Help A Family Member By Asking These Questions During An Appointment For Heading Aids

It's a gesture of goodwill to accompany an elderly family member to a hearing specialist for a test and to learn more about hearing aids. If your family member's hearing had diminished to the point at which conversation is difficult, he or she may be reluctant to ask too many questions at the appointment. Here's where you come in — you can ask a wide range of things that can help your loved one learn more about hearing aids, as well as feel confident about these devices' ability to improve his or her hearing. Here are some helpful questions that you should plan to ask.

How Do People Get Used To The Feeling?

Your family member may be feeling overwhelmed with the thought of wearing something in one or both of his or her ears, so it's important that you ask about the adjustment period to help provide encouragement. The hearing specialist knows that people often have this apprehension, and will know how to answer the question so as to alleviate some of your family member's concerns. Often, the solution is to wear the hearing aids for small blocks of time and then remove them. Then, the user can steadily increase the amount of time he or she wears the aids until they get used to the feeling.

What Care Steps Are Necessary?

If your family member is already feeling overwhelmed about getting used to hearing aids, he or she may not think to learn about caring for these devices. Caring for hearing aids is simple, but important. Typically, the user should remove them when bathing and in wet environments (although there are covers that can be worn over the ears, if needed), remove any earwax that builds up and place them safely in a case when they're not being worn so that they won't get dropped and stepped on.

What Types Of Success Stories Do You Hear?

You can ensure that the appointment ends on a positive note by asking the hearing specialist about the success stories that he or she has heard from past clients. There will likely be many examples to share — perhaps a grandparent expressed joy at finally being able to hear his or her grandchildren speak clearly for the first time, or perhaps someone felt confident to apply for a job that previously seemed unattainable because of hearing loss. These success stories should help your loved one feel excited for the positive changes ahead.

For more information or assistance, contact companies such as Melnick, Moffitt & Mesaros ENT Associates.


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