Coming in to get your hearing checked can be a big first step. You first visit to our clinic is completely FREE and here’s what you can expect:
1: Scheduling the appointment. When you call us at the number on the top of this page we’ll find a time and date that’s convenient for you and in a city that’s close to where you live. Since traffic is a little slower at our rural locations, you’ll find that most have part time hours. If you’re in a hurry to get in we’ll be happy to look at other nearby locations where you might be able to get in a little sooner, otherwise just let us know the city you want to be seen in and we’ll set you up with the next available appointment.
2: Getting to know each other. We’d like to get to know you a little. In addition to your history of noise exposure and other factors that affect your hearing, we’ll want to know some additional information about your hobbies and lifestyle. If it looks like you’ll be a good candidate for hearing aids, this information can help us guide you towards the best style of hearing aid and technology level to ensure you’re getting optimal performance.
3: Hearing evaluation and consultation. Once we have an understanding of the communication challenges you’re facing and the areas you’d like to improve we’ll evaluate your hearing. This will start with a visual examination of your ear (both the external ear as well as the eardrum) to rule out earwax and certain other physical issues. From there we’ll move to using our sophisticated testing equipment. Part of this will be the “push the button when you hear a sound”-test that you’ve likely heard about, which allows us to generate your “audiogram.”
4: Reviewing the results. We’ll compare the results we see with the communication challenges you described to us to make sure the two are consistent with each other and using that information to assess whether or not you’re likely to benefit from wearing hearing aids. Although the results are an important part of this decision, you may be surprised that an even bigger part is how you assess your own communication challenges. If you don’t feel your hearing loss is impacting your life then we probably won’t recommend hearing aids. Simply put: If you don’t have a problem then we’re not going to suggest a solution.
5: Considering your hearing aid options. Many of our patients have never seriously considered hearing aids before their first appointment with us. Don’t fret: We’ll show you the different options available for your type of hearing loss and discuss the advantages to each, arriving at a solution together. Many of our patients come in concerned by how many different options exist, feeling lost before they’ve even started the process. Don’t worry, we’ll quickly narrow it down to a couple different options for you to choose between that will prove most effective for your type of hearing loss. And don’t forget that no matter which model you’re fit with, all of our hearing aids come with a full 60-day trial period so there’s no risk to you if things don’t work out!
6: Trying out hearing aids. Although some hearing aids need to be custom molded for your ear (meaning we won’t be able to offer you a full demonstration of what they’re like in the office), many do not. If you’re curious about what hearing aids would feel like and sound like we’ll be happy to perform a live demonstration right in the office so you can see and hear for yourself!
7: Fitting. In some cases (if schedule permits) we’ll able to fit you with your hearing aids on the very same day. In other cases we’ll have to order a new set of hearing aids from the manufacturer that we’ve selected and have to setup a separate appointment to fit you with them, in which case we’ll schedule you for that appointment now.
Initial Follow on visits: After you have been fit with hearing aids we’ll need you to come back in for one or more follow on appointments so we can evaluate hearing aid performance. If you or us feel that there is room for improvement we’ll adjust the settings at these appointments to ensure we’re properly unlocking the potential of your new hearing aids.
Extended Follow on visits: Even after your hearing aids are properly setup, we’ll still want you to come back in and see us at least once a year so we can regularly check on how your hearing aids are performing. In the years to come, we’ll clean key parts, check your hearing again (possibly adjusting the aids to ensure they’re keeping up with small changes in your hearing loss), and address any concerns you might have. It’s important that you don’t skip out on these appointments, otherwise you may find that as time passes your hearing aids aren’t working as well as when you first were fit. If that happens, don’t worry: simply schedule an appointment with us and we’ll be happy to get everything back on track for you!