Hearing loss can be frustrating and troublesome. It’s difficult to cope with and accept, but it’s important to take those first few steps and contact an audiologist in order to help you come to terms with your hearing loss and get a pair of hearing aids that will give you relief.

Towards the end of the process, you’ll likely be called in for a hearing aid fitting. This usually marks the final stages of the hearing tests that your audiologist will carry out, and is designed to help you ensure that your hearing aids work correctly and are a comfortable fit. This perhaps the first time you’ll get to see and try on your hearing aids, and we’ve put together a brief guide on how you can prepare it.

Schedule enough time

Hearing aid fittings can take anywhere from one to two hours, depending on the amount of adjustments required. Plan a day around the fitting so you have plenty of time to talk with your audiologist. You can ask them questions, tell them if your devices feel uncomfortable and also learn how to maintain your hearing aids so they don’t break or get damaged. You’ll also have time to adjust to them and practice using them.

Prepare some questions to ask

Use your hearing aid fitting to ask your audiologist any questions so you get a better understanding of your hearing aids. You’ll want to write down a list of questions to ask, such as how you should clean the hearing aids, when you’ll need to come back in for a follow-up appointment, how you can change the battery and so on.

Bring a notebook with you

It’s crucial that you write down as much as you can when visiting your audiologist. They’re going to give you a lot of information and they’ll likely give you some leaflets or instructions, but nothing is better than writing down the advice in your own words onto a notebook that you can refer to in the future. Take notes of things like how to clean the hearing aids, how to perform maintenance on them and the signs that they might need repairs.

Bring friends or family

Getting your hearing back can be an emotional time, so make sure you bring someone with you to help you out. Even if you don’t think you’ll need emotional support, it’s good to bring someone you trust with you so that they can help you remember certain things. A hearing aid fitting can is an exciting time and you can make the most out of it by being fully prepared.