For those of you who were fitted with hearing aids within the last month or two, I hope you are enjoying them and managing to reap the benefits of improved hearing. As most of us are currently being asked to stay at home whilst we live through this Covid-19 pandemic, having good hearing right now cannot be underestimated. Listening to the news for our daily Government updates, listening to music or podcasts to ease our anxiousness and being able to use the telephone to speak to friends and family is hugely important for our overall well-being.
As a new hearing aid wearer you might, however, be experiencing a few teething problems with your new aids. Unlike wearing glasses for the first time, where vision is restored to normal immediately, it takes more time to get used to wearing hearing aids. I should point out that this is entirely normal. Having fitted hearing aids for nearly 20 years, it is usual to see patients for a follow up, normally within a month of their fitting to do some fine tuning. Currently, this is not possible, unless your audiologist has access to remote programming. However, it's also an opportunity to recap on all that information you received at your first appointment, there is a lot isn't there! Cleaning, changing filters, changing wax guards, battery changing or recharging, programs and assistive devices....the list goes on.
In the absence of face to face contact, I'd really like you to take a look at a relatively new website called C2hear. www.c2hearonline.com was launched and made available free on YouTube towards the end of 2015 and has been designed specifically for hearing aid users. There are many "how to" videos on the internet but this website has been developed by researchers at The University of Nottingham along with over 70 hearing aid users and audiologists. The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research and is evidence-based so you can be confident that the information is relevant and practical. As well as offering practical advice it also offers psychosocial knowledge about hearing aids so it should resonate with all hearing users, new or experienced. Essentially, it is a website developed specifically for hearing aid users by hearing users and audiologists.
If you would like to ask any questions after viewing these videos, please do not hesitate to drop me a line or call and we can chat about how you're doing. If I haven't fitted your hearing aids, I am still available to chat and offer advice or your can contact your hearing aid provider directly.
I hope you enjoy these videos and that they help you.
Keep safe in these difficult times.