New Hearing Aid Wearers: Tips to Make the Most Out of It
There's no doubt about it: hearing aids are personally transformative. Whether this is your first pair of hearing devices or you're just switching from a different brand, there's always room for improvement on using and maintaining your hearing aids. This post features tips to help you get started and get the most out of your new hearing aids.
Give Yourself Time to Get Used to Them
Your sense of hearing is a pretty big deal, so you'll want to give yourself plenty of time for your brain and ears to adjust to all the new input. You'll spend a lot of time just listening to how the hearing aids sound in different situations in the first few days or weeks.
Leave the devices in, take them out, listen to sounds in the room, turn on and off the pairing to your phone or media device. You'll want to get used to all the ways you're going to be able to wear and use your hearing aids.
For example, you may want to wear your devices throughout the day instead of having them on just at night. Depending on the environment, you may wear them with different earmolds or at other volumes. The more comfortable you are with your devices, the more you'll be able to adapt them to your lifestyle.
Read Aloud
One of the first things you'll notice when you get your hearing aids is that a lot more people will talk right at you. Your brain will get used to hearing the sound right at the center of your attention, and you'll start to use that focus to understand what people are saying around you.
Try reading aloud to practice focusing and listening to the direction of sounds around you.
Remember not to focus too hard on the sound being right at the center of your attention. It's okay to try to understand the direction that a sound is coming from, but don't overdo it.
Ask Family and Friends for Help
Once your brain gets used to processing sounds from the direction they're coming, some sounds will be easier to understand than others. You'll probably need a lot of practice listening to people talking to you from different distances and directions.
Ask a family member or close friend that you trust to read and talk to you from different distances, with different intonations, and in different environments. This will help you get used to listening to people in various situations and environments.
The more practice you get, the more you'll be able to recognize and understand people's voices as they talk to you.
Don't Get Frustrated
Hearing aids are computers in your ears. They have to be charged, they have to be turned on, and they have to be connected to your phone and other devices. They can be pretty finicky, and they can take a lot of time to figure out, so you may find yourself frustrated in the beginning.
Make the Most Out of Your Hearing Aids
If you're new to hearing aids, the tips above should help you get the most out of your devices. If you've been wearing hearing aids for a while, remember that there's always room for improvement. Keep practicing, and figuring out how to use your hearing aids will become second nature.
Are you looking for affordable hearing devices? HearGlow makes hearing aids more accessible. Get in touch with us!
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