If you deal with hearing loss, it can be a difficult period of your life. Without the confidence to take part in conversations for fear of not following, you can isolate yourself from the people you love the most. A hearing aid allows you to pick up sounds and noises you couldn’t before, meaning wearers can lead a normal and productive life.
Yes, hearing aids are brilliant, which is why you should schedule an appointment with an audiologist right away if you experience the warning signs. Of course, hearing tools do take some getting used to, especially if you’re a first-time wearer. Therefore, it can be tough to understand the controls.
If you’re not entirely sure what they mean or how they work, it can set you back. After all, your hearing loss won’t improve if your hearing aids aren’t effective. The good news is, the problem is easy to solve with the following advice.
Ask your audiologist for advice
An audiologist will prepare and fit your hearing aid during one of your sessions. Aside from figuring out what is comfortable and suits your lifestyle, they can also give you pointers on how to use the device.
So, if you wonder what a button does, don’t be afraid to say to your audiologist, how do I use that? You can ask general questions, too, such as, how do I turn the volume up and down? These are essential to the process, so it’s not silly to get the information, not when it impacts your health.
Most aids come with manuals, so you can consult them as well. But manuals are notoriously difficult to follow, which is why it’s smart to speak to your audiologist.
Switch between directional and all-round sound functions
Hearing aids come with directional microphones. These are excellent at picking up sounds in crowded places where there is plenty of background noise. However, they work best when the noises come from the front, not the sides. Unless you want to spend all night turning around, you’ll need to switch from directional to all-around.
The latter picks up on sounds from pretty much everywhere. The clarity might not be as high as when the aid is set to directional mode, yet you won’t miss as much of the conversation if you’re not standing directly in front of a person. The letters and buttons on the aid will direct you.
It’s essential to ensure your hearing device is flexible, or else you run the risk of not getting the most from it during social interactions.
Set it to telecoil
The telecoil is another function that allows for better all-around clarity of sound. This is because the T setting lets you combine your hearing aid with specialist equipment, such as a telephone that’s designed to be hearing aid compatible.
Most of the time, your device will pick up regular noises through the M function. But this won’t work with a piece of specialized hardware as it requires an induction loop to connect to the aid. Without the loop, the sound from the phone or the equipment you use, won’t come directly through the aid’s speakers.
You can tell when the telecoil is turned on because there will be a buzzing similar to tinnitus when there isn’t an induction loop. This mode is very popular because aside from channeling noises through your hearing device, it eliminates most background sounds, helping you to hear more effectively.
Download a mobile app
Not every hearing aid comes with a mobile application. It depends on the type of device you purchase. However, the majority of the modern hearing tools on the market are designed to be used with smartphones as it makes the process much easier.
For example, once the aid is connected to the app, you can control it via your handset. If you want to turn the volume up or down, you merely press the buttons on the side of your cell. Although this sounds like a lot of effort for basic functions, it’s a popular tactic since you are very familiar with your phone.
Therefore, it’s quicker and easier to understand if you control it from an app, rather than configuring it manually.
Let Albuquerque Hearing and Balance help you
At Albuquerque Hearing and Balance, we deal with hearing aids daily. That makes us the best option if you have any questions or queries concerning your hearing device. Call us now at (505) 750-9569 to learn more.