Audition Technology
Improve Hearing Health
Success with wearing hearing aids
-
Set expectations
-
Start and increase wear time
-
Adjust to daily listening experience
-
Manage tinnitus, ear wax
Set expectations
Regular wearing of hearing aids is essential for good hearing and hearing health
It will take a few days to a few weeks for your brain and ear to adjust to your new hearing aids - depending on your daily wear
-
This is different from getting adjusted to new eyeglasses and contact lenses
-
Read and follow the steps below to welcome and get used to the new sound experiences
The amplified sounds are new to the brain
-
These new sounds have to be recognized and understood
-
This process takes time
-
To use your hearing aids successfully, you need to give your brain an adjustment period
The ears also need to adjust
-
There can be initial discomfort, irritation like new shoes
-
You may need to try out a different ear tip to have a comfortable fit
-
Several different eartip types and sizes have been provided to you to try out
With daily use, the hearing aids and the sounds will begin to feel familiar
Also, remember the significant benefits from regular hearing aid use
​IMPROVE
-
Hearing
-
Family, Social, Religious, Community life
-
Productivity
​
​
​
​LOWER
-
Fatigue
-
Falls
-
Injuries
-
Hospitalizations
-
Anxiety
-
Depression
-
Cognitive decline
​PROSPER
-
Financial status
-
Lifestyle, non-financial
​
​
​
​
​
ATLAS OTC Hearing Aids are designed and tested for wearing everyday, during waking hours
-
Easy to wear and simple to maintain
-
Meets all FDA requirements for electroacoustic performance
-
Presets programmed for treating the symptoms of mild-moderate hearing loss
-
Uses 16-channel sound processing chip to provide the best output
-
Has helpful voice prompts for presets and volume for easy control
-
Has telecoil to improve conversations on phone and public places with telecoil
-
No skin reactions from all-day wearing
-
No pain or injuries from tube and tip inside the ear
-
Multiple eartip sizes and designs for you to select to have a comfortable fit
-
Prevent damage to eardrum by using the right eartip size
-
Tested for electrical safety (batteries not overheating) and electromagnetic compatibility (like telecoil picking up energy)
-
Earplugs provided for use when hearing aids need to be removed in loud sound environment​
​Start and increase wear time
You may be flooded with new sounds when you start
You need to gradually build up your listening experience - background noise and wear time
When you start
-
You begin to hear sounds that were 'lost' - it can feel like a lot
-
Your own voice sounds different and louder
-
Daily actions like chewing and swallowing sound louder
-
Other familiar sounds may seem different to you
-
However, you will notice that they may seem less muffled to you
-
In the beginning, the hearing aids may feel uncomfortable - like new shoes
-
You may feel plugged-up, have more ear wax build-up
Get comfortable with putting on the hearing aids
-
Refer to the User Instructions and become familiar with correct wear
-
Become familiar with the hearing aid features and their functions to help you hear
-
Practice putting the hearing aids in and taking them out
-
Check how easily you can change settings; the voice prompts should be of help
-
Learn to adjust the volume with beeps and voice prompts in different listening environments
-
Follow directions for cleaning, storing, charging the aids so that they are ready for use
-
Prevent losing charge and disrupting hearing aid use - Carry extra batteries /charging case and cord if you plan to be away from home for some time
Gradually build up background noise
Start wear at home: Try Setting 1
-
In a quiet room
-
Walk to other rooms and listen to familiar sounds
-
Have a conversation by facing the speaker
Continue wear outside home: Try Setting 2 (DEFAULT) then Setting 3
-
Recognize sounds in a less crowded area
-
Speak with others in places with low background noise - low noise workplace, place of worship, library
-
Once you are comfortable with this, use is a more crowded area - street corner, shopping center
-
Speak with others in a noisy restaurant, noisy workplace - while facing them
Practice daily activities: Try Setting 4, Setting 5 (Telecoil)​
-
Watching TV, Audiobooks
-
Phone (Telecoil)​
Gradually buildup wear time
-
Wear your aids regularly to adjust quickly
-
Start at home wearing for a few hours
-
Gradually increase wear time as you increase background noise
-
Wear all day except
-
During sleep
-
Showers, Swims
-
High wind
-
High heat
-
High noise area where the sound is uncomfortable, painful - remove hearing aids and wear hearing protectors
-
Build listening experience
-
Listening situations can be different with hearing aids
-
Works well in some and not so well in others
-
Get accustomed to more sound, new tonal quality
-
Build a step-by-step personal listening program
-
Include listening situations that are special to you - like being able to have a conversation with someone special
Remember the long-term benefits of hearing aid use when initially adjusting to them
Adjust to daily listening experience ​
-
Self-checking helps you to enjoy the gradual and steady improvement in your listening
-
Use the STEP questions* below to check as often as you wish
How are you adjusting to changes in:
-
Listening to one other person at home while you can see his or her face
-
Listening to a TV or radio at home
-
Walking around inside your home, trying to recognize any sounds you can hear
-
Listening to one other person at home while you are not looking at their face
-
Listening to music
-
Listening to your own voice while you read aloud from a newspaper or book
-
Conversing with two or three people in a quiet place
-
Walking around outside, trying to recognize any sounds you can hear
-
Shopping or talking to another person in a noisy place
-
Conversing with two or three people in a noisy place
-
Conversing in a large gathering or at a noisy restaurant
-
Your special situation.......
* Developed by ​Harvey Dillon PhD, National Acoustics Laboratories
​Manage Tinnitus, Earwax
TINNITUS
Since hearing loss is linked to tinnitus, wearing hearing aids can provide some relief
-
By amplifying external noises, tinnitus can become less noticeable
-
When you remove hearing aids before sleeping, place a sound generator next to your bed to help you fall asleep
Manage other causes for tinnitus
-
Loud noise exposure that is above safe listening limits - Use the Safe Listen Tools
-
Certain medications in high doses like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin), certain antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, anti-malaria medications, and antidepressants. Discuss with your healthcare provider.
-
Earwax or fluid from an ear infection requiring proper ear care. Consider Earwax remover drops from ATLAS Store.
-
Head or neck injuries that can damage structures of the ear, the nerve, or areas of the brain that process sound. Consider checking with otoscope on OTC Store. Share otoscope pictures and discuss with your healthcare provider, preferably ENT specialist.
-
FDA-authorized prescription medical devices for tinnitus can provide some relief. Consult with ENT on whether you should use these devices with your hearing aids
Regular wearing of ATLAS OTC hearing aids can help with making tinnitus less noticeable.
​​
EARWAX
Hearing aid use will likely increase ear wax
-
The ear is responding to the new object inside the ear
-
Managing earwax is important for good hearing, hearing aid maintenance and your ear health.
-
Consider using Earwax remover drops available on OTC Marketplace.
Go to Earcare section