UH_New HA Guide pdf

TheGuidetoUltimateHearingMaximizehowyouhear

24251 Avenida de Carlota B-1 Laguna Hills, CA 92653 | 949-667-9818 | UltimateHearing.net

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Changing HOW you hear

Congratulations,_____________________________________________.

Youhavetakenthefirststeptoabetterqualityoflife!AtUltimate

Hearing,wearecommittedtohelpingyouimproveyourunderstandingand

communicationabilities.Usingyourhearingdevicesconsistentlywillresultin

thebestyou-ahappieryou.Youwillenjoytherenewedexperienceofhearing

soundsclearer,havingbetterconversations,andspendingmoretimelistening

towhatyoulove.

Youcannowgetbackwhathearinglosshastakenfromyou,and

becomeapartofsomethingnew!OurgoalatUltimateHearingistopositively

changeyourlife,soyoucancherisheachdaywithmaximizedhearing.We

willhelpguideyouthroughthishearingjourney–eachstepoftheway,

changingHOWyouhear.

Pleaseutilizeandkeepthisinformationguideforfuturereview.



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Contentsp.3 GettingStarted

o TheTransitionp. 4-5 WearingYourHearingAids

o WhentoWear-Yes&Nop. 5-6 Being“In-Tune”

o WhattoExpecto ContactUsIf…

p. 6-7 ProductCare

o Maintenanceo Cleaning

p. 8 UltimateHearing

o In-officeCare- Appointments- Services

p. 9-10 Warranty&Battery

o OurProgramo Batteries

p. 11-13 “MakingtheBestofIt”

o Technology- Phone,Cell&Mobile- Accessories

o TheHearingTrio- TwoEars,TwoAids

p. 14-16 EnhancedQualityofLife

o Tips:YourNewDevice- Communicating- Listening

WanttoLearnMore?

“LearnMore,HearMore…”Turntopage13for

Resources,&14-16forTips.



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GettingStartedTheTransitionIttakestimetoadapttoyournewandimprovedqualityofhearing.Atfirst,yourhearing

willbesensitive.Youmayfeel“different,”andsoundsmayseemloud.Ittakestime,

patience,andpractice.Embracethenewsoundbyexperiencingallyouhavetohear.

Havemoreconversations,listentoyourfavoritemusicandmovies,socializewithfamily

andfriends,ortrysomethingnew!Besuretonotifyyourfriendsandfamilyaboutyour

newhearingdevices.Theirsupportwillincreaseyourconfidenceandadjustingwillbe

easier.Ittakestimeforthebrainandbodytoadjustto“renewed”sensationsyetbecause

thebrainhasneuroplasticity,itwilladjustover4-6weeks.Thistransitiontakestime,yet,

throughoutthisperiodyouhaveUltimateHearingtohelpyouadjustandfine-tuneyour

devices.Wewillbewithyoutohelpyouandyourbraintransition.Overtime,yournew

deviceswillbecomepartofyourroutine.Youwillbegintoreceivethefullbenefits,and

becomefamiliarwithhowtheyworkandfeel.Let’sgetstarted!

Progression

GoalSetting

v Setrealisticgoals:focusonthepositives.Don’tgetdiscouraged,“differentisgood.”

v Understandingwillgraduallyimprove,butdon’texpectperfection.Yourbrainis

relearning&ittakestime.

v Keepuptodatewithappointments,especiallyduringthefirst45daysintrial.

v Bepatientasyourbrainadjustsandbecomescomfortablewiththe“highfrequency,

smallmechanicalsounds”youoncecouldnothear.

v Itwilltake5-7daysforsoundtobecomemorenormal.Thisincludesthesound

ofyourvoice.

v Practicelistening!“Ittakestimetofilterthewordsthroughthenoise.”



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WearingYourHearingAidsWhentoWearWearyourhearingaidsalldaytoreceiveitsfullbenefit.Useaccessorydevicesasyou

desire.Keepinmindthelevelofnoiseandtypeofenvironmentyouwillencounterthat

day.Remembertowearyouraidsinbothearsforacompletesystemfromyourearsto

yourbrain!

Thehearingaidsareverywaterandsweatresistant,yetdailyuseoftheDri-Aidkitishighlyrecommend.

Yes No

ü EverydayUsefromwakinguptobeforebed.

ü ConversationsIn-person,whileusingaphone,computer/device.

ü LowsoundactivitiesListeningtomovies,music&radio.

ü Lowsoundpublicplaces:Atrestaurants,café’s,parks,shopping.

§ SleepingSafelyremove&storeinaDri-AidKit(notinabathroom).

§ WaterWhileshowering,swimming,inrain.

§ ExcessivelyloudenvironmentsArenas:theatres,concerts,shows,sportingevents.

§ Keepsafefrom:Dogs,cats,&children.

§ Hairdryers,hairproductorspray.

Tips

Turndownanyloudcompeting

backgroundnoises(fans,runningwater,TV,radio)whilefocusingononeconversation/activityatatime.



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WeRecommend…

v Eachday,slowlyadjust&adapttosoundsinyourdailyenvironments.

v Startwithquieterenvironments,soyourearscanadapt,andgraduallyworkupto

noisiersurroundings.

v Practicelisteningtoonesourceatatime.Initially,avoidcarryingonconversations

fromanotherroomandturnoffanyunnecessarybackgroundnoise.

v Tryusingthejournalsheettohelptrackyourprogress.

BeingIn-TuneWhattoExpectAtfirst,therewillbenewsoundstoprocess.Before,withoutthehearingdevices,your

earscouldnotpickupthesesoundsandsendthepropermessagetothebrain.Thiswasan

incompletesystemfromyoureartoyourbrain.Now,withthehearingaids,themessage

sentiscomplete.Yourbrainwillbegintoidentifyandcomprehendeachsoundpattern.

Thisisdoneinitsownuniqueway.Everyperson’shearingisdifferent,justasa

thumbprint,orone’sownspecifictaste.

v Expectyourqualityoflifetoimproveasyouidentifysoundsyouoncecouldnot.

v Expecteasierconversationswithfriendsandfamily.

v Expecttolearnmore,remembermore,andunderstandmore.Yourcomprehension

willimprovewhenyourhearingabilityismaximized.

v Expecthearingtofeel“different”.Changeisgoodandwillbringlong-termbenefits.

o It’snormaltohearoccasionalchirpsorwhistle-likesoundswhenyourhandis

neartheaid,wheninsertingorremovingtheaids,andwhenusingaphone.

o Yourhearingaidswillrequiretimetoadjusttodifferentsoundsandnoise

levelswithineachenvironment.



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BackgroundNoisePeoplewith“normal”hearingcanidentifybackgroundsoundsandignorethem,allowing

thebraintofocus.Thesesoundswentunheardwithoutthehearingaids.Now,theaids

changehowyouhear.Asyourbrainadaptstoyourimprovedhearing,itwillonceagain

becomefamiliarwiththesebackgroundnoises-tuningthemout.Trytobepatientasyou

willprogressandbegintohearmoreefficiently.Hearingisnotlistening–intentionally

“listen”tothespeaker.Youwillbeabletounderstandmore.

Contactusif…§ Youareinpain.Soundsshouldnotbepainfullyloud,butshouldbecomfortable.

§ Yourhearingaidsareirritating&yourhearingbecomesintolerable.

§ Youraids,wheninnormalrecommendeduse,arebuzzingorwhistlingfrequently.

o Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorneedtoscheduleanappointment,pleasecall.(949)667-9818

ProductCareMaintenanceTakingpropercareofyourhearingdevicesisnecessarytocontinuehearingeverything

youloveandenjoyingyourfavoriteactivities.Tostayontrackforabetterqualitylife,

havethemcleanedatouroffice1–2timesayear.Remembertocleanthem,usetheear

moldsprayandDri-Aidkitregularlytomaximizetheirperformance.



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Yourhightechdevicesworkbestwhenyoucleanthemandridthemofdamagingmoist

wax.AtUltimateHearingwebelievethatbeingproactive,andcleaningthemdaily,will

providethebestperformanceandlongevityforyourdevices.

Wewillbehappytoreviewanyareasofconcernwithyou!(Justask)

CleaningFollowtheinstructionsprovidedatappointment&inthisguideforbestresults:

ü Daily:Inspecthearingaids

o Checkforwaxanddebris&foranydamagedorloosepieces.o First,spraythecleanerUltimateHearingprovidedonatissue.(Notonhearingaid!)Then,removeresiduefromtheouterpieces.(Pleaseonlyuseprovidedspray,aidscanbedamagedandbreakdownwithothersolvents.)

ü AtNight:Carefullyremove&storehearingaids

o Beforegoingtosleep–removeaidswhilesittingwithapillow/towelonyourlap,tosecuretheydonotfall.

o Openthebatterydoorstopreservebatterylife,andtokeepthemdry.o Storeinadryplace,notabathroom,&awayfromchildrenandpets.

• IfusingaDry-Kit:Placetheholes/beadsup,facingyou.Beadsincontainershouldbean“ambercolor.”Examinethecolortoknowwhenoriftomicrowavethebeads.

• (Onlymicrowavebeadsdonotputplasticcontainerinmicrowave.)

TipsCleanmoreoftenifyouproducealotofwax,perspireoftenwearthemgardening,orfrequentlyencounterdirtanddust.



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UltimateHearingIn-officeCareAppointmentSchedule InTrial

Day1:InitialFittingDay7-10:FirstFollow-upDay14-21:SecondFollow-upDay30-45:ThirdFollow-up

FirsttimepatientsYear1:Follow-upsevery3monthsExperiencedusersYear1:Follow-upsevery4monthsAfterYear1:Every6months

Ø Thereisa45-daytrialperiodforallusers.Ifyouareafirsttimehearingaiduserorrequirespecificassistance,youmayneedtoschedulemoreappointments.Pleaseletusknowifyouneedhelp.Wewanttohelpyousucceed!

ServicesCleanings

o Whenproperlycleaningyourhearingaidseachday,waxmaystillbuildupinyourearcanalsdependingonenvironmentandpersonallifestyle.

• Ifyoususpectyouneedwaxremoval,pleasecontactus.Wewantyourhearinginitsbestcondition.

Repairs

o Wedoeverythingpossibletorepairyourhearinginstruments&accessoriesatourlocationforyourconvenience,however:

o Whenabiggerrepairisneeded,themanufacturerwillserviceit.o Manufacturerrepairsusuallytakeabout7-10businessdays.o Wewilllendyoualoanerdevice,basedoninventory,atnocost.



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Warranty&BatteryOurProgramUltimateHearing’sprogramisdesignedtosecureyourindividualneeds.Wewanttoensureyourpersonallifestyleissupportedwiththeappropriateoptimalhearing.

Ø 1YearofFreeo BatteryProgramo RepairWarrantyo Loss&DamageCoverageo OfficeVisits

Ø 1-3YearsofFreeo PersonalAdjustmentso Cleaning&Service

Ø Accessorieso Purchasedwith1yearofservice.

§ NoLoss&Damageonremotecontrols,stream,&otheraccessories.

§ Manufacturerrepairwarrantiesvary.

Ø ManufacturerLoss&DamageCoverageo Lossanddamagecoverageisprovidedbyyourmanufacturer,whichvariesbycompany.

o 1timecoverageforreplacementofyourmake&model.§ Ifexactaidisnotavailable,themostcomparableischosen.§ Service&benefitswillcontinueforthewarrantyperiod.

o AverageDeductible:$350perdevice.§ Customearmoldsarenotcovered.



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o ExtendedWarranty:Extensionsareofferedforyourdevices(s).Wewilltryourbesttonotifyyouwhenyourwarrantyisup.Feelfreetoask!

o AfterWarranty:Esco–theEarServiceCorporation.§ AfteryourmanufacturerwarrantyisupyoucansignuptoreceiveinsurancebyEsco.

§ VisitEarserv.comformoredetails.YoucanreceiveRepairWarranty,LossandDamage,andReplacementCoverage.

Batteries

Ø FreeBatterieso Foryourfirstyear–UltimateHearingsuppliesfreepacksofbatteriesforyourhearingaids.

o Youwillreceivethesebatterypacksafterspecificappointments,usuallyreceivinga4-monthsupplyatatime.

Ø BatteryMaintenanceo Writedownyourbatterysizeandcolortabforreferencewhenchangingtheoldbatteriesforthenew.

o KeepInMind:Themorenoiseinanenvironmentthefasterthebatteryrunsout.Batterylifefluctuates,andmaylastanaverageof7-10days.

§ Removethecolortabfromthebattery&letitsitfor1-2minutes,thishelpsextendthebatterieslife.(Batteriesarenowmercury-free)

§ Whenremovingthesticker,placeitonyourcalendartomonitorthebatterylife.

o LowBattery:yourhearingaidwillnotifyyouwhentochangeyourbattery.Changeassoonaspossible–usuallywithin2hoursofnotice.

o ToChange:Insertbatteryusingthemagnetattheendofyourcleaning-stick,whichweprovide.

§ Thepositive(+)sideofthebatterywillsticktothemagnet.



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“MakingtheBestofIt”TechnologyToensurethebestresultswhenusingatelephonewithyour

hearingaidsfollowthesesteps!Onyourcheekbone,tiltthe

receiveredgeandpositionthephoneoveryourear.Haveit

asclosetothehearingaidsmicrophoneaspossible,andthe

hearingaidwillabsorbthesound.Bypositioningthephone

thisway,you’llavoidanywhistlingfromthehearingaid.Youwill

beabletocomprehendthesoundsyouarehearing.Remember

tospeakdirectlyintothemouthpiece.

Havingdifficultyhearingthroughthephone?

Pleaseaskusaboutafreephonecoveredbythegovernment.Theyareeasytouseandcan

improveyourcalls.AskaboutinstallingCaptionCall,Cap-Tel,orCaliforniaPhones.

Telephones,CellPhones&More!

TelephoneTip

Manyhearingaidshaveabuiltintele-coiltogivea“boost”withtelephoneconversations.Tousethetele-coilproperly,thephoneneedstobeverynearor“touching”thehearingaidforconnection.Youmayneedto“pushthebutton”togettothetele-coilprogram.Landlinephonesusuallyhaveastrongertele-coilconnectionthan

cellphones.



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CellPhones&MobileDevices

YourhearingaidshouldcomplywiththeStandardsofInternationalElectromagnetic

Compatibility,asmostdo.Yet,usingyourcellphoneandothermobiledevicescanstillbe

difficult.The“M”and“T”ratingofyourphoneisalsoafactorinthetransmissionofsound

clarity.Ifyoufeelthereisanydisturbancethroughthedevice,pleaseaskusaboutyour

accessoryoptionsthatcanimproveyourhearingexperience.Wewouldbegladtohelp!

Accessories

AtUltimateHearingwewantyoutoreceivethebestexperience.Byusingnew

technologies,youcanenjoyyourfavoritemovies,shows,andotherprogramsonceagain!

Wecanhelpyouselectaccessoriesthatfityourlifestyle.Yourhearingperformancewillbe

amplifiedbyconnectingahandsfreeaccessorythatallowsstreamingrightintoyourear!

“Usingaconnectivitysystemcanimproveyourqualityofhearingthroughtechnologyup

to80%”,statesrecentstudies.We’llhelpyoustayintouchwithfriendsandlovedones,

andstayconnectedtoourworldthroughtechnology.

YoumaywanttochooseanaccessoryatUltimateHearingthatworksbestforyou.

TheHearingTrio

Hearingtakesthecooperationofboththeearsandthebraintoproperlyfunction.Hearing

withtwoproperlyfunctioningearsallowsasuccessfulmessagetobesentfromeartothe

brain.Thebrainreceivespatternsofsoundtointerpretandthenunderstand.Eachperson

interpretsmessagesuniquely,whichiswhywepersonalizeourhearingaids,inear

monitors,productsandaccessories.



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TwoEars–TwoAids

Whyisitsoimportanttowearbothhearingaids?Itallowsproperfunctioning!

Forexample:Ifsomeonecallsyournamefromacrosstheroom,orfromanotherfloor,the

directionofthatsoundwillbefirstheardfromoneear,slightlylouder.Thiscancausea

disturbanceifoneear’shearingabilityisnotasstrongastheother.Inorderforthebrain

toreceiveandproperlyinterpretasoundpattern,thereneedstobeproperbalanceof

bothearstoharmonizewiththebrain.Then,youwillclearlyheareachsound,which

enablesthebraintocorrectlycomprehendwhatyouarehearing.Lessconfusionforthe

brainallowsittoworkmoreefficiently.Yourbraincannotlocalizetosound,orhearwell

inbackgroundnoisewithouttwoearsequallybalanced.

Wearingtwohearingaidscreatesabalancedinput,makingitlessstressfulonyourbrain.

WealsoofferanextendedLACEtrainingprogramtosharpenyourlisteningskills.

AskusabouttheLACE–CDforon-goinglisteningtherapy.

OtherCredibleResources

• HearingLossAssociationofAmerica(HLAA)http://www.hearingloss.org/

• NationalInstituteonDeafnessandOtherCommunicationDisorders(NIDCD)

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/Pages/default.aspx

• NationalInstituteonAging(NIA)

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/hearing-loss

LACEListeningandCommunicatingEnhancementprogram

Weoffer11sessions,20minuteslongfor$79,andifyoukeepyourhearingaidsattheendofthetrial,thesessionsarefree!



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EnhancedQualityofLifeTipsAtFirst…

m Graduallyincreasetheenvironmentsyouencounter.

• Startoffinfamiliarenvironments,wearingyouraidsdoingevery-daytasks.

m Beginwithlowsoundlevelsforyourhearingaidstoadapt

• Asyoufeelcomfortable,increasevolumeovertime.Thismaymeanturning

downthevolumeofthetelevisiontostart.

ToIncreaseHearing&Comprehension

m Standnofurtherthan3-5feetfromthespeaker.

m Notifythespeakerifyoumissedsomethingandpolitelyaskthemtorepeat.

m Ifyouwearglassestheymayhelpyouspeechreadduringaconversation.

m Trystayingup-to-dateonpeopleandeventsinyourlocalareatocarry

conversationswithyourfriends,family,andnewfaces.

m Ifthereisanopendoororwindowtryeliminatingnoisebyclosingthem.

m Whenreceivinginformationaskforitinwritingifpossible.

• (Directions,medicalrecords,statements,etc.)

m Whengoingtorestaurants,goinoff-peakhoursforlessnoise.

• Asktositinaboothtoimproveacoustics

m Whenattendingshows&eventsarriveearlytoensureaseatinthefront.

m Whenfeelingillorfatigued,listeningbecomesmoredifficult.

• Remembertorestandleavetimeforrelaxation.



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Practice

m Withhearingaids,practiceusingthetelephone&otherdevices.

m Listentosomeonereadingaloudandhaveacopytofollowalong.

m Joinanorganizedspeechreadingclassormanagementofhearingloss.

• Askouraudiologist,Ann,formoredetails.

m Trylocatingthesourceofasoundbyusingonlyyoursenseofhearing.

m Takeadvantageoflightingandensureyoucanseethespeaker.

• Watchfornonverbalcues:facialexpressions&

m Beawareofbackgroundnoisewhereveryouare&eliminatethem.

• Turnofffans,runningwater,TV’s,music,&anythingdistracting.

m Avoidtensionwhentryingtohear.Itcausesconflictanddrainsenergy.

StayOptimistic

m Letyourbrainfillinthegaps&trynottostrainoverhearingperfectly.

m Havefunlocatingdifferentsounds,doingyourfavoriteactivities.

m Don’tgetdiscouragedbybackgroundnoise.

m Ifyoudidnotunderstandsomething,it’sbettertoaskquestions.

• Trynottojustagreeandnodwhenyoudidn’thearwhatwassaid.

m Listeningtakesmoreenergythantalking–don’tgetfrustrated!

• Bespecificyettryavoidingcontrollingtheconversation.

m Bedirectifyoucannothearsomeonebyaskingiftheycouldplease:

• Talkalittlelouder/moreclearly/ormoveawayfromanobstacle.

m Beabletoacknowledgeyourhearinglossandinformfamilyandfriends.

• They’llbeabletoassistyouandrelieveanyunnecessarystress.

m Don’tgetdiscouragedintoughenvironmentswhenhearingisdifficult.

• Insomesituations,youwillneedtousemoreeffortandstrategies.



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WhenCommunicatingwithSomeonewithaHearingLoss:

m Makesureyouareinclosedistance,onthesamelevel,andinawell-litarea.

• It’simportantthelightisn’tblindingsoyourmouthcanclearlybeseen.

m Conversewithinthesameroomandnotfromafar.

m Speakclearly,distinctly&naturally.Avoidshoutingasitdistortsspeech.

m Keepyourhandsawayfromyourfaceandmouthwhentalking.

• Eating,chewing,smoking,etc.makescomprehensiondifficult.

m Slowdownyourspeechandtrypausingbeforephrases.

m Ifthehearingimpairedlistenerstrugglestohearinoneear;

• Trytoremember&positionyourselfbytheirstrongerear.

m Bepatient,kind&understandingsonoonefeelsembarrassed.

UH_New HA Guide pdf

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