{"id":916,"date":"2019-12-08T17:47:31","date_gmt":"2019-12-08T04:47:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aucklandhearing.co.nz\/?p=916"},"modified":"2020-08-10T10:14:41","modified_gmt":"2020-08-09T22:14:41","slug":"making-your-decision-to-get-hearing-aids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aucklandhearing.co.nz\/hearing-aids\/making-your-decision-to-get-hearing-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"Making your decision to get hearing aids"},"content":{"rendered":"
Every process begins with a decision.<\/h3>\n
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The key to success with hearing aids is: that you\u00a0have decided for yourself\u00a0<\/strong>that you are ready to get help with your hearing.<\/p>\n
Have you observed or decided some or all of these:<\/p>\n
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you’ve have noticed that your hearing is influencing the way you live your life<\/li>\n
it is time to improve your communication<\/li>\n
you would like to improve your relationships with family, friends and work colleagues<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And that\u00a0you want to do it for you<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 not to please someone else.<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\n
When would it not be YOUR decision to get hearing aids?<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
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Sometimes well-intentioned family members influence people to get hearing aids<\/li>\n
you may be influenced by a professional \u2013 based on the level of hearing loss (audiogram)<\/li>\n
Because you \u201cshould\u201d even though you are not quite ready in yourself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Why do you need to make this decision for yourself?<\/h2>\n
Over the years that your hearing has been gradually changing, so has your brain. The hearing part of your brain has been receiving less sound input, so it has had less information to process. It has forgotten what to do, as it hasn\u2019t had to work so hard. Other parts of your brain have been working harder to try and keep up with the conversation. You need to use context and visual cues to work out what is being said. This can cause auditory fatigue or tiredness at the end of the day.<\/p>\n
Luckily, once we provide that missing sound to your hearing system with hearing aids, your brain can begin to use the information again. Brain plasticity means you can relearn and rewire. Just like when we start on a new exercise program; when we get hearing aids, we need to start slowly and rebuild our \u201chearing muscles\u201d. As long as it hasn\u2019t been too long and your hearing loss is not too severe, your brain plasticity will mean you will relearn to process the sounds you have been missing and usually, we can get most of your hearing functionality back.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It can be hard work at the beginning\u00a0as you adjust to hearing again.<\/h3>\n
\nLuckily, hearing aids now have an excellent sound quality, and you will adjust very quickly as long as you wear them all the time and get used to hearing again. \u00a0Within half an hour, sounds that seemed strange or new when you first put on the hearing aids will begin to normalise.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The key to real success with hearing aids is continual use.<\/strong>\u00a0You must be ready in yourself to get hearing aids, so you embrace the process for maximum benefit. We want to create a new normal \u2013 Normal to hear.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
To create a new normal, we are going to ask you to wear your hearing aids as much as you can, from the time you wake up in the morning until you go to bed at night. \u00a0At first, you may find it tiring. Your brain will have to work hard to process the extra sound that it had forgotten about over the last few years. \u00a0By the end of the first two weeks, you should be at the point where you can wear your hearing aids all day every day. By the time you finalise your hearing aids, it will feel normal for you to hear.<\/p>\n
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Helping you adjust \u2013 moving from comfort to clarity<\/h3>\n
Usually, we begin the hearing aid fitting process by working out how much sound you require to compensate for your hearing loss, then turning the hearing aids down. \u00a0The goal at the first fitting is to get the sound comfortable. We want you to wear the hearing aids as much as possible, giving your brain time to adjust to the new sounds. \u00a0We then gradually turn the sound up over time. \u00a0This process gives your brain time to adapt and change, keeping sound comfortable at the start and increasing the clarity over time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You must decide that you need hearing aids for yourself. <\/strong>Once you have chosen to improve your hearing, there will be a short adaption process to go through as you adjust to hearing again.<\/p>\n
Being ready and in a positive mindset, helps this process run smoothly.<\/h3>\n
You are about to start on a hearing adventure.<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
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I\u2019d been having hearing problems during conversations and during some lectures that I had been attending. I needed to have the TV and radio turned up rather too loud, and had some difficulty using the telephone. So I finally decided to do something about it. I first contacted Maree for a hearing check about six years ago, after a disappointing experience with a different audiology company. But I found her to be much more helpful and went with her advice on which hearing aids would suit my particular needs. Her diagnostic evaluation was spot-on, and the results were actually better than I had anticipated. I only wish I had contacted her earlier.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bn4zv3j4u2j3yq7f91fwqym1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/14762207-two-people-are-choosing-the-direction-of-movement-3d-image-isolated-white-background.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bn4zv3j4u2j3yq7f91fwqym1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/person-with-a-key.jpg\")
Luckily, hearing aids now have an excellent sound quality, and you will adjust very quickly as long as you wear them all the time and get used to hearing again. \u00a0Within half an hour, sounds that seemed strange or new when you first put on the hearing aids will begin to normalise.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bn4zv3j4u2j3yq7f91fwqym1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Max-and-I-cropped-and-smaller.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"Anna](\"https:\/\/aucklandhearing.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Maree-and-Anna-Auckland-Hearing-300x193.jpg\")