Before you commit to hearing aids, it helps to ask the right questions. Dr. Sara Hanley, Au.D. explains what to cover with your audiologist, why your daily environments matter, why it’s smart to bring someone with you, and how trial periods and warranties fit into the process.
Britney in Pontiac wants to know, “What should I think about or ask my audiologist before committing to a treatment plan that includes amplification?” Well first I want to say that these are my favorite appointments. We call this either a Hearing Aid Evaluation or a Communication Needs Assessment, and during this appointment is when I really get to know my patient. It’s more of a conversational appointment, and honestly, we get to know each other. So that’s why it’s one of my favorites. That being said, a lot of the appointment is gonna be talking about your lifestyle and the environments that you’re in on a regular basis. What’s your work environment like? Volunteering situations, social groups that you’re in, TV, phone habits? All these different environments are the listening situations that you’re part of on a regular, everyday basis. And then more specifically, how are you hearing in those situations? So, which environments do you find you’re having to ask for repetition a lot, or you really have to concentrate and focus on what’s being said to understand it? We always encourage that you bring a companion along with you – anybody who’s close to you and is somebody who helps you make decisions, because we are going over a lot of information at these appointments. Just having another person, another set of ears, to help you remember all the information, if they’re helping you make a decision potentially at the end of the appointment, like if you want to move forward with hearing devices, then they’ve been there and gotten all the information as well to better help you with that decision. You’ll also want to know about what the trial period is like, and how long you’ll have to test the devices to make sure you want to keep them, or exchange to try something else, or return them. How long is the warranty from the manufacturer? And then the service from the office that you’re with – are they bundling services or unbundling the services? So those are things you’ll want to know and to ask about when you’re thinking about a treatment plan: how is the hearing aid gonna help you based on your lifestyle and activities, having somebody there with you to help you make the decision, and then knowing what comes with that as far as service and those types of things. I’m Dr. Sara Hanley at Bloomington-Normal Audiology, and we’re ‘hear’ for you.