What Happens During a Hearing Aid Fitting

So, you’ve discovered that hearing aids are the best way to treat your hearing and have booked an appointment with the audiologist. However, the sense of not knowing what to expect from your hearing aid fitting process may leave you fearing the worst.

In truth, there’s nothing to worry about while you’ll also be pleased to know that you can start to enjoy the benefits of restored hearing as soon as the devices have been fitted. As for the hearing aid fitting appointment itself, here’s what to expect.

Fitting and calibration

If it were simply a case of placing the hearing aids and walking out of the door, you’d be forgiven for wanting to simply do it at home. However, the fact that your hearing aid fitting appointment will include calibration is a telling factor that means you should always seek professional fittings.

The calibration process essentially involves testing the device and making the minor adjustments needed to ensure it is tailored to your specific hearing needs. By the time this process is done, you should have a device(s) that is personalized for your preferences and requirements.

Another hearing test

Having already had a hearing test to diagnose your need for hearing aids, this new test won’t be as long or thorough. However, the audiologist will want to check that the device is picking up sounds in the right way. By placing a tiny tube in the ear canal, this is very easily achieved.

Once the audiologist knows that you are picking up the full range of tones, and can respond to dialogue, they can be sure that the device is providing the best possible service. As with the calibration process, they can also make subtle changes as and when they are required.

A lot of communication

Throughout your appointment, which should last around two hours, you can expect to have a lot of communication with the audiologist. Firstly, the audiologist will want to inform you about what to expect from daily use and provide tips on where to store them when not in use.

More importantly, this gives the expert a chance to check that the hearing aids will provide the level of restoration that you deserve. In the vast majority of cases, everything will be fine. If there is an issue with the device, though, it’s better to get it rectified now rather than suffer for months.

Training and support

A professional hearing aid fitting procedure isn’t simply designed to ensure you gain the benefits of restored hearing today. The audiologist wants you to enjoy those daily improvements for years to come, or at least until your hearing deteriorates to the point where you need a new device.

Aside from fitting the device, your audiologist will teach you how to clean your hearing aids and alter the volume and other aspects to suit your changing hearing needs. The training should also include basic support with regards to troubleshooting potential faults and issues.