Living with a Hearing Aid

As we age, one of the things that often starts to change is our hearing—and not for the better. Fortunately, there are modern solutions to help with partial hearing loss, including hearing aids. There are many different hearing aid styles in Vancouver, WA, and it may come as a surprise just how efficient and unobtrusive hearing aids can be these days.

Still, living with a hearing aid can take some getting used to. It’s not just the physical apparatus that takes adjusting to—it takes time for our brains to relearn how to process the new sound. Here are some more aspects of living with a hearing aid.

Adjusting to hearing aids

Putting on a hearing aid is not like putting on a pair of glasses—there is not an immediate improvement in the same way that glasses clear up our vision. While you may notice an increase of sound, it takes time to get used to processing this sound.

For example, with new hearing aids it may be surprising to hear things like your footsteps or your own breath. It may even sound like this is coming from someone else. Our brains also have to relearn how to tune out noise versus the sounds we need to focus on, like speech. Fortunately, this adjustment usually happens quickly.

One way to think of a hearing aid is like a new pair of shoes. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but soon our body adjusts and feels more comfortable than before.

Wearing hearing aids

There are many different hearing aid types in Vancouver, WA. Modern technology has improved to the point that many hearing aids are not noticeable at all. This is great news to anyone who is worried about their physical appearance or what people will think of them if they see that they’re wearing a hearing aid.

The design of modern hearing aids has trended toward being more discreet and sleek. Technology has allowed for them to get smaller and smaller. These days, some hearing aids actually fit completely inside the ear. Most hearing aids are water resistant in 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

What you’ll notice with hearing aids

When wearing a hearing aid, you will notice an improvement of hearing and clarity of sound, especially with higher frequencies. Music, children’s laughter and birdsong are things you may not have noticed were so diminished until trying a hearing aid, and now may sound sweeter than ever.

In addition to improved hearing, you may notice the hearing aid when you put on glasses (though hearing aids are designed to accommodate them). You may also notice a beeping sound in your ear when the hearing aid batteries need to be changed (this will happen a few hours before the battery will be depleted).

Since we opened for business in 2005, Vancouver Hearing Aid Center has provided in-store evaluations, repairs, fittings, exams and consultation. Contact Us today to discuss different hearing aid types in Vancouver, WA.