Community Classes Help Educate Hearing Aid Users

The Hearing and Speech Center’s audiologists work closely with each patient to find the best solutions for their individual needs, goals, and personalities. Each client should go home with their hearing aids feeling confident and happy using them. Hearing aids are commonly mistaken to be a miracle “cure” for hearing loss. While they are extremely beneficial for millions of people, they don’t capture the full range and sound quality of natural hearing. The brain needs time to adjust to hearing aids which often can be jarring and adjustment times vary from person to person. Even with this knowledge, too often, new hearing aid users struggle with their aids. New hearing aid users may feel overwhelmed and may not seek help for discomfort or other issues. Feeling frustrated, many people put their brand new hearing aids in a drawer and continue their struggle to communicate with their loved ones.

Because of this, we offer Communication and Hearing Aid Training (CHAT) classes. CHAT covers how to care for and maintain hearing aids, loss prevention and hearing aid connectivity to assistive listening devices. Instructors review how to properly insert and remove the hearing aids, how to change hearing aid batteries and explain the average battery lifespan. For audiology clients who are considering new aids, CHAT instructors discuss how to determine with your audiologist which hearing aid and/or assistive listening devices are best suited for your needs. CHAT courses are small, and the instructors encourage attendees to ask for clarification or for any and all questions they may have with their personal hearing aid devices.

We offer CHAT classes a couple times a month in both English and Cantonese. Check our website (www.hearingspeech.org/events) and our social media (facebook.com/hearingspeechcenter) to find out when our next sessions are!