How Can a Hearing Aid Help Me?

Based on hearing tests, an ENT specialist can determine whether a hearing aid is necessary and recommend the type and model based on the degree of loss.

Hearing aids are somewhat beneficial in improving the patient’s ability to hear and understand in cases of sensorineural hearing loss.

When selecting a hearing aid, the specialist considers variables such as hearing ability, work and home activities, physical condition, and medications used.

Together with the specialist, it may be decided that one or two ears require the device. Wearing hearing aids in both ears assists the patient more effectively in balancing sounds, improving the ability to understand words in noisy environments, and determining the source of sounds.

Adaptation Process to a Hearing Aid:

If you are using a hearing aid for the first time, it will take some time to get accustomed to it. This duration varies depending on your age, the degree of hearing loss, and your willingness to use the device. Research has determined that this period ranges between 5-25 days.

When you first start using your device, some sounds may cause discomfort. Particularly, individuals who have had hearing loss for an extended period may have forgotten the sounds they used to hear, especially wind and traffic noises, which normal-hearing people are accustomed to in their environment. When a device is started, these sounds may seem louder than before and may cause discomfort. Since these sounds are part of daily life, continuing to use your hearing aid with some willingness and practice can help overcome these issues.

First Days:

During the first few days, wear your hearing aid for a few hours in familiar environments such as your home and workplace.

If you feel tired and strained, remove your device. Once you feel better, wear it for a few more hours. Repeat this practice daily, gradually increasing the duration. Within 7 to 10 days, you should be able to wear your device continuously from morning to evening. Listen to your voice by reading a book or newspaper loudly. In the first days, your own voice may sound different or louder. If the difference in your voice does not improve during the adaptation process and causes discomfort, contact your audiologist. These complaints can be easily resolved by making adjustments to the calibration or special internal settings of the device.

Speak with someone in a quiet environment. During conversations, watch the person’s face and ask them to repeat words you did not hear clearly. Turn off devices that might make understanding more difficult, such as radios and televisions. Increasing the volume of your device will help you become more accustomed to the sounds it transmits.

Progressing Days:

Participate in conversations within small groups, initially ensuring that the group’s members are people whose voices you recognize. During conversations, ask individuals who you do not understand to repeat themselves.

When multiple people are speaking, try to engage in conversations with someone else. While listening, observe the speaker’s facial expressions and lip movements. In larger groups, conversations can become more confusing amidst the crowd. Being able to distinguish these sounds can be challenging even for those without hearing aids. Be patient; over time, you will become capable of making these distinctions.

What Can I Expect from a Hearing Aid?

Successfully using a hearing aid requires time and patience. A hearing aid will not restore normal hearing nor will it prevent further deterioration in your current condition. Adapting to a hearing aid is a time-consuming process that involves learning to hear the sounds around you and adjusting to different sounds.

To adapt to a hearing aid, it is necessary to start by using it for a few hours in a stress-free environment. There are programs designed to help users acquire new hearing techniques and develop the skills necessary to control hearing loss. By consulting with your specialist, you can obtain more detailed information about programs that will meet your personal needs.

Sound Comfort:

Feedback Prevention:

If your hearing aid produces feedback, living with that sound and using the device becomes very difficult. Therefore, it should be equipped with a newly developed Feedback Block system. This new system detects feedback frequencies and automatically eliminates them. Now, when feedback occurs, your ear will not hear the unpleasant sound, and the system will remove it without you feeling the feedback.

Managing speech and noise and smoothing sounds are among the biggest challenges faced by hearing aid users. The sound of a vacuum cleaner and traffic noise can be disturbing. Therefore, the hearing aid to be used should have the capability to suppress such noises.

Directional Microphone:

During a conversation, the presence of other conversations around you can make it difficult to hear the person you are speaking with. Therefore, the device should have a directional microphone feature. This feature helps by reducing the noise of conversations happening behind you while you are conversing with someone in front, allowing you to maintain a healthy conversation.

Learning (Data Acquisition):

The data learning feature learns what sound levels you can comfortably hear in different environments and conditions. This advanced system not only learns the sound levels at which you can comfortably hear in various settings but also adjusts the sound to be louder or softer, enhancing the quality of the sounds you hear.

Frequency Range:

For patients with hearing loss, it is important that the chosen device has a wide frequency range, multiple channels, and numerous programs. These features increase the comprehensibility of speech.

FM System:

Ensures that children learn more effectively at school.

Nano Coating:

Protects the hearing device from water, moisture, and external factors, ensuring a longer lifespan.