What Will You Learn at a Hearing Aid Fitting?

Your hearing aid fitting is an incredibly important step on your journey to better hearing. You’ve already selected your hearing aids; now it’s time to have them custom-fit to your anatomical and hearing loss needs. This appointment will cover a lot of information, so it’s helpful to have a good idea about what you can expect to occur during this visit.

You’ll learn about your devices

Your audiologist will spend part of the hearing aid fitting educating you about the basic ins and outs of your devices. They will show you how to insert and remove your hearing aids properly, and will likely watch you repeat the same actions to ensure you know how to do this without damaging the devices. Next, you will also learn how the hearing aid actually works. This means how to turn it on and off, how to switch between separate settings and how to change the battery. The audiologist will also discuss which type of hearing aid batteries your device requires – whether they’re rechargeable or throwaway – and how to do this to power your units efficiently.

The physical fit

Your audiologist will also be inserting and removing the hearing aids to test the physical fit of the devices with your ear anatomy. Hearing aids shouldn’t be uncomfortable or painful to wear, so if you experience any discomfort, let your audiologist know, and they will adjust the fit. If you opted for a hearing aid that requires an earmold, the audiologist will also be testing this piece to ensure it fits snuggly and comfortably.

Programming the hearing aids

Your audiologist will also program your devices to your specific hearing loss requirements. This means fine-tuning the settings to ensure you can hear – whether you’re in a crowded environment or sitting at home. They will also customize any other feature you’ve selected, including directional microphones, multisettings and Bluetooth.

Questions and follow-up

At the end of the appointment, your audiologist will go over any questions or concerns you may have. Don’t be afraid to ask something – full understanding is essential to your hearing aid experience. Once they have answered all of your questions, they will schedule a follow-up appointment a few weeks out to talk to you about how you are adjusting to your new devices. If any particular setting isn’t working like you think it should, they will also make adjustments to ensure your devices are serving you properly.