Answer
What is the best way to insert a hearing aid?
It’s vital that your hearing aid is inserted correctly to achieve optimal performance. A good fit will also reduce feedback (whistling) and ensure it is sitting in a comfortable position for you.
Whichever style of hearing aid you have, here’s a brief guide to inserting the aid correctly, including information on correctly inserting an aid for children.
In The Ear (ITE), In The Canal (ITC) and Completely In Canal (CIC)
- Place the tip of the hearing aid in your ear canal.
- Gently pull your ear and push the hearing aid into the ear canal, twisting slightly if necessary, following the natural contour of the ear canal.
Note: do not use the battery door as a handle to insert or remove your instruments. It is not designed for this purpose.
Behind The Ear with Mould (BTE)
- Place the tip of the ear mould in the ear canal, twisting slightly, making sure that the top part of the ear mould (A) is pushed behind and under the fold (B) of the ear.
- Gently pull up the ear and press the ear mould in the direction of the ear canal.
- With the ear mould positioned correctly in the ear, place the hearing aid behind the ear by lifting the base of the hearing instrument over the top of the ear
Behind The Ear Open Fit
- Hold the hearing aid behind your ear with the soft tip facing towards your head.
- Place the soft tip in the ear with the tail facing outwards.
- Fold the tail into the bowl of the ear.
Inserting a device for children:
- Turn the instrument off or select the minimum volume setting to avoid whistling.
- Hold the tubing near the ear mould between your thumb and index finger.
- Bring the instrument to the child's ear, tilting it forward slightly and carefully place the canal portion of the ear mould inside the ear canal.
- Once the canal portion is in place, twist the ear mould back so that it fits into place and tuck the instrument behind the ear taking care not to twist the tubing. You can check that the instrument is in the correct position by tracing the contour of the ear with your finger to see that it is sitting snugly.
- Now you can switch on the instrument and adjust the volume to the desired level. In some cases, the volume control may be disabled by the audiologist.
Note: When removing the instrument, be sure to grasp the ear mould to ease it out, and do not pull on the tubing.
Author:
Paul Harrison
Date: Wednesday 16th June, 2021
Published in: Hearing Aid Questions