In my last article for “Choices After 50,” I discussed the learning process of hearing aid use and how patience is a critical component of a successful fitting. It takes time for your brain to relearn how to hear and understand the different speech sounds it may not have heard in many years. Your hearing aids serve to amplify the sounds you have been missing, but these sounds must often be introduced gradually over a period of time so that you don’t become overloaded with noise. Through the consistent use of your hearing aids, you become more accustomed to amplified sound and your brain becomes better at understanding what these sounds mean. If the process is done properly, you should hear better on Day 1 than you did before getting the products. You should hear better on Day 30 than Day 1, better on Day 90 than Day 30, and so on. It is a process that takes time, but you should see a steady, albeit gradual, improvement in your ability to function on a day-to-day basis. This is why we have a trial period with hearing aids, so that you get to try the products and see if they work for you before the transaction is complete. But, this is a two way street, the hearing aid user must also be willing to commit to the process of consistently wearing their hearing aids, so that they give themselves the best chance of success. Hearing aids cost a lot of money, you might as well try to get as much use out of them as possible. All hearing aid dispensaries should offer a trial period as it is the industry standard, I recommend that you use yours wisely.
Many people do not realize that they can be much more successful hearing aid users if they pay attention to the situations where they have the most difficulty hearing. Is it in the car? The kitchen? On the telephone? In a mall? It is important for the audiologist/dispenser fitting your hearing aids to know details about where you are still struggling to hear. If we know these things, then we can adjust and change the hearing aid settings to improve your ability to hear clearly in those environments. We can’t make it perfect, but we can certainly help, and the more you tell us the better off you’ll be. This is why it is important to feel comfortable with the person you purchase your hearing aids from. You will be dealing with them regularly for the life of your hearing aids, so an open dialogue and ease of interaction is critical. Again, use your trial period wisely. Your contribution to the process of learning to hear with hearing aids consists of two main things; 1) wearing your hearing aids regularly, and 2) informing your audiologist/dispenser of the problems you’re having. If you do those two simple things, then you will become a successful hearing aid user much more often than not.
In order to take full advantage of the technology in hearing aids, you must begin with the correct features in these products. Do you want a volume control? Would you like a special telephone program? Can you easily handle the battery that will go in the hearing aids? These and many other important details have to be addressed in order for you to be a successful user. Above and beyond those details, there are two things I believe are especially important to give you the best chance at success; 1) the use of two hearing aids, and 2) directional microphones. We were born with two ears for a reason, and in order for our brain to hear clearly in difficult situations we need sound input to both ears. If you are in a noisy environment, or a group with multiple people talking, you need both ears working together to give you the best chance to understand what is being said. I often have people who wear one hearing aid tell me that they struggle in background noise, and they will most likely continue to struggle if using only one hearing aid. Many of these people have since tried a second hearing aid and often see great improvement. However, if you are a new user, it is best to begin with two hearing aids because it is easier for your brain to become accustomed to hearing these “new” sounds. Hearing aids are expensive, but if you can afford to start with two at the same time you have a better likelihood of success. Remember, you have a trial period for a reason, and if you’re not satisfied with your products return them and try again, either at the same clinic or elsewhere.
My second point focuses on directional microphones, which is one of the most important technological advances in the hearing aids available for purchase today. Having directional microphones means that each hearing aid has two separate mics that work together to help you hear better in noise. They function to search out sources of noise and try to turn them down so that you can hear speech clearer. They allow the hearing aids to focus on the person in front of you, while decreasing the background noise behind and around you. With two hearing aids in your ears, and each of them with directional mics, you have the best chance of hearing in those difficult listening situations that hard of hearing people have always struggled with. What’s more is that directional mics are a no-charge option on the great majority of hearing aids, so it is something that should certainly be discussed when purchasing your products. If you consider as many details (e.g. directional mics, volume control, program button, phone program, etc.) as possible before completing the purchase, then you increase the likelihood of receiving satisfaction from the use of your hearing aids.
So, now we have the appropriate features in your hearing aids, we have an understanding that this is not a quick fix and requires patience, and we have established a comfortable interaction between audiologist/dispenser and the hearing aid user. These things get us off on the right foot, but there is still work to be done and this is where feedback from the user becomes most important. You should be scheduled for at least 2 appointments before your trial period (and the purchase) is complete, which is when you must tell your audiologist/dispenser what has improved and what has not. Your job is to wear the hearing aids regularly in as many different situations as possible, tell us how well you heard or did not hear in those environments, and then we can make adjustments to the hearing aid settings to improve your ability to understand speech. If there is a problem, the very first person who should know about it is your audiologist/dispenser. We do not want you to put the hearing aids in a drawer and give up on them. Today’s hearing aids can do a tremendous amount to help you hear. However, they can’t do their job if you don’t consistently wear them, and go back to the clinic where you purchased them to have programming changes made. These services are typically bundled into the up-front cost of the hearing aids, so before you complete the purchase you should find out what kind of follow-up is included in the price.
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