Getting new hearing aids is just the beginning of improving your hearing experience. The real difference comes through professional fitting and programming, where your devices are carefully adjusted to work specifically for your hearing loss and listening needs. At North Star Hearing, our registered hearing aid practitioner takes the time to program your hearing aids based on your unique hearing test results and then fine-tunes them according to how you actually experience sound in your daily life.
This customization process ensures that your hearing aids don’t just amplify everything equally, but instead provide the right amount of help for different frequencies and situations. We can modify how your hearing aids handle background noise, set up programs for different environments like quiet conversations or busy social gatherings and ensure comfortable volume levels for various listening situations.
The Fitting Process
Your hearing aid fitting appointment marks the beginning of your journey to better hearing. During this comprehensive session, we program your devices using your audiometric results, creating a customized prescription that addresses your specific hearing loss pattern. We’ll teach you proper insertion and removal techniques, demonstrate all features and controls and ensure you’re comfortable managing your new devices independently. This appointment typically includes practicing battery changes or charging procedures, understanding different program settings and learning basic troubleshooting steps.
Real-Ear Measurement Verification
Real-ear measurements represent the standard in hearing aid verification, confirming that your devices deliver the prescribed amplification at your eardrum. This objective testing uses a thin probe microphone placed in your ear canal alongside the hearing aid to measure actual sound levels. By comparing these measurements to scientifically validated targets for your hearing loss, we fine-tune the programming to ensure optimal speech understanding whilst maintaining comfort across all volume levels.
Live Speech Mapping
Live speech mapping brings hearing aid programming into the real world by using actual speech signals during the fitting process. This advanced verification technique displays real-time visualization of how speech sounds are amplified by your hearing aids, allowing both you and your registered hearing aid practitioner to see exactly how the devices perform. Family members can participate by providing familiar voice samples, ensuring your hearing aids deliver clear understanding of the voices that matter most to you.
Fine-Tuning and Adjustments
Your initial programming serves as a starting point that we refine based on your real-world experiences. During follow-up appointments, we analyze your feedback about different listening situations and make precise adjustments to enhance performance. Whether you need better clarity in restaurants, improved telephone compatibility or reduced wind noise outdoors, we’ll modify settings to address specific challenges whilst maintaining overall sound quality and comfort.
Acclimatization Support
Adjusting to amplification requires time and patience as your brain relearns to process sounds you may not have heard clearly for years. We provide structured acclimatization schedules that gradually increase wearing time and expose you to progressively challenging listening environments. Regular follow-up appointments during this critical period allow us to make incremental adjustments that support comfortable adaptation whilst maximizing benefit from your new technology.
Ongoing Programming Updates
Your hearing needs evolve over time, and your hearing aid programming should adapt accordingly. Annual reprogramming appointments ensure your devices continue meeting your needs as your hearing changes or lifestyle demands shift. These sessions also provide opportunities to activate new features through firmware updates, adjust for changes in dexterity or cognitive function and optimize settings based on data logging that reveals your actual usage patterns.
