Hearing healthcare professionalsare trained to perform some hearing tests and to recommend and dispense hearing aids and assistive listening devices.
They will work with you to determine whether you have a hearing loss and recommend a solution to improve your hearing.
Here’s how you can prepare for your appointment and what to expect:
Before your appointment
Note situations or environments in which you’ve had difficulty hearing: this is helpful information. Consider bringing a friend or family member to the appointment to share their observations.
During your appointment
While every hearing healthcare professional has their own process, your appointment will generally consist of information gathering, a non-invasive inspection of your ear, and a hearing test, followed by a review of the findings.
During your appointment,the process typically consists of these steps:
You may be asked to complete basic forms. You will be asked about your hearing history to understand any medical issues that could be affecting your hearing. A communication assessment may be used to determine when and where you are experiencing difficulty in hearing.
Your outer ear, ear canal and eardrum will be examined. This will not be invasive or uncomfortable.
Your hearing will be tested in a sound booth or sound-treated room. You will be asked to indicate when you can hear various levels of sounds or tones in each ear.
Your hearing healthcare professional will review the test results with you and identify if you have a hearing loss. If you do, you’ll discuss treatment options, which may range from communication strategies, hearing aids and other assistive devices, to a referral to another medical specialist if warranted.
If you can benefit from wearing hearing aids, you’ll be interested to know there’ve been huge advances with digital technology,
including fully automatic performance.They’re much, much smaller than they used to be.
Learn more here
