it is important to keep wearing your hearing instruments do not put them away out of frustration maintain communication with your hearing care professional and specialist the more you tell them about your experience using hearing instruments the more able they are to help you since hearing instruments amplify all sounds you will probably notice some sounds you haven t heard for a while the sounds of footsteps chirping birds rustling paper etc this can be over-whelming at first but once you become adapted to hearing new sounds they should become part of the background with time the process of getting used to your hearing instruments usually takes a few weeks but this may vary from person to person in addition the amount of benefit depends upon the severity of your hearing loss your general health how long the hearing loss has been present and if you are a first time or experienced hearing instrument user most importantly your hearing success will depend upon you getting the most out
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tips for better hearing in difficult listening situations dining out · select a quiet restaurant preferably without music or entertainment · request a table in a quiet area at a distance from the kitchen · sit where there is good lighting · ensure that light is not shining directly in your eyes · conversation will be easier to follow if the group is small in the car · if one ear is better than the other sit with your better ear toward the center of the car · if using two hearing instruments consider reducing the volume of the instrument closest to the window · turn off the radio/stereo system · keep the windows closed to minimize traffic road and wind noise attending theater concerts or movies · when purchasing tickets inquire if a loop infrared or fm system is available if not request preferential seating 6
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at home · always use your hearing instruments · inform family and friends about your situation · teach your family to talk clearly and keep eye contact when conversing · teach your family how to involve you in conversations · avoid background noise hearing on the telephone · hold the receiver close to the microphone inlet of your hearing instrument if this causes whistling move the receiver away a small distance or consult your hearing care professional · do not rest the receiver on the hearing instrument as this may make the instrument whistle · if voices over the telephone are too soft or if background noises are a problem you may use a telecoil be aware that not all telephones are compatible with telecoils · if you have a behind-the-ear hearing instrument with a telecoil activate it and hold the phone behind the ear next to your hearing instrument · if you have an in-the-ear hearing instrument with a telecoil place the telephone receiver next to your hearing instrument 8
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tips for communicating with hearing impaired people suggestions for family members and friends · speech should be clear and distinct some people may need to slow down a little but if speech is too slow it can be even more difficult to understand · do not shout many people with hearing impairment are very sensitive to loud sounds · if you are having difficulty being understood rephrase the statement rather than repeating the same words several times · do not try to have a conversation from another room or with your back turned talk face to face · avoid eating drinking or smoking while talking and keep your hands away from your face · minimize background noise turn off the tv or radio or move to a quiet area for conversation · try to give some warning when the topic changes during group conversations it is much easier to follow the conversation when you know what is being discussed · ensure there is good light on your face the eyes and ears work best together for maximum understand
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behind-the-ear hearing instruments only if you have programmable hearing instruments the programming cover should never be removed as dust and dirt can cause defects in the programming plug care of your earmolds the earmolds are an integral part of your hearing instruments and should be kept clean and free from ear wax at all times cleaning your earmolds disconnect the earmold from the earhook by gently pulling it off some types of earmolds connect/disconnect at the juncture of the earmold tubing and the earmold itself check yours carefully gently clean the earmold in warm soapy water or with a special cleaning kit for at least 1530 minutes remove the earmold from the solution and allow it to dry completely before reconnecting it to the hearing instrument be careful never to put your hearing instruments in the cleaning liquid 13
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cleaning the thin sound tube system if you have a behind-the-ear instrument with thin sound tube make sure that the tube and earpiece is kept clean and free from ear wax at all times 1 disconnect the sound tube from the hearing instrument by twisting and pulling it off 2 use a soft dry cloth or tissue to clean the outside of the sound tube and dome 3 to remove wax from the sound tube insert the black cleaning wire into the sound tube at the connector end push the cleaning wire all the way through the sound tube until it comes out through the dome 4 once wax is removed reattach the sound tube connector onto the hearing instrument important to avoid blocking the sound tube do not clean the sound tube or dome in water 15
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using the nowax nowax helps to maintain the advanced performance of your hearing instrument carefully follow these instructions when changing the wax filter · make sure that the nowax filter is placed correctly before inserting the hearing instrument in your ear · the nowax filter is not a toy and should be kept out of reach of children and anyone who might swallow or otherwise cause themselves injury · if the nowax filter should accidentally work itself loose from the hearing instrument please contact your hearing care professional do not try to remove the filter yourself · always inspect your nowax filter before using the hearing instrument to ensure that it has not become detached from the instrument the filter should be changed when you can see that the filter is clogged or when the hearing instrument does not sound normal fully disposable nowax is made from environmentally friendly material making it easy to discard after use the material is reduced to oxygen and water when incin
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common problems and their solutions problem possible cause · the hearing instrument is not inserted properly · ear wax accumulation in ear canal · the sound tube is not connected to the instrument properly · if you have a bte the earmold tubing could be split · your hearing instrument for bte your earmold is too loose instrument is too soft or · the hearing instrument may a humming noise occurs be in telecoil position only for instruments with t-coil · volume is too soft only for instruments with loudness control no volume or · the hearing instrument volume too soft is not turned on · dead battery or battery is inserted the wrong way · blocked sound outlet whistling or squealing 20
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common problems and their solutions problem no volume or volume too soft possible cause · battery contacts dirty or corroded · ear wax accumulated in the ear canal or change of hearing loss · blocked sound inlet microphone · the hearing instrument may be in telecoil position whirring noise fading · dirty or corroded battery weak or motor boating contacts sounds · moisture in hearing instrument · dead battery · low battery instrument switches from on to off periodically 22
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service common problems and their solutions are listed on pages 20-23 if none of the actions listed on the above pages solve the problem contact your hearing care professional do not attempt to repair your hearing instruments yourself accessories bernafon offers a wide range of accessories depending on hearing instrument types and local regulations the following accessories are available · remote controls for hearing instruments · different systems for fm communication for wireless transmission of signals from external devices to the hearing instrument · audio input systems for connection with external devices e.g tv · wax protection systems · battery compartment lock systems · cleaning and drying kit · adapters for eyeglasses for further information on accessories please contact your hearing care professional 24
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bernafon s mission is to help people to hear and communicate better by providing innovative hearing solutions bernafon australia pty ltd 512 wickham street fortitude valley qld 4006 australia freecall 1800 809 111 phone 07 3250 0300 fax 07 3252 2048 www.bernafon.com.au bernafon inc 200 cottontail lane building b somerset nj 08873 usa phone toll free 888 941-4203 www.bernafon-us.com info@bernafon-us.com bernafon canada ltd 500 trillium drive unit 15 kitchener ontario n2r 1a7 canada phone 519 748 6669 toll free 1 800 265 8250 fax 519 748 9158 tdd 519 748 1054 www.bernafon.ca contact@bernafon.ca bernafon u.k cadzow industrial estate low waters road hamilton ml3 7qe scotland phone 01 698 28 59 68 fax 01 698 42 14 56 www.bernafon.co.uk info@bernafon.co.uk bernafon new zealand ltd 19 tarndale grove albany p.o box 302 149 north harbour auckland 1330 new zealand freecall 0800 442 257 phone 9 920 42 40 fax 9 920 42 43 www.bernafon.co.nz www.hear-it.org for more information about hearing and hea
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