What to Expect

• At first with a hearing aid the world may seem noisy and alive with more sounds than you remember.
  
  
• Everyday sounds now amplified by your hearing aid may seem somewhat unnatural to you.
  
  
• At first, you may experience a bit of discomfort with having something situated in your ear.
  
  
• There should be no pain associated with wearing the hearing aid.
  
  

Cautions

• A hearing aid cannot restore normal hearing or improve a hearing impairment resulting from organic conditions.
  
  
• A hearing aid cannot prevent further hearing loss.
  
  
• Patience is the key in adjusting to a hearing aid; relearning takes place in the brain, not in the ear (a process called “acclimatization” that takes days to weeks).
  
  

Individual Habits

• Some people will use their hearing aid only occasionally (e.g., watching TV or at the theater).
  
  
• Some people will want to wear them all day for all occasions.
  
  
• Some people prefer to “jump in” to hearing aid use by wearing them all the time, right from the beginning.
  
  
• Some people prefer a more gradual approach, increasing wearing time by an hour each day.
  
  

Everyday Hearing Tips

• Make sure that people have your attention before they speak.
  
  
• Sit or stand close to the source of what you want to hear.
  
  
• Watch people when they are speaking.
  
  
• Request booth seating in restaurants or sit with your back to the wall.