3 Reasons a Hearing Aid Fitting is Important

If you’re a little excited and a little apprehensive about wearing hearing aids, you’re not alone. The idea of hearing better and improving daily life is motivating, but concern for the unknown may have you a bit worried. Overall, it’s a simple procedure once you have the results of your hearing test. You consult with your audiologist, determine the right hearing aid for you and have a fitting. Why a fitting? Here are three reasons why your hearing aid fitting is important.

1. To make your hearing aids comfortable

You may be asking why a fitting is even necessary. After all, isn’t it possible to go to a store or on the internet and buy a hearing aid and wear it? To put it bluntly, direct to consumer hearing aids will not effectively address your hearing issues. These hearing aids are “one size fits all” and many wearers complain of irritation to the ear canal and outer ear. Studies have shown that people with ill-fitting hearing aids just don’t wear them.

An audiologist takes a mold of your ear to ensure that your hearing aids provide a unique and specific fit. When your hearing aids sit properly in your ear they are comfortable and deliver the best possible sound.

2. To get the volume right

Hearing aids are more than just amplifiers, they are complex machines that are programmed specifically to provide the best sound for your particular hearing loss. You wouldn’t assume your friend’s eyeglass prescription is the same as yours and the same presumption is necessary for hearing aids. Audiologists perform sound tests to make certain that your hearing aids are programmed correctly with the best volume settings. These tests, called real ear measurements, help the audiologist accurately adjust sound levels on your hearing aids. The painless test is performed in the office. A thin tube with a microphone is inserted into the ear canal and measures volume levels. The test is done twice – first alone in your ear canal and then performed again with the hearing aid inserted. Your audiologist sets levels so you hear soft sounds clearly and loud sounds comfortably.

3. To provide information and support

Your audiologist takes time to help you learn all about your new units and how best to begin wearing them. You’ll learn how to insert and remove them, clean them, adjust settings and change batteries. If you have any issues or worries once you’re home, your audiologist and office staff are there to answer your questions and address any future concerns.

Sometimes it seems as if there are too many procedures to go through and you wonder why so many steps are necessary to accomplish what seems to be a simple task. These three reasons why your hearing aid fitting is important hopefully provide some insight as to why your audiologist takes these measures to ensure the best possible outcome for you. Your hearing aid fitting appointment is one you won’t want to skip.