Beginning Hearing Aid Use for Adults

Congratulations! You have taken a big step toward better hearing and communication. Here are a few tips to help you adjust to your new hearing aids.

The first few weeks with new hearing aids can be difficult. Your brain needs to learn how to adjust to all the sounds in the environment that you may have not heard (or not heard as well) over the past few years. Please be patient and do what works best for you during this transition time. Many new hearing instrument wearers like to put the hearing aids on in the morning, and leave them on throughout the day and learn to adjust to the new sounds they are hearing. Others prefer to take a more gradual approach and wear the hearing aids for a few hours each day, gradually working up to all waking hours. Over time, your brain will begin to “tune out” sounds that are less important and assign more focus to the sounds that are important to hear. This process can take quite some time, please be patient and be sure to maintain open communication with your audiologist.

• ​Consider making it a goal to put the hearing aids on in the morning and leave them on throughout the day until it is time for bed.
• If you are having some difficulty adjusting to new sounds, begin by wearing the hearing aids in quieter places (around the house) and gradually work up to wearing them in noisy environments (busy restaurants, large family gatherings).
• Remove your hearing aids when showering or sleeping.
• If you use hair products, be sure to apply the hair products before putting on your hearing aids. Hair gel and hair spray can damage the hearing aids.
• Most hearing aids will automatically adjust the volume and program to help you hear in both quiet and noisy places. Your hearing aids may be programmed so you can change the program and/or volume level. Feel free to use these manual controls. If you are making lots of adjustments, contact your audiologist to see if changes can be made to the hearing aids so that you do not have to adjust them on your own as much.
• Some hearing aids are dust-resistant and water-resistant. However, for best performance, it is important to keep hearing aids away from extreme heat or moisture.
• Regular cleaning by you and your audiologist will help to keep your hearing aids in good working order.
• When the hearing aids are not in use, the hearing aid batteries should be removed and the devices stored in a safe place such as a Dry & Store, or in a hearing aid case.
• Keep hearing aids and batteries out of the reach of small children or animals.
• If you are a hunter or a musician, or if you work in a noisy environment, please contact your audiologist as he or she may have additional recommendations for your hearing aid use and noise protection.