Helpful Hints For Your First Week With Hearing Aids
Posted on: 30 November 2016
As an adult who just received your first hearing aid from a place like County Hearing And Balance, you may feel a bit lost and intimidated. Adapting to wearing a hearing aid can take some time. Noises don't sound quite the same as if you were to have perfect hearing, and then there's that strange feeling of having something on or in your ear. Rest assured that in time, wearing a hearing aid will feel as natural as putting on socks. Follow these tips during your first week with your hearing aid to help make adapting more straightforward.
Wear them for just a few hours a day.
Don't jump straight into wearing your hearing aids day in and day out. The first few days with them in can be stressful. Your brain has to work a bit harder to distinguish sounds and adapt to actually hearing more of what's going on. This can leave you feeling exhausted if you jump in too quickly. So start off by wearing your hearing aids for maybe 2 hours the first day, 3 the next, and so forth. Your hearing aid specialist may give you more specific advice in this regard depending on your degree of hearing loss.
Have a family member practice sounds with you.
You may have a little trouble distinguishing between words that sound similar at first. For example, "this" and "hiss" may sound similar if you don't listen closely. To avoid embarrassing yourself or having to strain to listen closely when you're out in public, have a family member or friend come over and have some conversations with you. If you find words that you're having difficulty hearing the difference between, ask them to repeat them a few times so you can get used to listening for the differences with your hearing aids in.
Only wear them in quieter environments.
After years of not hearing the quieter background noises, like doors creaking shut and people rustling papers, suddenly being able to hear these background noises can feel a bit overwhelming. So when you first get your hearing aid, start by wearing it only in quieter, calmer environments. Once you've had it for a few days, you can try wearing it in noisier places like the mall or grocery store.
If you have any additional concerns about adapting to your hearing aid, speak with your hearing specialist or physician. They can tell you what has worked well for previous patients who have purchased hearing aids similar to your own.
Share