There is no doubt that the skill of the person who is fitting a hearing aid is extremely important. It's confusing because of the layers of 'professionals' in the hearing healthcare field. Some are called 'Hearing Instrument Specialists'. They may have no more than a high school diploma and have served an apprenticeship. Some are called 'clinical audiologists'. Depending on the licensure regulations in your state, they may have a bachelor's degree or master's degree in audiology/communication disorders. Then there are 'doctors of audiology' who have earned a doctorate level degree in the field. They have the letters AuD after their name. Then, of course, we have the ENT specialists who are medical doctors who specialize in ear, nose & throat issues.

Interestingly enough, understanding hearing technology and being able to properly fit and program a hearing aid doesn't always go by 'degree'. On the other hand, understanding the many complexities of hearing health including medical issues that may cause hearing loss is more apt to be diagnosed and understood by someone with a doctorate degree.

I wonder what kind of experience/education the person who fit those hearing aids when you were in your 50s had. It sounds like that person was rather inept. I guess this is the reason why we have learned that it's OK to shop around and to open up to learning from other people who have hearing loss. Their experiences can be very helpful. It's also important to understand that everyone's hearing loss is different.