How do hearing aids help me?
Based on hearing tests, the ENT specialist can tell whether the device is needed and, depending on the loss, its type and model.
Hearing aids, In cases of neurological loss, it is partially beneficial in improving the patient's hearing and understanding level.
When recommending a hearing aid, conditions such as hearing ability, work and home activities, physical condition, and medications used should be taken into consideration.
Economical. Although it brings a burden, wearing devices in both ears, considering social and professional situations in patients with bilateral loss, is useful in balancing sounds, improving the level of understanding of words in noisy environments, and determining the source of sounds.
Getting used to the hearing aid. Process:
If you are using a hearing aid for the first time, it will take some time to get used to it. This time varies depending on your age, the degree of hearing loss, and your desire to use your device. Research has shown that this period varies between 5-25 days. When you first start using your device, some sounds may disturb you. Especially people who have had hearing loss for a long time have forgotten over time the sounds that people with normal hearing are used to hearing around them (especially wind and traffic sounds). When you start using a device, these sounds will be louder than before and will disturb you.
First days:
For the first few days, use your hearing aid in the environments you are accustomed to, that is, at home or at work. Use it for a few hours.
If you feel tired or tense, unplug your device. Once you feel better, wear it again for a few more hours. Repeat this exercise for increasing periods of time every day. Within 7 to 10 days, you should be able to monitor your device in the morning and take it off in the evening. Listen to your own voice by reading a book or newspaper out loud. Your own voice may sound different or loud in the first days. If the difference in your own voice does not improve during the adaptation process and this bothers you, you can contact the hearing aid company you purchased. You can use your device at a very good level by making simple changes to the device's template or program settings.
Talk to one person in a noise-free environment. Look at the person you're talking to and ask them to repeat any words you don't understand. Turn off devices (radio and television) that will make it difficult for you to understand. This will help you get used to the sounds that the device amplifies and transmits to you.
The following days:
Participate in conversations in groups of several people, and at first, make sure that the voices of these groups consist of people you know. During conversations, ask the person whose speech you cannot understand to repeat.
While several people are talking, try to talk to someone else. While listening, watch the speaker's facial expressions and lips. In larger groups, what is said in the crowd and surrounding sounds may interfere more. Distinguishing them can be difficult even for people who do not use devices. Be patient, you can make this distinction better over time.
What Can I Expect from a Hearing Aid?
Using a hearing aid successfully requires time and patience. The hearing aid will not restore normal hearing, nor will it cause any regression in your current condition. Adapting to the hearing aid is a time-consuming process, this process includes learning to hear the sounds in the environment and getting used to hearing different sounds.
In order to get used to the hearing aid, it is necessary to start by using it for a few hours in a stress-free environment. Social programs are available to enable users to acquire new hearing techniques and develop skills that will enable them to control hearing loss.
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