Avoiding heat, humidity and chemicals
Your hearing instruments must never be exposed to
extreme heat e.g. left inside a parked car in the sun
or dried in microwave ovens. They must never be
exposed to a lot of moisture e.g. steam baths,
showers or heavy rain.
If your hearing instruments have been exposed to
moisture or very humid conditions it may affect their
performance. Using an anti-humidity or drying kit can
help to avoid these problems and may even extend the
life of your hearing instruments. Consult your hearing
care professional for further advice. Wipe the batteries
thoroughly if moisture is present.
The chemicals in cosmetics, hairspray, hair dye,
perfume, aftershave-lotion, suntan lotion and insect
repellant can discolor and even damage your hearing
instruments. You should always remove your hearing
instruments before applying such products and allow
time for the product to dry before reinserting your
hearing instruments. If you use lotion be sure to
wipe your hands dry before inserting your hearing
instruments.
Using your hearing instruments
It takes time to adjust to a new hearing instrument.
How long this adjustment takes differs from person to
person. It will depend on a number of factors, such as
whether you have had hearing instruments before and
the degree of your hearing loss.
Seven easy steps to better hearing
1. In the quiet of your home
Try to acclimate yourself to all the new sounds you are
able to hear, including background sounds. Listen to
the many background sounds and try to identify each
sound. Keep in mind that some sounds will sound
different. You may have to learn to identify them
again. Note that in time you will become acclimated to
the sounds in your environment – if not please contact
your hearing care professional.
If using the hearing instruments cause you to feel
fatigued, remove them. Initially, you may need to wear
the hearing instruments for shorter periods of time.
You will gradually be able to increase the amount of
time you wear your hearing instruments. Eventually,
you will be able to wear your hearing instruments
comfortably all day long.
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