What to Expect at Your Hearing Aid Fitting

There’s a common misconception that when it comes to getting hearing aids to help enhance your hearing, that the process is as simple as picking a hearing aid and putting it into your ear. However, that isn’t the case; there’s a lot more to this process than that. For you to benefit from hearing aids, they need to be properly fitted and tuned, which is why before you can wear your hearing aids home, you are required to have a hearing aid fitting with your audiologist.

Hearing exam

Before they fit your hearing aids, your audiologist will conduct a hearing exam, to determine what sounds you can and cannot hear, so that they can tune your hearing aids correctly and ensure that they are not too loud for you. Hearing aids need to provide the correct amount of amplification of sounds, in order for them to work successfully, which is why this is such a vital part of getting hearing aids.

Depending on what your hearing tests show, your audiologist will know how much help your hearing needs to hear sounds normally and can tune your hearing aids to offer this. Hearing aids can be successfully used to amplify soft sounds, to help ensure that you are able to hear them more clearly. Of course, if your hearing aids aren’t fitted and tuned right, then they won’t be useful.

So, hearing aid fittings are essential, which is why it’s vital that you attend yours. Of course, they can also be somewhat daunting, especially if you don’t know what to expect, which is why we have created a guide that tells you what your hearing aid fitting should consist of.

Real ear measures

Real ear measures will be done to determine whether your hearing aid is offering the adequate levels of amplification. These measures will allow your audiologist to determine how loud sounds are in your ear, to ensure that your hearing aids are correctly set up. The process is simple: a small, thin tube will be inserted into your ear canal. This is linked to a microphone that measures how loud any sound is near the eardrum.

Physical fit

Next, your hearing aid will be placed into your ear, while the tube is also still inside the canal. Once your hearing aid is switched on, your audiologist can measure how loud the sound is from your hearing aid. They will then use a range of different sounds, from soft to loud to determine that you can hear them all properly. This is also important for ensuring that your hearing aid isn’t set up to be too loud and will cause you discomfort.

As part of your hearing aid fitting, you should also discuss how your hearing aids work and how to care for them. Every hearing device is different, so it’s vital that your audiologist takes the time to acquaint you with how your hearing aid works. You need to understand how to turn your hearing aid on and off, when to wear them, when not to wear them, and how to clean them.

When first getting a hearing device, your hearing aid fitting appointment is a vital part of the process, as it can teach you everything that you need to know about living with a hearing aid.