How Can I Maintain My Hearing Aid At Home?

Keeping your hearing aid clean and free from debris is vital in maintaining good sound quality, and you will have been advised on the daily care and cleaning of your hearing aids by your audiologist. It is important to pay careful attention to these processes, and to general maintenance such as battery replacement and sensible storage, to prevent problems. However, you should still attend maintenance appointments for more thorough cleaning and aftercare.

What Happens At A Maintenance Appointment?

When you attend a maintenance appointment at Hidden Hearing, we will:

1. Check your hearing aid. We will carefully check your hearing aid to ensure it is functioning correctly, and discuss the quality of the sounds you are hearing at the present time.
2. Check your hearing. Hearing loss is a condition that can continue to deteriorate over time so it is vital to keep monitoring your hearing to ensure you are receiving the best possible hearing options at all times. It can be helpful to bring along a friend or family member who will be able to help you to identify patterns in your hearing loss in your every day life.
3. Clean your hearing aid. We have specialized equipment for deep cleaning your hearing aids and removing built up debris or dust. This cleaning process is essential to the continuing functioning of your hearing aid, and will help to keep your hearing as clear as possible.
4. Make adjustments or repairs. Your maintenance appointment is a great time to fix any loose tubing, deal with any problems you are experiencing and check that your hearing aid still fits you well.
5. Consider other options. If you are experiencing any problems with your hearing aids, or you think there may be a better option available for you, we can discuss this and see if there is anything else we can do to improve your hearing.

Try Digital Hearing Aids at Hidden Hearing

If you think you may be experiencing hearing loss, you can book a free hearing test at Hidden Hearing to find out more. Our friendly audiologists will assess your hearing and discuss your options with you, helping to find the right solution for you and your lifestyle.

Hidden Hearing is Ireland’s leading private provider of hearing care solutions, and our national network includes over seventy-five branches and clinics. We have a great range of hearing aids, including new digital hearing aids that are smaller and more discreet than ever before.

Contact Hidden Hearing online today, or pop into your local branch

The post The Importance Of Service Appointments For Your Hearing Aid appeared first on The Hidden Hearing Blog.

Of course, this may vary from situation to situation and from person to person. However, there are a few tricks worth knowing about that could improve your current experience and make a life a little easier.

The first thing to be aware of is how the volume on your particular device is controlled. Older models of hearing aid usually have a manual volume control – this can either be controlled with your fingertips and come with a dial that can be turned up or down – or take the form of a an inset that has to be adjusted using a screwdriver.

Hearing aids that fit into your inner ear, the volume control will usually be located on just one of your earpieces, but will usually work on both, so don’t bother searching for controls on both!

Sometimes your hearing device will even come with a remote control, which can make the whole process a lot easier, while a few of the newer models now offer automatic volume adjustment, saving you the trouble of having to make any manual tweaks. If you’re at all unsure about which model you have, check the user manual that comes with your hearing aid, or ask your audiologist for help.

Certain situations, such as a change of environment, may also require a switch in settings to maximize sound quality. For instance, if you want to talk on the telephone, you may want to switch or slide on the toggle that controls noise suppression which minimizes feedback and background noise so that you can hear the voice on the other end more clearly. Sometimes this will be labelled as telephone mode, depending on your device.

By contrast, activating the control that handles high tones in situations where there is a lot of high pitched background noise, such as in a restaurant or in the street, will help to minimise loud sounds such as the clatter of dishes and cutlery or traffic noise. In general, high cut tone control reduces the feedback that make hearing aids squeal, so is well worth knowing about, as this can be quite an unpleasant experience.

Gain control is another adjustment worth knowing about when it comes to fine-tuning your hearing aids. This enables you to make loud sounds less amplified – helpful at a party where there may be loud music playing, which may drown out lower tonal sounds such as a conversation. This removes the need to lower the volume, which would simply reduce all sounds, so can be very useful to know about.

Of course, your device may well have automatic settings for different situations, some of which can be individualized to your personal preferences. If in doubt, ask for help – a small tweak or tip from your audiologist could make all the difference to your overall quality of life.

For further advice on how to adjust your hearing aids, or to find out more about how hearing aids work, visit our website or call us on 1800 818 808.

The post Adjusting Your Hearing Aids appeared first on The Hidden Hearing Blog.

Hidden Hearing Waterford marks 15^th birthday with hearing aids at year 2000 prices!

This week marks the 15th anniversary of Hidden Hearing, 3 Arundel Square, Waterford, who first opened its doors in August 2000 and has been proudly serving the people of Waterford since then.  From routine free hearing tests to free wax removal service, Hidden Hearing Waterford can provide all aspects of professional hearing healthcare & the finest of hearing aids around.

From Monday 10th of August to celebrate this occasion we will be offering hearing aids at year 2000 PRICES* for the month of August. This offer also includes a FREE PACKAGE WORTH OVER €2,500 which comprises of:

• Free Wax Removal
• Free Batteries
• Free Warranty
• Free 4 Year Aftercare
• Free Servicing

Speaking of the clinic’s milestone occasion, branch manager Bill Somers commented, ‘We are delighted to be celebrating our success over the last fifteen years and we would like to thank everyone for their support along the way. We have had a fantastic fifteen years with our customers, old and new. We are very much looking forward to celebrating many more birthdays to come here in Waterford’.

If you have any queries about hearing aids or are looking for general advise, drop in to us at Hidden Hearing, 3 Arundel Square, Waterford, or you if you would like to schedule a free consultation call us on 051 878 872

*Terms and conditions apply

The post Hearing Aids Reduced To Year 2000 Prices! appeared first on The Hidden Hearing Blog.

Working in Noisy Environments

Background noise is the most common complaint of those wearing new hearing aids. It is true a hearing aid creates the ability to hear sounds long missing, including distracting background noise. But there are ways to filter those agitating, unwanted sounds, which is directly linked to successful work performance.

First, it is crucial to find hearing aids specific to the needs of the patient. Hidden Hearing, Ireland’s most trusted hearing care provider, specialises in finding exactly which hearing aids will match their patients needs by conducting free hearing tests that determine how to best differentiate noise from speech. There are many technologies that can be implemented to lessen background noises as well as some very good suggestions about how to deal with the noise.

Communication Strategies

Communication strategies play a large roll in overcoming background noise in the workplace.

Prepare

Plan how to best work within the environment by letting co-workers know the circumstances of your condition. It is important that co-workers are made aware of how to most clearly speak with you and are also aware of any other means of communication you wish to you. Hearing aids pick up the sounds closest to the person wearing them so when attending a meeting arrive early so that you may sit as near to the speaker as possible.

Auditory Training

This can help tremendously with blocking unwanted sounds. A person can learn to focus on what he or she is trying to hear, letting go of scrambled sounds. Wearing two hearing aids offers an advantage as hearing sound from both sides heightens speech understanding in noisy environments.

Consider Changes to the Environment

When dining out with clients or co-workers request that background music volume be lowered. Ask that your companions face you and speak slowly. Choose to sit in a very well lit area that is not in a heavily trafficked area near the kitchen. It is also a great idea to dine with a small group when possible so it is easier to keep track of the conversation.

Re-cap Information

Have people repeat what you have said to them and vice-versa. This will ensure you were both understood during the discussion.

Hidden Hearing

Hidden Hearing offers many solutions for hearing loss with great respect for working through difficult background noises. Our free hearing screenings allow for a clear understanding of what our patients require for a successful work environment. Sign up for our newsletter, subscribe to our blog, order a no-obligation information pack or a free sample hearing aid.

There is no need to feel that all is lost because your hearing needs a boost. Hidden Hearing professionals can help you find the perfect hearing aid to fit and support your goals in both your personal and working life. All you need to do is contact us regarding your needs. You will be seen as soon as possible and be set on your way to comfort and ease in the workplace.

The post Effective workplace communication appeared first on The Hidden Hearing Blog.