we will rectify the problem for you.  With the open fit behind-the-ear devices, the blocked sensation is minimal.

Your own voice

You will also notice your own voice and internal sounds like breathing and chewing will be louder, but you will quickly get used to it. This is because we are physically blocking the ear canal. If you put your fingers in both your ears and talk, you can hear your own voice echoing back. Wearing hearing aids is similar to this experience. Microphones are also sitting very close to your mouth, so you are hearing your own voice being amplified by the hearing aid. Adjustments to the program settings or modifications to the ear mould can help alleviate the sound of your own voice.

Batteries

Battery life will vary with hearing device style and hours of use. Generally, the smaller the battery and the longer you wear the device, the shorter the battery life. You can expect to get roughly 8 to 10 days out of the small size 10 batteries and between 10 and 14 days out of the size 13 or 675 batteries. Many hearing instrument models have warning signals to alert the wearer it’s time to change the battery.

To conserve battery power, turn off the hearing aid and open the battery door when you are not wearing it and don’t remove the protective cover on the battery until you are ready to use it. Always keep spare batteries on hand.