When you first find out that you need to use hearing aids for hearing loss, there are many emotions attached to it. But it is also the start of an exciting journey where you can learn to hear again and love it. It’s a process that takes time, commitment, education, and patience. It can take four to twelve weeks to remember how to hear and for you to get used to your hearing aids.
Four steps to learn to hear again and love it:
1. Education
The first preparation for hearing loss is personal education. The more you know about your hearing loss and treatment, the more actively you can participate in your adjustment to hearing aid use. We can give you various pointers on how to learn to hear again and love it.
2. Realistic expectations
It is important to set realistic expectations. Your hearing loss has been gradual; over the years you have lost the ability to hear certain sounds in the speech spectrum. You also started to not hear normal sounds of the environment, such as traffic and wind noise, the hum of machinery and other background noises. For this reason, hearing aids will enhance your hearing. You will need to focus on your improvement and remember the learning curve can take anywhere from four to twelve weeks.
3. Managing auditory confusion
Your brain needs time to become familiar again with the high-frequency sounds of speech and environmental noises. You will find that at first, all sounds might seem loud. The true pitch of the telephone, the sound of your clothes rustling as you walk, or the hum of your refrigerator motor might seem too loud in relation to other sounds. These sounds will become part of your subconscious again as your brain begins to reorganise and prioritise them. It is an exciting journey, which may seem daunting at first, but soon you will learn how to hear again and completely love it.
4. Practice and patience
Finally, the fourth principle learn how to hear again and love it is a combination of practice, time, and patience. Once you have logged sufficient hours for your brain to adapt, you will be able to hear without thinking so much about hearing. Wear your hearing aids as much as possible at first to become more skilled at recognising sound direction and to learn which hearing aid settings work best for you in different situations.
We sometimes recommend that you listen to audiobooks or podcasts to practice hearing and understanding. In the first few weeks, if it is too tiring, you need to rest. Then try again. Reach out for support and stick with it. The payoff is immense. It takes time to adapt to hearing aids. Wear them as much as possible. The adjustment period may be tiresome. It’s a lot like retraining a muscle that has not been used in a while. But the benefits will be worth it after you’ve made the adjustment.
About Strauss Audiology
Strauss Audiology is a professional audiology business in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, offering expert, effective hearing advice that is tailored to clients’ unique hearing needs. We conduct hearing evaluations, hearing tests and vertigo assessments, and provide a range of solutions to improve and protect clients’ hearing. This includes providing hearing aids to Cape Town clients. With 16 years of experience, and with the qualifications and certifications to deliver leading hearing care, you can trust us to take care of your hearing needs.
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