How to adjust to a noisy environment with hearing aids?

Edward P. your audiologist needs a print out of this thread!

MIne have a program for getting all-around sound and one from in front of you, and can be left for the aid to decide for you as well. Many digital aids are set up to do that automatically, but mine stay on the front of you program most all the time. I'm often in a situation in my clinic staff room or exam room that the aid would determine is "quiet" and automatically switch me to surround sound mode, when in fact I am struggling to hear the soft spoken person presenting a case right in front of me. Hearing aids don't give you normal hearing and the exact adjustment and adjustability you need can make the difference between usable or not. And you really have to educate others about your hearing loss - I have to tell folks why I can't hear them if I can't see them, and yes, please tap me on the shoulder if you can't quite get my attention from behind.

It's my understanding that the expensive aids can be adjusted. I would contact the company from whom the aids were purchased, or better yet, take your father and the aids back to them and ask for advice on how to adjust them.

If your father is hearing a lot of ambient noise, it may just discourage him from wearing the aids..

My dad had expensive hearing aids ($4,600) that were directional. If he looked at you, it magnified the sounds you would make speaking and supposedly dampen the ambient noise (from other people). I believe his aids also had different kinds of settings for whether the room was noisy or not. Can you double check that you're using your aids in the best way for the environment you're in? He still didn't want to wear them, LOL, but I know they had different settings for different kind of noise situations.