After your diagnostic hearing evaluation, the audiologists at The Hearing Clinic of Woodlake will help you select the hearing aids that best meet your needs. Your devices will be ordered from the manufacturer and will arrive in about 10-14 days preprogrammed. You’ll return to our office for your fitting appointment. This is typically the longest appointment you have, and we recommend that you bring a friend or family member with you. You’ll receive complete information on wearing and caring for your hearing aids, the programming will be fine-tuned using live speech mapping and we’ll review what to expect during the time you adjust to wearing your hearing aids.
Live speech mapping
Once your hearing aids are turned on and inserted, the fine-tuning process will begin. Because hearing is a highly personal experience, The Hearing Clinic of Woodlake uses state-of-the-art live speech mapping to adjust your hearing aids. A small microphone is inserted in your ear, and often the voice of your friend or family member will be used as the baseline for adjustments. The voice will also be displayed on a screen so you and your companion can see precisely how adjusting your hearing aids changes your perception of the sound. People who undergo hearing aid fitting using live speech mapping require fewer follow-up visits and adapt more readily to wearing hearing aids.
Hearing aid care
During this appointment, you’ll learn how to turn your hearing aids on and off, insert and remove them, make adjustments, use features, perform cleaning and change or recharge the batteries. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask.
Adjusting to your hearing aids
Just like wearing eyeglasses or contacts, adjusting to hearing aids takes time. The Hearing Clinic of Woodlake will provide you with strategies, tips and tricks to make the adjustment period as short as possible. At first, you may feel overwhelmed. That’s normal. Remember that your brain has been deprived of auditory input and needs some time to adjust to its return.
Before leaving, you’ll make an appointment to return for a follow-up. If at any time you have questions or concerns about your hearing aids, don’t hesitate to contact us. The Hearing Clinic of Woodlake wants to be your partner in better hearing.