The Aid Process in Full

If you have hearing difficulties then no doubt you will have either booked yourself in with a local audiologist or an audiologist will be coming to your for a home visit. If you have never had a hearing test before you may be wondering what makes up a consultation. There are subtle differences between the more conventional consultation where you visit a clinic and the home visit consultation. The main difference being the equipment used. This article will take you step by step through a typical hearing aid consultation and what happens next.

First consultation

Your audiologist will first make a thorough examination of the ear canal before asking you to enter their sound proof booth for some audiometric testing. This part of it may be slightly different with a home visit as the audiologist will not be able to take a sound proof booth with them everywhere they go.

Following your examination your audiologist will explain your results. A good audiologist will explain your results in great detail so if you don't understand then don't be afraid to ask questions.

Once you know your results you will receive a recommendation on which type of hearing aid will best suit your needs dependant on various considerations. Lifestyle is a big one in terms of, do you work in particularly loud and noisy environment in which the aid will have to cope? Cosmetic feel is another as some people are more conscious of how their aid will look to other people. Will you need an automatic device or will it be better if you have a remote control aid. There are many more considerations but the three previously mentioned are definitely the most popular.

Fitting

Your hearing aid will be expertly programmed by the audiologist based on your results and level of hearing loss. As with most new equipment a complete run down of how exactly the device works will follow. Most people expect a lot from a hearing aid so your expectations will be dealt with at this stage and the audiologist will tell you exactly what you can expect from your new aid. Usually with good hearing centres you will receive at least a forty day trial period whereby you can get used to your new instrument.

Follow Up Visits

These are vitally important as it is at this stage when your device will be fine tuned based on your experience since fitting. People are usually called for their follow up appointments within a few weeks of the fitting.

Aftercare

Aftercare is what separates good hearing centres from bad hearing centres. First class aftercare is what you are looking for especially as your hearing is so essential to your well being. If you can come back to the centre to ask questions or have your device tweaked then this will make you feel more re assured that you are being looked after properly. Always check what assort of guarantee you get with your hearing aid. Your device will be covered by the manufacturers guarantee for an agreed period of time so its always worth checking just how long this is.

There are probably lots more little points that haven't been covered in this article that you would experience during the whole hearing aid process and the above procedure will differ between hearing aid centres but serves as a good guide so you are not going into the whole thing blind.