Four Tips for Helping Your Senior Adjust to a Hearing Aid
Hearing aids can be absolutely life-changing for your senior. She needs to actually wear them for that to happen, though, and that means getting through the adjustment period. Understanding what to expect can make that easier for your elderly family member and for you.
Hearing Aids Are Weird at First
The first thing that you and your senior need to know about hearing aids is that they’re very unusual at first. The hearing aid doesn’t give your senior exactly the same hearing that she used to have. It’s a more amplified, mechanical type of sound that may be difficult for your senior to listen to at first. Some people find that they never can feel comfortable wearing hearing aids, but they’re always worth a try.
The Fit Matters
Your senior will have to meet with a hearing aid technician to have her hearing aids fitted. This involves a variety of tasks all in one appointment. For starters, the hearing aids will literally be fitted to your senior’s ears. Most styles have a variety of domes that swap out for hearing aids that fit into the ear canal to help with fitment. Behind-the-ear styles have other types of methods to adjust the fit as well. There’s also an initial program or setting that the hearing aids will be tuned to in order to start your senior out.
She Needs to Wear It
Once the hearing aid is adjusted as well as possible, your senior needs to actually wear it. That might mean that at first she wears it for a couple of hours every day, gradually increasing the time that she wears it during the day. The really important part is that your senior makes the hearing aid a part of her regular daily routine. If she is getting help from home care services providers, it can help if they remind her to put her hearing aids in each day.
Follow-up Appointments Are Where the Magic Happens
Your senior will have at least a few follow-up appointments with the hearing aid technicians. This helps to spot issues with fit, but it’s also an opportunity for the technician to adjust the program for the hearing aids until they’re set to the full prescription setting for your senior. This takes time because her brain adjusts to processing sounds from the hearing aids.
The most important message about wearing hearing aids is that it takes time for your senior to adjust. Her hearing isn’t going to be exactly the way it was and understanding that from the start can help to keep her expectations reasonable.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Home Care Services in Milledgeville GA please contact the caring staff at Angels of Mercy Private Homecare Services, Inc. today at 478-745-5111.
Angels of Mercy Private Homecare has been providing in-home care services since 2002 throughout the Macon and Middle Georgia Area.
Angels of Mercy Private Homecare Services provides in-home care that improves the lives of the clients. Our services help them maintain the highest possible level of independent living. We provide In-home private duty care and care management services for seniors throughout the Middle Georgia area.
Our CNA (certified nursing aides), caregiver, and companion services allow our clients to age in the place where they feel most comfortable and secure - at home. Combine our Home Care Services, with our Geriatric Care Management component, and we provide the most comprehensive assistance for the Middle Georgia areas seniors.
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