If you know someone who has hearing aids, then you may wonder why some people seem to have problems with their hearing aids? Many people complain to their friends about them. We have people all the time that will come in and tell us that they don't know if they want to spend money on hearing aids because their friends keep them in a drawer. Some people complain and then there are those that just don't wear them.
Well, there are many variables as to what makes people successful hearing aid users. One of the most important factors in determining a happy hearing aid user is Motivation. First, the individual with the hearing loss MUST want to hear better. Sometimes people have different forces to drive them to seek help... maybe they feel old because they can't hear., maybe they just want to hear the grandkids better because now they are picking them up every day after school, perhaps they miss the actual sound of their spouses voice after 50 years of marriage, or the best one...They needed to be able to "hear quail when I am hunting!" Motivation is a great thing. It makes us get up and move. It makes things happen. And in the realm of hearing, it helps people enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
So... we have the motivation, so what's the problem? Why don't you really like the hearing aid "experience". First off, don't judge your success by the complaints or applause of your friends. There are no two people alike, no two hearing aids alike and NO TWO SITUATIONS ALIKE!! So, you are motivated and have moved into the pursue mode. After your evaluation listen to your hearing health care professional for their recommendations of what is best for you. Sometimes cosmetic appeal will take precedence over its function of improving hearing.
It's important to have realistic expectations. Your hearing evaluation provides valuable information as to how well you’re hearing, and your brain will communicate with each other. Speech discrimination tests reveal how well you should be able to understand with hearing aids. Tests are performed to determine what happens to your speech understanding capabilities when you are presented with background noise. The scores of these tests directly help to determine the type of hearing aid that will provide you with the best speech understanding. Different styles also provide different options. Some aids are automatic directional microphones to focus in where speech is coming from. Some hearing aids are digital; while more advanced aids are actual computers that gather important information that is then analyzed at your follow-up appointments to provide not only the best hearing... but the best speech understanding in noise.
So now that your motivation is at its peak, and you know the limitations and capabilities of your hearing... There is one more very important thing to consider.... YOUR DAILY ENVIRONMENTS!! What do you do? What do you like to do? What WOULD you do if you could understand better? Hearing instruments can control a lot of noise, really ALOT! The trick? We must have the right circuitry in the hearing aids. Hearing aids have the ability to separate and control speech from speech weighted noise, machine noise, wind noise, quiet background noise, even music. If you are active and in lots of noise, then you need to be fit with an instrument that can separate and control the types of noise that you are exposed to. The hearing health care provider has guides that help us to determine the level of technology that will work best for you and a demonstration of the technology will be performed.
When you are ready, do some research and find a Board-Certified Hearing Health Care Provider who will put in the necessary patient discovery and diagnostic time to properly treat your hearing needs. To Hear Better Is To Live Better!!