When you’re driving around Austin, you likely turn the music in your car up when you’re on the highway and down when cruising through a neighborhood. You make those changes almost automatically because your brain knows you need a higher volume in loud environments and a lower one in quiet ones. Modern hearing aids feature adaptive settings to mirror those real-life sound adjustments.
The Ins and Outs of Hearing Aid Programming
Hearing aids could benefit as many as 28.8 million U.S. adults.[1] One of the biggest benefits of prescription hearing aids is their customized sound.
Your Austin Auditory Specialists specialist programmed your hearing aids during your first fitting. That programming matched your specific hearing profile, including your volume and frequency needs. As you shift from one environment to another, your volume needs will change. For example, if your hearing aids were set to max volume in a library, the sound would feel intrusive and unnecessary. Similarly, if they played at library volume during a concert at the Moody Amphitheater, you’d struggle to understand the sound.
As your environment shifts, so too should your hearing aid settings.
Manual Vs. Automatic Programming Adjustments
Some hearing aids, especially older models, require you to manually adjust the volume based on your environment. You can either change the volume using buttons on the device itself or through a companion app. Your hearing aids will come with a manual that includes instructions for adjusting the programming.
Automatic programming adjustments are one of the biggest perks of newer hearing aids. Modern hearing aids use AI to rapidly analyze your environment and make volume adjustments in real time. In addition to simple volume changes, many devices use microphones strategically placed to prioritize sound in front of and behind you—a crucial tool in busy environments like work meetings or happy hours. Depending on the model you choose, your hearing aids may also learn the sound of voices you encounter most frequently and prioritize them in noisy environments.
Professional Programming Adjustments
Your environment isn’t the only thing that shifts; your hearing loss also changes over time. Because your hearing loss isn’t static, we offer service appointments to check the programming on your devices and ensure it still meets your needs. In addition to programming checks, we’ll deep-clean your devices and remove built-up moisture.
Contact Austin Auditory Specialists today to schedule your service appointment.
[1] National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (n.d.). Quick statistics about hearing. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing