Practical Guide to Hearing Aid Problems

A hearing aid is a problem all by itself. The variety of sounds it can reproduce is very limited. Also, persons with hearing problems are all different. No two person's ears are alike, neither do they hear the same sounds. In view of these factors, what can the user of a hearing aid do? First, he must give himself time and discipline himself to get used to his "new ear," not expecting more from his aid than it is capable of giving. The initial discomfort is similar to that experienced when one gets false teeth or bifocal glasses. Eventually the discomfort decreases as the one using the aid adjusts to the new perceptions of sound.

Obviously, if a person has not heard certain sounds for a long time, he becomes used to not hearing. Even the chirping of a bird or the rustle of leaves can be disturbing if one has not heard these sounds for some time. The hearing-aid wearer may, therefore, feel that he is perceiving too much noise, and refuse to continue using the device. But this will not help him to hear better. The only solution is for him to learn to accept the noise, ignore the undesirable noises and concentrate on those sounds that he wants to hear.

To avoid discouragement, a hearing-aid user also needs to keep in mind that there are occasions when even those with normal hearing miss much of what is being said. Hence, he, too, can expect to obtain poor results at times.

If a hearing-aid wearer appreciates these limitations and does not allow himself to be discouraged by them, he may well reap fine benefits. Certainly, it takes self-discipline to become a successful hearing-aid user.

Being Helpful

Those associating with a person who is hard of hearing can assist him by being understanding. They do well to remember that one learning to wear a hearing aid is experiencing problems and discomfort.

While it may be a trying experience to speak with one suffering from hearing loss, conversation should not be discontinued. Talking with one's regular voice and with the usual volume is most helpful. Speaking louder may cause distortion for the hearing-aid user. It is best to get his attention and to speak with him face to face so that he can see your lips and face, and visually "read" the lips and facial expressions for clues as to what is being stated. If he does not understand something, rephrasing may be more helpful than just repeating. For example, if the expression, "Do you want to go uptown?" is not readily understood, more clues could be given. Perhaps one could say: "We are going shopping uptown. Would you like to go uptown with us?"