If your hearing aids are sitting in a drawer, there’s probably a reason you stopped wearing them. Perhaps they sound unnatural, feel uncomfortable or simply haven’t delivered the improvement you expected. Before you give up on better hearing, consider this: the problem may not be the hearing aid itself; it may be how it was fitted.

The difference is in the fitting
A premium hearing aid is only as good as the care that goes into fitting and supporting it. Simply hitting the “auto-program” button on a computer is not enough. A good fitting should follow a best-practice audiological process:

• Real-ear measurements (REM): A tiny probe microphone is placed in your ear canal to measure exactly how much sound the device delivers to your eardrum. This helps verify that the device is providing the right amount of amplification for your individual hearing loss.
• Target matching: Your clinician adjusts the programming to match prescriptive targets for your specific hearing loss. Without this step, your devices may under-amplify speech or over-amplify background noise.
• Brain adaptation: Your brain needs consistent practice to adapt to new sounds, so wearing your hearing aids regularly is important.
• Follow-up care: Pre-scheduled fine-tuning appointments are an important part of the process, allowing settings to be adjusted as your comfort and speech understanding improve.

Think of it like prescription glasses. You could purchase the most expensive frames available, but they won’t help you see clearly if the prescription is wrong. They also won’t work if you don’t wear them.

If your hearing aids are gathering dust, they may simply need a comprehensive clinical check. We can check the physical fit, perform real-ear measurements and adjust your settings to help improve your speech clarity. Book an appointment with us and let’s get them out of the drawer and back into your ears!

Teresa Burns Hearing Ltd
25 Apollo Drive, Rosedale
09 475 9849
admin@teresaburnshearing.co.nz
teresaburnshearing.co.nz