Starting treatment with hearing aids is an exciting time full of clearer sounds and easier communication. If you just got your first pair of hearing aids, it might feel easy to assume your treatment journey is over, but that isn’t the case. Follow-up appointments are an essential part of maximizing your hearing aid benefits. Let’s take a look at four things you can expect from your follow-up appointments and why they’re essential to attend.
1. Programming
Your first follow-up appointment is designed to check how your devices meet your needs. Based on your feedback, your audiologist will check the programming and adjust the amplification and frequency settings.
2. Fit and Comfort
Your audiologist will check the physical fit of your devices to ensure they’re comfortable and sitting securely in or around your ear. Attending your follow-up visit will give you the opportunity to discuss fit issues, discomfort and trouble placing them correctly in your ear.
3. Addressing Sound Distortions
Distortions like feedback (whistling noise), low volume, muffled sound and difficulty understanding speech in busy environments can create an unpleasant hearing experience. If your hearing aids are producing any of these issues, your audiologist will likely check for programming issues and wax buildup. They can show you how to address these problems as they arise, either by cleaning your devices or adjusting your settings through the device’s mobile app.
4. Conducting Additional Hearing Tests
If your hearing aids are not meeting your needs, your audiologist might conduct additional hearing tests to determine the underlying causes. These tests help identify specific challenges you might be experiencing with your hearing aids, such as difficulties in certain environments or changes in your hearing levels. Your audiologist can make targeted adjustments to your devices based on the results.
Why Attend Follow-up Appointments?
One 2021 study on the attendance and effectiveness of hearing aid follow-up appointments found that patients who attended them reported a significant reduction in hearing aid problems. Deciding to start wearing hearing aids is a big and wonderful decision. Attending hearing aid follow-up appointments allows you to maximize the benefits of these tiny but advanced devices for accessible and comfortable sound.
Don’t wait to enjoy a clear hearing aid sound. Contact Audiology Associates of Redding today to make an appointment with one of our specialists.