Prescription hearing aid technology may be more advanced than ever, but if you’re new to hearing aids, it can be challenging to get used to. These tips can help you adjust to your new hearing aids.

Though prescription hearing aid technology is far more advanced than ever, wearing hearing aids can still be a challenge for some. After all, they’re “aids,” that can help you hear better, but can’t replace your natural ability to hear. People still have difficulty getting used to wearing the devices themselves, as well as how they sound.

Here are some tips from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to help you get the most benefit from prescription hearing aids, especially if you’re a new hearing aid wearer.

On the day you pick your prescription hearing aids up, your audiologist should:

• Check that your prescription hearing aids fit comfortably.
• Show you how to put your hearing aids on and remove them.
• Teach you how to insert and remove the batteries or how to recharge the hearing aids if they are rechargeable.
• Verify the programs and settings of your prescription hearing aids. A method called real-ear measurement (REM), which Associated Audiologists uses, is considered the “gold standard” to ensure that your hearing aids are amplifying sounds at the appropriate level for your hearing loss. REM may be performed either at your initial prescription hearing aid fitting or at a follow- up appointment.
• Teach you how to clean and care for your hearing aids.
• Discuss hearing assistive technology (such as remote controls, television accessories or portable microphones) that may further help you.
• Schedule you for a follow-up visit.

To adjust to your prescription hearing aids:

• Wear them daily during most waking hours, if possible (remove when bathing to avoid getting them wet). If you take them off for any length of time, your brain will adjust back to not wearing them. This can slow your progress.
• Wear your prescription hearing aids even if you are alone and/or in quiet environments. You will be reteaching your brain to hear and listen to sounds that you have been missing.
• Wear your prescription hearing aids in noisy places to assist with communication. New hearing aid technology has digital processing that helps to reduce background noise to a more comfortable level.
• Don’t compare your hearing aid experiences with those of others. Hearing is a very individual experience. Some people adjust to listening with prescription hearing aids shortly after their fitting, whereas others need more time to adjust to new sounds.
• Contact your audiologist right away if you get whistling or feedback from your hearing aids or you experience pain when wearing your hearing aids.

It can take time to adjust to wearing prescription hearing aids. Be sure you have a follow-up appointment scheduled with your audiologist. At that appointment, your audiologist can check your hearing aids and reprogram them if necessary, or provide additional recommendations to help you adjust to them.

To learn more about the latest hearing aid technology and the many benefits of hearing your best, schedule an appointment with a doctoral-level audiologist.