Why are Hearing Aid Fittings Important?

Hearing loss is one of the most overlooked conditions that we face in the modern world. This is because it’s something that happens very gradually and many people ignore the signs of hearing loss because they’re either unaware or simply don’t think much of it. Unfortunately, this can lead to dangerous situations such as social alienation and you may even end up in an accident because you couldn’t hear something like an alarm or a car on the street. As such, it’s vital that you visit an audiologist to help you diagnose your hearing loss. During these tests, you may be asked to using hearing aids as a viable way to help deal with your hearing loss. It’s the most common way to solve many hearing issues and every audiologist will use it as the go-to method of helping you cope with hearing loss. However, it’s an involved process and does involve several hearing tests and also a fitting process. In this post, we’re going to explain what the fitting process is and how you benefit from it.

1. To teach you how to use your hearing aids

Hearing aids are very simple devices that are designed to be easy to use and simple to operate. They don’t contain many buttons, but advanced behind-the-ear models are large enough to contain lots of functions such as a sound generator or built-in wireless functionality. Your audiologist will go through every feature to ensure that you know all there is to know about your hearing aids.

2. To ensure they fit properly

If you’ve opted for a smaller hearing aid for discreet purposes then you may need to check if your hearing aids fit properly. If they don’t, then your audiologist can adjust them, but in some cases, this made require a cast of your ear or several iterations to ensure they are as comfortable as possible.

3. To show you how to maintain them

You’ll also be taught how to maintain your hearing aids. This will likely include instructions on how to clean them, how to change the battery and how to reset settings should something go wrong. Maintenance is important because your hearing aids are ultimately a small electronic device, meaning that issues can occur now and then. It’s vital that you learn to take good care of your hearing aids so that they can continue to function for many years without any problems.

4. To give you a chance to ask questions

Until your follow-up appointment, your hearing aid fitting is likely going to be last time you see your audiologist for a while. During this time, it’s vital that you speak up and ask any questions that have been on your mind. This can include things like “will my hearing get better?” and “when should I get new hearing aids?”. You may also want to ask questions about the financial side such as regarding insurance and replacement costs, or you could even talk about emotional support and how to cope with using hearing aids in life.