By Brad Grondahl
I am a second-generation hearing aid specialist, now retired. My father had a hearing loss, caused from noise exposure on the artillery range while serving in the U.S. Army. Initially he wore a body, or pocket-type, hearing aid with an external cord and receiver. Eventually he came to sell hearing aids himself, driving to visit prospective clients in their homes.
After my father passed away, my mother helped push for the eventual passing of licensing laws for hearing aid dispensers in the state. After college, I took over the business, earning licenses and certifications for dispensing hearing aids and also taking audiology coursework.
I share this advice I’ve gleaned after decades of dispensing the instruments:
1) Entering the world of improved hearing with amplification is not at all like being fit with new glasses for visual correction. With glasses, you put them on and instantly everything is clear. This is not generally true of hearing devices, which have to be personalized and programmed to your individual hearing ability—a process that can take several visits to your provider.
2) Since hearing loss usually comes on gradually and you compensate and become accustomed to softer sounds, it can be a shock when you first use hearing devices—especially if your hearing loss has been untreated for years. (A 2018 Ear and Hearing study by Hearing Health Foundation board member Judy Dubno, Ph.D., and team found the average time between hearing aid candidacy and adoption is 8.9 years.) Many things may not sound as you feel they should, including your voice. But with time and effort, you can train your brain to recognize the new sounds as normal.
3) There is no such thing as a “one and done” approach with hearing aids. Ongoing care and maintenance will be required, including inspecting your instruments daily when you put them on.
4) Sometimes a simple dead battery is the culprit if an aid doesn't seem to function. Always try at least two batteries to be sure it is not just a dead battery.
5) Earwax can be another challenge. If earwax is blocking the sound outlet—the part of the aid that enters your ear canal—the devices may seem weak or have no amplification. Replace the wax filter or clean the outlet or earmold using a special cleaning tool.
6) Earwax in the ear canal itself will affect sound. But do not use cotton swabs, hairpins, or any other “home remedy” to clean your ear—ask your hearing provider for help. (The news is full of earwax-cleaning mishaps, such as, recently, a British man’s brain infection that ended up resulting from swabs!)
7) All styles of instruments have their own set of maintenance issues, too numerous to review. If the problem is not the battery or earwax, contact your provider to help troubleshoot a problem.
8) Hearing loss patterns change over time, gradually, and your brain will again adjust to softer sounds. Retest annually and adjust your hearing aids as needed.
A licensed hearing aid dispenser in North Dakota since 1969, Brad Grondahl, BC-HIS, has served as the president of the North Dakota Hearing Aid Society and as a member of the State Examining Board for Hearing Instrument Dispensers and the State Examining Board for Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, both in North Dakota. For references, see hhf.org/spring2019-references.
