ABSTRACT
Rehabilitation enables them to become effective and confident hearing aid (HA) users, makes them aware of beneficial services and equipment as well as developing the skills to make the most of their hearing in a range of everyday situations. After a HA has been provided a process of ‘acclimatization’ is required for the wearer to adapt to a new way of listening, and this process may be hindered in cases of auditory deprivation or where there is low personal motivation to persevere with wearing the HA continuously. Sensitive comprehensive care may be required where additional factors such as cognitive impairment, dementia, vision or dexterity issues are involved. Hearing aid benefits can be measured using questionnaires. A number of questionnaires are available such as Client Oriented Scale of Improvement, which can be useful to gauge individual benefit and assist with counselling and the design of rehabilitation approaches. Fitting HAs is often beneficial for people with troublesome tinnitus, even when hearing loss is minimal.
