What to Do After You Get Hearing Aids
Hearing loss has become a major health issue in America today; although it is not a life threatening condition, it is a condition that can lower someone’s overall quality of life. It has been reported that the typical person with hearing loss waits over five years to see a health care professional to be tested for hearing aids. However, studies have also proven that patients who choose to wear hearing aids will notice a significant improvement in their quality of life.
Proper maintenance of hearing aids is an important aspect to the patient’s enjoyment and use. After patients are fitted for hearing aids at one of Robert Wagner’s Miracle-Ear hearing centers in the Orange County and Los Angeles area, it is recommended that they maintain their devices by taking the time to have them regularly adjusted and cleaned.
After they first get their hearing aids, the patient should come in to Wagner’s hearing center once a week, every week, for the next month. After that first month, Wagner suggests that the patient comes in for cleaning or adjustment once a month for the next two to three months, and then every three months, on average, after that.
Miracle-Ear takes the post-care of their patient’s hearing aids very seriously; they realize that post-care is actually more important than the initial purchase of the hearing aids. “We call this the Miracle-Ear experience,” says Wagner.
By properly maintaining and cleaning their hearing aid, patients will receive maximum benefit from them. Wagner says that if the patient follows their hearing professional’s directions about how to maintain and wear their hearing aids, they will adjust to them very well. However, Wagner warns that when it comes to the patient adjusting to their new lifestyle of hearing again, “There’s a lot of emotional adjustment.” What he means is that patients will be hearing sounds they are not used to hearing, and it might take some getting used to. For example, they might hear the refrigerator making noises that they never even knew it made before! Noises that the patient never even realized existed will sound very loud to them at first.
Speaking of, noise is what Wagner feels is the most common cause of hearing loss in today’s society. Long term exposure to any type of noise can cause hearing damage; also if noise decibels reach 165 for a period of five minutes or more, you are susceptible to permanent hearing damage or loss. Other causes of long term and permanent hearing loss can be attributed to the patient’s genetics, side effects of certain medications or even a high fever. Sometimes, says Wagner, even hearing one gunshot, one time can cause permanent hearing loss. In order to prevent any type of hearing damage, make sure you are getting tested regularly at your Los Angeles or Orange County area hearing center.