Trying hearing aids in your day-to-day life is an important part of knowing if the pair you buy is right for you. At HearingLife, we offer all customers a trial period. Though trial periods can vary by state, you are guaranteed at least 30 days.

The trial period begins on the day you take your devices home. During this time, you will visit your hearing care provider at least once to check in. At the follow-up appointment, your provider will review how to properly clean and care for the devices and adjust the sound quality as needed. It is not uncommon for fine tuning to be needed more than once, especially for someone who is new to using hearing aids!

Your provider will use a test called Real Ear Measurements (REM) when adjusting your hearing aids. This test allows the provider to measure the acoustic properties of the ear canal and combine it with the output of the hearing aid to make sure that the devices are optimized for each patient. This test will either happen at the fitting or at a follow-up appointment.

During the trial period, we encourage patients to test hearing aids out in different environments and make a note on your phone or a pad of paper of any real-time questions or problems that arise.

Test your hearing aids when you:

• Go out to eat
• Spend time outdoors (at the park, beach, daily walks, etc.)
• Conversing with family members and friends. One-on-one and in large groups!

The idea is to experience as much of your everyday life with your hearing aids as possible during the trial period so you can get to know if they are right for you or if you need to make any adjustments to make them more comfortable (physically or noise-wise).

Adjusting to wearing hearing aids and getting used to the improved sound quality can take some time. When you meet with your provider, you should always feel comfortable sharing any difficulties you have with the fit of your hearing aid or the sound. Our providers are more than happy to help you find a solution.

HearingLife also provides our unique OnDemand care during evenings and weekends when the offices may not be open. Just call (888) 277-3802 and a member of our support staff will be happy to assist you in troubleshooting your hearing aids. We know that adapting to hearing aids is a big and exciting step and your provider is here to help support you on this journey!

Audiologist Lic #A.02315

Eleni Santarelli grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from the University of Akron in 2017. She went on to pursue her Doctorate in Clinical Audiology through the Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium, finishing her fourth-year externship at the Columbus VA and receiving her degree in May 2021. She also holds a certificate in Animal Audiology from the University of Cincinnati.

Licensed in Ohio and a member of both the American Academy of Audiology and the Ohio Academy of Audiology, Dr. Santarelli is passionate about helping people hear better—believing it’s essential for meaningful social connection and personal safety. Her love for animals and sports shines through her volunteer work at the Cleveland Zoo, coaching basketball, and cheering on Cleveland’s pro teams.