“Heard from the acoustician”

In this new section, the Acoustician Team keeps you up to date on technology, advice, handling hearing aids and personal experience in the profession of an acoustician.
The Acoustician Team consists of 2 Acousticians and Oscar, their Mental Coach on 4 paws.

What does my everyday life as a hearing aid acoustician look like? How do I deal with clients?

The ordered in-the-ear hearing aids have been delivered and I can inform my client as agreed that we can make the appointment for the fitting. I dial his phone number. His wife answers, so I present my request and ask if she can connect me to her husband.

Since her husband hardly understands anything at the moment, he has lost one of his hearing aids, she suggests that she makes an appointment with me. She says she is very happy that the devices have finally arrived. Her husband doesn’t understand much with just one hearing aid and sometimes she has to push him to react.
Because of the undertone that resonates in her voice, I say “I hope you push him lovingly”. “Not always” is the honest answer.
It is complicated at the moment because communication is hardly possible. Without being told more, I see the situation in my mind’s eye.
The hearing aid user and his good-hearing partner both reach their limits. A certain helplessness, lack of understanding, comparison – he understood it before. There are numerous reasons for this.

Here lies a big difference to us as acousticians. I get to know my client with hearing loss. I make no comparison in the past or today. I have determined the sound and speech audiogram and see what the basis looks like. What is possible and what is no longer possible. Quite objectively.
To take the customer as he is is our daily bread. Sure, everyone has a different perception, that’s always subjective.

In a joint conversation, I make sure that there is a calm environment. Unless I want to work specifically with ambient sounds. I look at my customer, vis à vis, speak slowly, clearly. No, I don’t yell at him. I’ve never understood why anyone does that anyway – just by the way.