It takes time to get used to the idea of wearing hearing aids. Maybe you’ve been to the doctor’s, learned about hearing loss online and talked to friends and family about your hearing loss. Now it’s time to make an appointment with a hearing specialist. What can you expect from that first appointment? We’ll take you through your appointment, step by step.
When you show up for your appointment, the first thing you’ll do is discuss the reason for being there, how your hearing loss is being experienced by you, your friends and family.
It’s important for the hearing specialist to understand your daily life and needs, so they can find the best hearing aid for you. Not only is your hearing loss unique, but so are you and your way of life.
Maybe you’re a busy person who experiences different environments and sounds every day. Or maybe most of your day is calm and quiet. These are two very different lives that might benefit from different hearing aid solutions.
The hearing test
The hearing specialist will measure how well you hear sounds and speech and try to find the softest sound level you can detect for a range of frequencies.
The hearing test is usually performed in a soundproof booth. One ear at a time is tested at different volumes and frequencies.
The speech test
A speech test is not necessarily something you’ll have to do. It entails using earphones and repeating words and sentences for as long as you can hear them.
The audiogram
You will then be given an audiogram, which is a complete mapping of your sense of hearing. A hearing threshold of between 0 and 25 dB is considered normal.
The audiogram helps determine the severity of your hearing loss.
The full picture
Based on the tests, the hearing care professional will suggest the best hearing solution for your unique hearing loss, your budget and your daily life.
The next steps
Once your hearing aid has been decided on, you’ll get your first hearing aid fitting. Now you’ll have a few weeks to try out the hearing aid in real life and return for fine-tuning.
Generally, people are happy with their hearing aids after two or three fine-tunings. If you’re still experiencing issues with them after that, your hearing specialist will help you find a better hearing solution for you.
Over 5% of the world’s population – or 430 million people – require rehabilitation to address their disabling hearing loss (including 34 million children). It is estimated that by 2050 over 700 million people – or one in every 10 people – will have disabling hearing loss.
When unaddressed, hearing loss impacts many aspects of life at individual level: communication and speech; cognition; social isolation, loneliness and stigma; impact on society and economy; effects on years lived with disability (YDLs) and disability adjusted life years (DALYs).
Article submitted by the HPA Group
