Are Your Hearing Aids Working Their Best?

Are Your Hearing Aids Working Their Best?

By Celia McCormick, Au.D., Collin County LIVING WELL Magazine

Just like cell phones, televisions, and tablet computers, hearing aids have gone through an amazing technology change during the past five years. Despite all of these incredible advances, patients occasionally come into the office and say, “My hearing aids just don’t work.” If YOU have ever said this, ask yourself…

Is it time for a tune-up?

Hearing aids live in a hostile environment. Oils from your skin, hair products, earwax, and make-up can all build up on different parts of your devices making them less effective. A quick trip to your audiologist for a good cleaning can make a world of difference in hearing aid performance. Your hearing aids don’t have to look broken to be broken. Just a little moisture or some dirt in the wrong spot can cause a major decline in sound quality.

When was my last test?

Monitoring your hearing health is nearly impossible to do at home. If it has been over a year since your last test, make an appointment with your audiologist for a hearing evaluation and hearing aid adjustment. Like a new eyeglass prescription, a slight tweak to your hearing aid programming can really take things from dull and blurry to sharp and crisp.

What am I up to?

Have you started a new hobby? Moved to a different house? Enjoying lunch at a new restaurant? Different environments have different demands on your hearing. If your hearing aids were originally programmed to hear your co-workers at business meetings and now you are spending three days a week on the golf course your hearing aids need to be adjusted accordingly. Tell your audiologist about your experiences and challenges and they can fine tune your hearing aid programming to better meet your goals.

Are they on my head?

Even if you have the greatest technology, programmed to perfection, hearing aids don’t work unless they are used consistently. Your brain has learned to like the way things sound without your hearing aids and in order for it to re-learn to listen to the world (even things you would rather not hear) it needs constant exposure to sounds.

Celia McCormick, Au.D., is a clinical audiologist at Family Audiology in Plano, Texas. To learn more about Family Audiology call 972-943-0466 or visit www.familyaud.com.