Wear the hearing aid as long as you are comfortable
The more comfortable a client is with their hearing aid the higher the rate of success will be. The amount of time and effort put into the utilization of the device will directly impact the level of comfort and success with the device in their lifestyle. With this being said, it is important for the clients not to overwhelm, or push themselves beyond comfort. Taking some time to warm up to the use of hearing aids will, over several weeks improve their experience and results. Taking off the hearing aid after feeling overwhelmed is completely understandable and setting personal requirements of use, in the beginning, is normal and expected.
Do not expect to understand every word
It is important for clients to understand that although they have a hearing aid, they are not expected to comprehend every word spoken to, or around them. In normal conversations with people who do not suffer from hearing loss, this is often overlooked and filled in with assumptions of what might have been said to truly understand. Using this strategy would allow hearing aid users to feel that their hearing is improving. Moreover, little misunderstandings due to missed words do not indicate a failure in their journey to better hearing health. Filling in words by using their judgment could allow the natural flow of conversation, rather than disappointment and frustration.
Make an effort to relax
Changes in hearing loss or health, in general, could result in stress or tension. Understanding that these emotions are natural is important but also realizing that attempting to relax and release tension could improve overall results. Access stress could have adverse effects as it could make the patient feel discouraged but taking a moment to relax with techniques such as breathing could improve the results as it would allow patients to listen and hear more clearly. Being relaxed would further allow the patient to feel more positive and optimistic, leading to better results in their experience with hearing aids and improved hearing health.
Listen to yourself or someone else read out load
Not only will reading out load allow clients to view and hear the words in order to make connections with their new hearing abilities, but also understand what they are hearing. This exercise can be done at home and is important in the ability to warm up to sounds they may not have been able to understand before. This technique will improve speech understanding and allow the brain to understand the sounds in ways other interactions would not. This activity could be in a quiet environment to start, and in a louder environment with more practice.
Speech-Reading
Hearing aids will supplement many of the noises and sounds that were not previously heard, but a method that could improve understanding is speech reading. This entails using visuals to watch the mouth, lip, and teeth of a person who we wish to further understand. In addition to this picking up on facial expressions, gestures, hand movements, and emotions of the person the client wishes to understand will further increase their communication and understand of what is being said.