Have you decided on your New Year’s Resolution? Why not make your hearing health a priority in 2019? Here’s what you can expect from your hearing appointment:
- You will be asked some questions about your hearing difficulties and health history in general. This allows them to better understand your specific lifestyle needs and goals.
- A certified hearing healthcare professional will take you to a testing room. Here, he/she will use an otoscope to look in your ears. The health and function of both the middle and inner ear will be assessed through a series of tests. Don’t worry, these tests are neither invasive nor painful.
- There is usually a sound-proof booth to assess hearing levels. Once inside the booth, a complete audiological assessment will be performed, which will indicate the type and degree of hearing loss you may have. The ability to recognize and understand spoken words is also evaluated at this stage.
- When your assessment is complete, the hearing healthcare professional will share the results with you and make appropriate recommendations for treatment if necessary. If your hearing professional recommends hearing aids, he/she will discuss various options and explain the advantages of specific hearing aids that are appropriate for your needs.
Each hearing aid is uniquely fitted to match an individual’s hearing loss and hearing needs. The fitting process usually takes place about two weeks after the initial assessment. During this fitting appointment, your hearing aid will be programmed using computer software and customized to fit your exact hearing levels. Highly sophisticated equipment is used to verify that your new hearing aid is providing the necessary level of amplification and that it is comfortable to wear.
The hearing professional will also go through how to care for your hearing aid and any maintenance that may be required to ensure you are getting the most out of your instrument. Follow-up appointments are an important and necessary part of the rehabilitation process that allow the wearer an opportunity to provide his/her own feedback, which gives the hearing professional valuable information that will be used to adjust the hearing aids to better suit individual preferences.
Now that you know what to expect from your hearing appointment, you can attend your appointment confident and prepared for the experience! If you have any questions before, during or after the process, do not hesitate to ask your hearing professional. Happy New Year!
Are you ready to start your journey to better hearing? If you are a Canadian over the age of 18 who may have hearing loss, book a free hearing test with us today!
