Hearing Aids
Types of Hearing Aids
People suffering industrial deafness complain of the following problems:
- Missing conversation in background noise;
Confusion about where sounds are coming from;
Difficulty hearing speech coming from the television;
Difficulty understanding speech through the telephone clearly;
A ringing or buzzing sound in the ears (Tinnitus)
That’s why a digital hearing aid with the capabilities to reduce the effects of background noise and increase the clarity of speech from the telephone, television, radio or in person is extremely important. There is a wide variety of hearing aids available and our trained professionals can assist in providing you with the hearing aid that best matches your lifestyle and hearing needs.
First Time wearer’s Guide
Once you have been fitted with your new hearing aids it is important that you take the time to adjust to the different listening situations you will encounter in the initial stages of wearing your hearing aids.
Every individual adjusts differently to hearing aids and it is very important for you to remember that some people move at a slower pace adjusting to their hearing aids and some people move at a faster pace. Just move at a pace with which you feel comfortable.
If you have never had hearing aids before then your hearing needs to be retrained to recognise speech sounds at an amplified ‘normal’ level again which can take time.
Your brain will need to adapt to the many sounds it will now be hearing, and to sort out noise from useful information. This can take time and occasionally cause headaches if you “over do it”.
The key to getting the most out of your hearing aids is to practice and apply patience. Infrequent use can lead to dissatisfaction and frustration. So stay positive!
- Start with a comfortable volume level at home only.
- Watch television with your spouse/partner/friend and ask them to turn the TV to their comfortable level.
- Walk around the house listening to different sounds (the toilet flushing, the light switch turning on/off, the sound of your feet on the floor). This will retrain your hearing to distinguish useful sounds from noise.
- Take a walk around the garden and your neighbourhood, identifying sounds along the way, go to your local shop/newsagent, listening and adapting to new sounds all the time, once again training your brain to recognise useful sounds from extraneous outdoor noise.
- Speak to someone in a quiet environment with a radio/TV on in the background.
- Have dinner with family or friends (4-6 people), with whom you feel comfortable (any difficulties should be noted and discussed with your audiologist).
- As you feel more confident, wear the hearing aids in the shopping centre, driving the car and when there are small groups of people, say, 4-6 people in a group.
Continue to wear the hearing aids at home in quiet and when there is background noise, i.e. dishes, TV, radio, groups of people.
Increase the number of hours you wear the hearing aids away from the house, such as at social gatherings in restaurants, family occasions and shopping. Ultimately you should be able to wear your hearing aids in all the situations where you feel they are required, so be sure to practice and follow the above guideline so that you adapt to the hearing aids. The advantage of this is you will then be familiar and accustomed to the hearing aid’s sound and operation when you are in difficult listening environments.
- Remember – Stay positive
If you need further assistance call our friendly staff on 1300 689 085
Trouble Shooting Guide
Initially, you may experience one or more of the following:
Your own voice sounds different: loud, hollow, blocked sounding.
Some sounds are sharp or tinny.
Water sounds like a waterfall or wind noise is loud.
If these sounds persist, are unbearable, or you do not get used to them, please let our audiologist know so that the problem may be resolved.
If you find yourself getting tired or frustrated with the hearing aids remove them and take a break.
Always turn the hearing aids off when you are not using the hearing aids.
Do not wear the hearing aids in the shower or whilst swimming.
There is no need to wear the hearing aids to bed as they may not be comfortable.
Wipe the hearing aid with a tissue each time you remove the aid.
Use the brush supplied to remove any wax on the hearing aid.
Use the wax tool to remove any wax which may be in the opening where the sound comes out.
Use the black flexible tool to clean the vent (this is the hole that continues all the way through the hearing aid).
If the hearing aid is dead and you have cleaned the white wax guard it may need changing. Different hearing aids have different wax systems, which your audiologist would have explained to you. If you are unsure, please phone our clinic for assistance.
Battery Change
- The coloured sticker tab on the back of the battery must be removed before putting it in the hearing aid
- You may wish to put the tab on your calendar or in your diary on the date when you change the battery. Eventually you will have a good idea of how many days/ weeks you get from the battery with consistent use of your hearing aids.
- When the hearing aid battery is losing power you may notice the hearing aid makes a beeping noise (similar to a mobile phone). This means the battery is low and needs to be changed.