Tip 1: Adjusting the volume to the situation
Modern hearing aids automatically select the appropriate volume when they are switched on. No other adjustments are necessary. If you adjust the volume manually, do not make it too loud. This rarely helps with understanding. Please do not try to understand someone speaking softly at a great distance. Even a healthy ear cannot do that.
Tip 2: Let the hearing aid be a part of your life
Just like spectacles or contact lenses, a hearing aid can feel strange at first. After a brief period of adjustment, this will change. Give yourself a little time to get used to it. However, if you experience any problems or pain, please contact your hearing care professional so that you can make the most of the hearing in your life.
Tip 3: Be an active participant in conversations
Even people without hearing loss find it difficult to follow discussions sometimes, especially if several people talk at once. Move closer to the person you would like to hear and focus on him or her. As you gain experience with your hearing aid, you will be able to master these situations with more ease and confidence. Additional listening devices can also be helpful in these situations. You can find out more and discuss this with your hearing care professional. They will be able to provide information on which additional devices are most appropriate for your needs.
Tip 4: Make Visits to Public Places
Theatres, places of worship, conference halls and similar places can present an acoustic challenge for hearing aid users. Ideally, you should find a seat in the section with the best acoustics. It is usually located in the front and centre of the room. Do not sit too closely to the speaker, but close enough to see his or her face. Some public places have special technical equipment to make hearing and understanding easier. Just ask in advance or when you get there.
Tip 5: Follow Television and Radio Programmes
Sometimes it is not possible to understand every single word. In those cases, try to concentrate on the overall context. In these situations, an appropriate additional listening device can also be helpful to facilitate your hearing aid with the most recent technology available.
Tip 6: Use Your Hearing Aid With Your Phone
As a hearing aid user, you have many options to improve your hearing and understanding of phone calls. Your hearing aid specialist can advise you, which solution is best for you.
Tip 7: Two Ears Hear Better Than One
Our two ears receive sound and then transmit these sounds to the part of our brain that processes hearing. When our ears perceive a sound, the brain determines its direction. This is possible because one ear hears the sound a split second earlier and a little bit louder than the other. This localization ability alerts us, for example, to approaching cars when we cross a street.
Another important factor is sound quality, which is much better when we hear with both ears. Speech heard with only one ear can sound flat and strange.
Hearing aids are fitted to both ears if the hearing loss occurs on both sides maximising sound quality and retaining the ability to detect which direction sounds are coming from.
