What to Expect At A Hearing Aid Fitting

Hearing aid fitting is a critical part of your treatment success. Hearing aids work best when custom-fitted to your ears and adjusted for your specific needs and preferences. That’s why reputable hearing aid brands won’t sell their products online. They want you to have the best possible experience with a professional fitting.

When you’ve selected your hearing aids, our expert professionals at El Dorado Hearing will make sure your hearing aids feel comfortable. With your hearing aids in place, we’ll program them. We’re happy to show the advanced features of your hearing aids and how to take care of them. If your hearing aids don’t meet your expectations, return them immediately so we can adjust them for you.

Your Hearing Aid Fitting Will Help You Get the Best Sound

We’ll program your new hearing aids based on your hearing test results, your individual preferences, and your unique listening environments. We can fine-tune your hearing aids to help you hear in various situations, including restaurants, crowds, and other difficult listening situations. Hearing is subjective; friends with the same hearing loss as you may prefer to have their hearing aids programmed differently.

Live Speech Mapping

We also use Live Speech Mapping, a hearing aid fitting process that uses probe microphones and live real-time speech. It allows you and your family members to immediately see the benefits of hearing aids and understand the fitting process.

Getting Used to Your Hearing Aids

Hearing loss typically develops over many years. Becoming reacquainted with sounds while using hearing aids takes time and practice. We’ve had patients who needed only a few days to get used to their new hearing aids, but most new wearers need a few weeks to a few months.

In general, the greater your hearing loss and the longer the hearing loss has been present, the more challenging it is to transition to hearing aids. There’s no perfect way to learn how to adjust to hearing aids. But the time you spend adjusting to your new hearing aids is well worth it.

Try to be patient with yourself as you get used to the new sounds, and return to our office for adjustments or consultation if needed. We’re here to help you through this process!

Getting the Most from Your Hearing Aids

There are three things you can do to help us adjust your hearing aids to get the maximum benefit from wearing them:

1. Wear your hearing aids as much as possible. The more you wear them, the more you’ll get used to them and, most importantly, the more information you’ll have to tell us so we can make adjustments.
2. Write down the situations where you feel you don’t hear your best. We can reprogram the devices to work better in that environment.
3. Be patient. Most of the time, we can help you get more from your hearing aids, but it may take two or three visits to make this happen.

All hearing aids come with an adjustment or trial period, typically 30 days from the date of purchase. During this time, you’re welcome to visit us for any necessary fitting issues. If, for any reason, you’re not satisfied, you can return your hearing aids during the trial period for a refund minus a small fitting/restocking fee.

Hearing Aids and Follow-up Care

We want you to get the most from your hearing aids. For one to three follow-up visits, we’ll look at the situations where you thrive and those where you might need some improvement. We’ll adjust your hearing aids based on your experience with them.

Today’s hearing instruments are highly programmable, and slight readjustments may make a big difference. Your hearing aids should fit comfortably and have proper sound levels. If you’re not satisfied, come see us immediately for alterations to provide a comfortable fit.