- In this video I'm talking about
why consistent follow-up appointments
with your hearing care professional
are critical for optimal hearing aid performance,
coming up.
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Hi guys, Cliff Olson, Doctor of Audiology,
and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Anthem, Arizona.
And on this channel I cover a bunch of
hearing related information
to help make you a better informed consumer.
So if you're into that,
make sure you hit that Subscribe button.
And don't forget to click the bell
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Now if you've seen any of my other videos,
there is a high probability
that you've heard me talk about
customized hearing aid programming
using real ear measurement,
but something that I don't talk enough about
is follow-up care and why it is so important
to your hearing aid performance.
So in this video I wanna talk about the four main reasons
why you need to be seeing your hearing care professional
no less than two times a year.
Reason number one is that your ears are gross.
Some people produce almost no earwax
and then there's everybody else.
And your Q-tips and bobby pins and car keys
will only do so much to keep that earwax at bay.
In most states licensed audiologists
are able to remove your earwax
safely and effectively
so it doesn't interfere with amplification.
In my clinic I see some patients every month
to ensure that even a little bit of earwax
doesn't cause massive issues with their hearing aids.
Reason number two is that your hearing aids are also gross.
My bet is that you clean your car
more often than you clean your hearing aids.
And even if you do
clean your hearing aids
on a regular basis,
every single time that you go
into your hearing care professional,
they're taking those hearing aids apart
and they're suctioning out all that buildup of gunk
that has gotten underneath those microphone covers
and inside of the receiver.
Hearing aids are medical devices
that were not designed to go years
without detailed maintenance.
If you let this gunk build up for too long,
it will gradually decrease
your performance with hearing aids
to the point where they'll eventually shut off.
I often identify individuals
who think it's time to get new hearing aids
when in reality it's just time
to get their hearing aids a deep cleaning.
Reason number three is that your hearing aids
will eventually develop some mechanical defects.
Hearing aids are supposed to operate
within a very specific set of parameters.
So if you get a reduction in overall
amplification ability of your hearing devices
or you get an increase in total harmonic distortion
or equivalent input noise,
it could be reducing
your overall performance
with those devices
and you might not even realize it
for months or even years down the road.
And the only way to identify
these vary specific parameters
is to have a specific test done on them
by your hearing care professional.
This specific test that I'm talking about
is electroacoustic analysis.
During this particular test,
they can measure these different output levels
and determine if these devices need to be repaired
or even sent back to be replaced.
If you choose not to have these tests done,
then your hearing aids might not be performing
up to their maximum potential.
And reason number four is that
your hearing will change over the years.
Just because your hearing loss
was at a certain level last year
doesn't mean that it's gonna be
at that same level this year.
Annual hearing test should be regularly scheduled
if you have a confirmed hearing loss.
If your hearing loss is changed,
then so is your prescription.
And if your prescription is changed,
then your hearing aids need to be reprogrammed
according to that prescription.
Look, I'm sure there are some
hearing care professionals out there
who would love to sell you
new hearing aids ahead of schedule
because you didn't have proper care
and maintenance performed on those devices,
but I would rather you get
proper care and maintenance
on your hearing aids
so you can keep your hearing aid performance
up at its absolute max
and so you don't have to spend
extra money on costly repairs
or prematurely buying new hearing devices.
The vast majority of individuals
who wear hearing aids
go in to see their hearing care professional
at least two times a year
to make sure that their hearing devices
are performing at their best.
Hearing treatment doesn't stop
when you buy new hearing aids,
it's just the beginning.
So unless you want to spend
thousands of dollars on new hearing aids
only to have them perform
like a pair of crappy online amplifiers,
then I highly recommend you see
your hearing care provider more often.
That's it for this video.
If you have any questions,
leave them in the Comments section below.
If you liked the video, please share it.
And if you wanna see other videos just like this one,
go ahead and hit that Subscribe button.
I'll see you next time.
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