A Guide to a Hearing Aid Fitting

If you are experiencing hearing loss, the first person that you would speak to is a hearing health professional to assess the severity of the loss and whether you should wear hearing aids or have another form of treatment. A hearing aid fitting can be a transformative step towards improving your overall quality of life and your ability to hear things.

When you understand what a hearing aid fitting involves, you’ll be able to feel more prepared and have confidence in the process. Here will discuss hearing aid fittings, from initial evaluation to your follow up appointment options.

Initial Evaluation

The very first step in the process of a hearing aid fitting is to have a comprehensive evaluation of your hearing health. A hearing health professional is going to help you here with a hearing test and they’ll be able to assess the type and severity of your hearing loss. They will also discuss your lifestyle, any communication needs and specific hearing challenges you will face.

Choosing Your Hearing Aid

Once you’ve had your hearing assessed, your hearing health professional will be able to recommend a hearing aid that is best suited to your overall needs. There are plenty of different types of hearing aids out there, including behind the ear (BTE), in the ear (ITE) and in the canal (ITC).

Customization Stage

Once you’ve chosen your hearing aid, it will be customized to fit your ears. Your hearing health professional can take impressions of your ear canal to ensure a comfortable and secure fit. Don’t forget that your hearing aid is going to be completely unique to you, so it will fit you correctly.

Programming Stage

The next step is to program the hearing aid to meet your specific and hearing needs. This involves adjusting all the settings of your hearing aid that is based on your audiogram and your feedback. You’re hearing health professionals may even use real ear measurements to fine tune these settings to ensure optimal sound quality throughout.

Verification Stage

After the hearing aid has been thoroughly programmed, your hearing health professional verified the performance. They’ll conduct further testing to ensure your hearing aid is providing the correct amplification for your specific hearing loss. If it is not to the correct amplification, your hearing health professional will adjust these settings to fit your needs.

Instructions

Once your hearing aid has been fitted and programmed, your hearing health professional will then provide you with thorough instructions on how to wear and care for your devices. They’ll show how to put it in and take it out, how to adjust the volume and how to clean it.

Following Up

After you’ve had your initial fitting, you’ll likely have several follow up appointments to ensure that your hearing aid is working correctly and still feels comfortable. It’s here where you can ask any questions about whether or not you need to upgrade to a different hearing aid or try a new type.

Once you’ve had your hearing aid fitted, you should feel confident in your device, but if you’re not talk with your hearing health professional. They will find a solution to any problem you are having.