Living with Hearing Aids

Changing for the better - living with hearing aids

Taking the first steps to hearing better is a huge step for many people. After all, with many people leaving it up to 10 years before addressing their hearing, they often don’t think they need hearing aids!

Hearing aids have moved with the times, the technology now allows for them to be invisible, automatic, take phone calls and even stream music or the TV. Living with hearing aids, with the right guidance, are also easier to adapt to than ever. Making the decision to do something about your hearing could well be the best decision you’ve ever made!

6 Steps to help you adapt successfully

 

1. Time

This is the most important thing you need to remember. On average people take between 3 and 10 years before taking action on their hearing loss. When wearing hearing aids for the first time you will hear sounds you haven’t heard for many years. These take time to adapt to.

Your brain will be getting stimulation like it hasn’t had for years and will be desperately trying to remember what all these new sounds are. Over time it will learn to associate these sounds with certain things in the environment again and will naturally filter what you do and don’t want to hear.  For an average person it can take up to 1 month to become fully adapted.

 

2. Stay Positive and Motivated

If you are motivated and accept your hearing loss then you will be much more likely to succeed.

There are many benefits to winning the battle not only for yourself, but your family too. At Bailgate Hearing we love seeing your progress and get genuine satisfaction from helping you to lead a better life. We don’t ask for any other commitment apart from a motivation in trying to repair your hearing. If you can provide the motivation, we can provide the expertise and support along the way.

 

3. Be Realistic

Whilst we would love to be able to provide a miracle cure, it isn’t realistic. Your hearing may never return to normal however with a good audiologist, and the technology that is available, your hearing will be vastly improved.

We will never make unrealistic claims about what can be achieved. We will however be with you every step of the way to make sure you get the very best hearing that you can.

 

4. Learn About Your Hearing

Spending time to understand your hearing loss and why you need hearing aids will help you accept your hearing loss. A good audiologist will spend time with you to thoroughly explain your hearing loss and why you need hearing aids.

We see people who suffer from tinnitus or have worn hearing aids for many years who don’t seek the correct help and don’t wear their hearing aids. The main reason for this is they don’t understand why. Seeking the correct help with a good audiologist will help you to understand your hearing problems and why hearing aids will help you.

 

5. Acceptance

It can be difficult to accept you’re not hearing well. It is usually friends and family that notice first and they tend to point it out, rather unkindly, by calling you deaf!

Our natural reaction is to be defensive and complain that they are mumbling! The first thing to accept is that you are not deaf. Just like wearing glasses doesn’t mean we’re blind!

If you can think like this and accept that you have a hearing loss, there is a much better chance you will be able to accept your hearing aids.

 

6. Practice, Practice, Practice

Great, so you’ve followed steps 1 to 5, you’ve accepted your hearing loss and have decided you WILL try some hearing aids. It’s now time to make a commitment to the trial and practice wearing them.

As we talked about in step 1, it takes time to learn to hear again, it will stimulate your brain like it hasn’t been stimulated for many years. Build up gradually, spend a few hours listening to the TV or radio, when you’re more confident go for a coffee with friends. As you build up your brain will adapt and the hearing aids will sound more natural. Your brain will learn to focus on the sounds that are important and filter out the ones that aren’t.

The more time you spend practising the quicker your brain will adapt, the better you will hear and the more you will enjoy your new hearing aids!