Comprehensive Hearing Assessments
We all regularly have yearly physicians, regular dental appointments, and annual blood pressure tests, yet hardly any of us regularly test our hearing.
One of the most overlooked aspects of health is hearing health. As hearing care professionals, we are saddened when hearing care is foregone and care begins too late. Studies suggest that, on average, a person waits seven years after first noticing hearing loss to seek help.
We’re living in a world that is becoming increasingly nosier – from being exposed to louder music through headphones, to sporting events and hobbies – as a result, a new report from the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) approximates 28.8 million adults in the United States have some type of hearing loss.
By visiting our hearing assessment centers located near you, you can receive hearing testing that will determine the level of hearing loss you currently have and create a treatment plan specialized by one of our hearing test doctors.
Why Do People Put Off Hearing Tests?
There are many reasons why people choose to forego hearing checkups, but we have found these four to be some of the most common:
01. My hearing loss isn’t affecting anyone
In reality, your hearing loss affects you, your loved ones, and anyone you come in contact with. Not only does this put a strain on relationships, but it also can affect your quality of life and lead to negative mental and physical health problems such as: depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, vertigo, and more.
02. I don’t really have a hearing problem
This excuse may be true, but you truly won’t know for sure until you have a professional hearing loss test administered by one a trained audiologist.
03. I’ll just crank the volume up!
Yes, our TV’s and phone can be turned up quite loud, but volume isn’t the only aspect of a hearing loss. Most people experience problems with clarity, meaning they struggle to distinguish between background noise and conversation.
04. I’m not old, so I can’t be experiencing hearing loss
Most individuals who struggle with hearing loss are over the age of 70, but hearing loss can affect anyone. As a result of loud noise, as many as 40 million adults show signs of hearing loss, and even teenagers, around 17 percent in the U.S., show signs of hearing loss when properly tested.
Your Better Hearing Journey
Your Better Hearing Journey
This “Patient Journey” is a step-by-step walkthrough of exactly what happens from the moment that you first step through our doors to years down the line as we become your hearing care partners for life.
Click any of the 14 points in the image to see more Information.
1. Initial Otoscopy
The first step of your comprehensive hearing assessment is an otoscopy – although this sounds medical and scary, it simply involves taking a look into your ears with an otoscope.
Often when patients come to us with concerns over hearing loss, it’s just a build-up of earwax that can be simply removed.
If we discover a build-up of earwax, we’ll simply remove this for you – if we discover no earwax, we’ll move on to a full audiology consultation.
2. Audiology Consultation
An audiology consultation consists of sitting in a private sound booth and wearing a pair of headphones.
Your audiologist will then play a range of sounds, varying in tone – when you hear a noise, you simply raise your hand. This will be testing the level of tone that you can hear to determine if you have any form of hearing loss and which tones you may be missing.
At the end of your hearing consultation, we’ll plot the results on an audiogram to share whether you have any form of hearing loss.
3. Discuss Test Results
If we discover that you do not have a hearing loss, you can put your mind at ease and we can say our goodbyes.
However, if we discover that you do have a level of hearing loss, we can discuss your options and potential treatment plans.
4. Analyze Lifestyle
In order to best help you to choose the right solution for your hearing loss, it’s important we understand what’s important to you.
We will have an open discussion about your interests, your lifestyle, and the situations in your life where you would like your hearing to be at its best – whether in a work meeting or around a dinner table at a restaurant.
5. Set Goals & Objectives
In order to make the best recommendation for you, we need to understand what your goals and objectives are for your hearing.
6.Discuss Treatment Plan
Now that we have a strong understanding of what your lifestyle looks like, what you want to experience from better hearing, and an accurate set of results of your audiogram, we can discuss the best treatment plan for you.
Based on our extensive experience, we can make our best recommendations for how you can move forward and experience better hearing.
7. Demo Hearing Technology
At this stage, most of our patients look towards hearing technology.
Based on everything that we’ve discussed, we make a recommendation for you, sharing some different levels of technology and some of the options available to you.
Based on your feedback, we’ll demonstrate these hearing devices to you to show you how small, discreet and powerful modern hearing technology is.
8. Product Selection
After extensively discussing and demonstrating the hearing technology, we work with you to choose the right hearing aid and hearing care plan for you.
At this stage, we can look into your hearing benefits to contribute to your investment and discuss options such as financing and leasing.
9. Custom Programming
Once you have selected your preferred hearing aid, it will be custom programmed to the exact results of your audiogram.
Rather than just amplifying all sounds like a small microphone, the modern hearing technology only amplifies the tones that you are missing, giving you a balanced level of hearing.
10. Initial Fitting
At this appointment, you will be fitted with your brand new hearing aids for the first time.
One of our audiologists will fit the hearing aid and make any adjustments until it fits comfortably in your ear, and it will be turned on for the first time.
This is our favorite moment as you have the “wow” realization of what you have been missing and what balanced hearing feels like.
11. Real World Adjustments
We then invite you back for a second appointment to adjust your hearing aid based on your initial experiences.
We often find that once you leave our office and use your hearing aids in real-life situations whether at the dinner table, in front of your television, or out in your car, you have the real-life experiences that allow us to adjust your devices to best perform for you.
12. Unlocking Technology
Your next appointment is all aimed at helping you to get the best experience from your hearing aids.
With the latest “Smart Technology” – your hearing aids are able to sync with your cell phones and tablets – allowing you to stream music, phone calls, or audio directly into your hearing aids.
We will help you with connectivity, give you a tutorial of how it works, and explain all the benefits of your new hearing devices.
13. Quarterly Preventative Maintenance
Every quarter, you will receive a comprehensive maintenance appointment where will give your hearing devices a six-part service.
This includes replacing defective parts, microphone cleaning, filters changing, domes changing, batteries changing, and a comprehensive listening check.
This allows you to protect your investment and ensures that your hearing aids are working to their best standard.
14. Annual Hearing Test
Every year, you’re invited for your annual hearing test – this allows us to accurately check your hearing and make any adjustments to your hearing aids’ programming to accurately reflect your level of hearing.
Schedule A Hearing Assessment
At All About Hearing we are committed to helping you not fall into the statistic of those who waited too long to receive hearing care.
If you believe that you or a loved one are experiencing signs of hearing loss, whether struggling to hear conversations in noisy environments or needing to have the television louder than those around you, then be sure to schedule a hearing test as soon as possible.
By scheduling a hearing assessment at one of our convenient locations, you can be sure your hearing needs will be met, and you will receive the personalized care you deserve. Call us today at (432) 689-2220 or complete the form on this page and a member of our team will be in touch.
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