What makes a successful hearing aid fitting?
We understand… the thought of hearing aids reminds you of that big banana of an instrument that sat behind your father’s ears that whistled like no tomorrow or perhaps the hearing aid that your mother was forever changing the batteries in that still didn’t help her hear any better. Whether this is your experience or you’ve heard through the grape vine of people who have paid an exorbitant amount of money for them but have ended up living in the drawer or you simply just know nothing about them, take heart and know that you’re not alone. It definitely can be confusing and overwhelming, however it is the role of your hearing health care professional to guide you along in this process and to work with a tailored approach to meet every individual where they’re at in their own journey.
It is not uncommon for the person with a hearing loss to be the last person to realise it. The standard age related deterioration of hearing happens very gradually over many years in the background and typically takes someone up to 7 years to notice a hearing loss. Whilst throughout those years; spouses, family members and friends typically are the people who will notice a change in hearing capability and bring it to their attention. Many people are misconceived by their ability to still hear perse, however not recognising that their decreasing ability to carry conversations in crowded situations such as restaurants or pubs is not necessarily due to their disinterest in the conversation topic or that the reason they can’t understand their grandchildren talk isn’t necessarily because they mumble and all young people speak too fast and don’t have good diction. When in actual fact, these are all potentially signs of hearing loss.
So, where do we go from here? How can you be guided and guarded as a patient and as a consumer to find the right hearing solution for you?
1. Go for a hearing test.
Whether you’ve just felt an inkling that there might be a problem or you’re quite certain that there’s a hearing loss, get a hearing check. Going for a hearing test doesn’t automatically mean that you need hearing aids, however, allowing a hearing health care professional educate and discuss your hearing levels with you will equip you with better awareness and understanding of where you are at in your journey.
2. Understand the audiogram.
Ask questions. There are three types of hearing loss; conductive, mixed and sensorineural. The audiogram (hearing test) will indicate what type of hearing loss you have. If you have a conductive hearing loss – there is a problem in the conduction of sound to the hearing nerve that potentially could benefit from further referral. A sensorineural hearing loss is when there has been permanent damage to the hearing nerve itself, which in most cases is unlikely to see any recovery. Whilst a mixed hearing loss is when there’s a presentation of both types. Your next steps will vary depending on your degree and type of hearing loss.
3. Have a trial.
If you do present with a hearing loss that can be benefitted from hearing aids and is recommended by your hearing health care professional, take the hearing aids for a trial run. As they say, you don’t know what you’re not hearing and it’s not until you experience the technology for yourself that you can be the judge of the difference it makes.
4. Know your options.
Your hearing health care professional has a duty to present to you all your options and will make a recommendation considering your hearing loss, lifestyle patterns and budget, however ultimately we want to empower you as the client and consumer to have the opportunity to trial your options and come to a shared decision together as to what’s the most appropriate device for you.
5. Have realistic expectations.
Listen to the counsel of your hearing health care professional. Ultimately hearing aids are a device, which cannot replicate the intricacies and sophistication of a healthy human ear and so your hearing experience will never be “perfect” or “normal” again. Whether you’re going for basic, mid or top of the range technology, there will always be limitations. However, in saying that, being involved in the selection and trialling process of the hearing devices with the appropriate levels of technology to meet your hearing needs will bring about the most satisfaction and benefit to you.
6. Choose your device.
Ultimately, we want to achieve two outcomes; benefit and comfort. The hearing aids must feel physically comfortable on the ears but also sound comfortable so that you’ll happily wear them, but also have the appropriate level of technology and be programmed correctly so that you’ll notice benefit in your listening environments.
7. Be committed.
Help us help you. Like any other rehabilitation; the more you put in, the more you’ll receive. Likewise, the more you wear the hearing aids, the more you’re helping yourself acclimatise and adapt to the hearing aids. We know it can be very difficult as many sounds have been absent from your life for a very long time, but the more you stimulate your brain with the hearing aids, the more you’re helping it acclimatise.
8. Enjoy!
It’s not until we lose something that we realise its significance. Hearing might just be another sense, but what we don’t realise is that it connects us with people. Communication is so crucial for relationships and connection, so having an impairment that breaks down this pathway can be very isolating and damaging over time to our relationships and sense of connection. Rediscover the simple joys of hearing sounds again and enjoy the process!
