How Can an Audiologist Help with Hearing Aids?

Audiologists are professionals who use technology, problem-solving, and social skills to identify and treat balance, hearing, tinnitus, and other disorders that are auditory. They are there to help people who experience things such as hearing loss to connect and communicate better with the world around them.

Hearing aids are one of the most used and successful ways of treating hearing loss; there is a lot that is involved with making sure you have the right hearing aids to suit your individual needs. This is where your audiologist helps; some of the areas they focus on include:

Selection

Audiologists will prescribe hearing aids that are programmed to fit your specific hearing loss. To do this, they will first have to complete a thorough hearing evaluation. They will test the level of your hearing loss in a range of pitches. The results are then recorded using an audiogram which provides them with a complete picture of your hearing ability.

Not all hearing loss is equal, therefore not all hearing aid models work and have to be carefully selected. Looking at the results of your audiogram, your audiologist will be able to recommend the different hearing aid features that will work best for your circumstances.

Fitting

Once the right hearing aids have been selected for you, you will usually only need to wait a few weeks for them to be ready for fitting. There isn’t much that needs to be done to place the hearing aids in your ears; however, if itis your first time wearing an aid, your audiologist will be able to show you how to correctly place them in your ears. As well as making sure they fit in your ear correctly, they will make sure they are working correctly, there is no feedback, and that program that is needed is working as it should. They will also run through how to test the hearing aids for faults.

Maintenance

Hearing aids require a certain level of maintenance in order to ensure they are working as they should. Your audiologist will look at parts of the maintenance such as an annual check, updating the program settings, and replacing the tubes and earmolds when they are needed; however, a lot of maintenance needs to be carried out at home by the wearer. Your audiologist will make sure you know how to take care of your hearing aids at home. They will show you how to keep them clean, what to do if they get wet, how to tackle condensation, how to turn certain settings on and off, how to change any tubing, and how to change the batteries. If you are ever unsure about how to care for your hearing aids, make sure you speak with your audiologist.

Repairs

Of course, just as with any other piece of technology we use, sometimes accidents happen, or faults occur. This is when repairs need to take place in order to ensure you are receiving the right level of help and clarity from your hearing aid. If your hearing aids stop working or get damaged, your audiologist will be able to help you repair them or replace them.

There are many ways that an audiologist can help you with your hearing aids, if there is anything you are ever unsure of anything make sure you speak with them, they are there to help.