Hearing Test
What to Expect During a Hearing Test
You don’t know what you don’t know. This statement is very accurate when analyzing hearing results with our patients. Booking a hearing test is the first step to truly understanding the troubles you are having with hearing the world around you. This may stem from a handful of situations such as, hearing people mumble or having to ask someone to repeat their sentence. However, you are not alone as there are 1 in 4 Canadians experiencing some form of hearing loss.
Here is a guideline to what you can expect during your visit so that you can feel comfortable and prepared. A hearing test takes about an hour and a half to complete. We recommend bringing a loved one with you whose voice you can easily recognize. This can assist us in better understanding the troubles you may be experiencing and to also better understand your listening environments.
Sound and Lifestyle Consultation
Your hearing healthcare provider will go over your medical background related to your hearing. This is a key step as your hearing could be affected by factors such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Your practitioner will also get an understanding of your lifestyle. For example, you may be asked: Are you exposed to loud noises at work? When did you begin to notice that your hearing is deteriorating? This is for the initial assessment and will give the practitioner a better understanding of what your individual needs are.
Examination of the Ear
Your hearing healthcare provider will then begin the physical ear examination. This involves taking a look at your ears to see if there are any medical issues that may be directly related to your hearing loss. Other potential causes will also be examined, such as earwax build up that may be causing an obstruction.
Hearing Assessment
After the hearing health professional conducts the initial consultation, a hearing assessment will be performed. This will allow the practitioner to mold an accurate understanding of your hearing conditions. The battery of hearing tests will include multiple evaluations to better understand the sensitivity of your ears in relation to your environment. These tests include speech comprehension, word cognition, as well as a series of tones and pitches. The test is performed in a soundproof booth where you will be comfortably seated as the test is performed. As you listen to the different sounds you will push a button when you hear the tones. As mentioned before, we recommend you bring someone whose voice you are comfortable with as this can help in evaluating your regular communication and hearing patterns.
Reviewing Your Results
Following your test, your Hearing Health Professional will explain the results and how they connect with your lifestyle as you described during the consultation. These will be reviewed at the patient level to help you clearly understand your specific hearing loss.
Demo and Solutions
If you could benefit from hearing aids, your practitioner will provide a live demonstration and present you with a recommendation. In the case that you have worn hearing aids before, you can decide if you’d like to move forward with the devices or trial new hearing aids. This may be beneficial as technology levels change rapidly, allowing for newer models to improve your quality of life. If you haven’t worn hearing aids before, we recommend going with a 10-day trial. Your Hearing Professional can monitor your use and environments to ensure that the right device was chosen based on a data driven model.
After Care Support
We provide a trial period as well as a 30-day confidence guarantee to ensure that the devices you’re using are best suited for your hearing needs.
Confidence Guarantee
Once you have invested in your hearing, we like to see our patients regularly every 3-4 months for a hearing aid cleaning appointment. We also recommend that you visit us every 6-12 months to conduct a specialized adjustment based on patient feedback. These visits ensure that we can fine tune the devices and provide you with any additional information or support you may need. All devices come with an included warranty to ensure that your investment in hearing is protected.
Have Questions?
Call or text our office if you have any questions about your hearing loss or anything else related to hearing. We are happy to help and answer any questions you may have.