Hearing Health: near enough may not be good enough

Time to Read: 5 minutes

Choosing the nearest hearing clinic might be convenient, but it may not necessarily provide all the diagnostics you need to get a comprehensive view of your hearing and provide the best solutions.

So, what should you do? In short, ask questions.

Is the clinic independent or is it owned by a manufacturer?

If it is owned by a manufacturer, you may not be offered the widest range of hearing aids to best suit your hearing loss.

Is the clinic in a high profile shopping centre?

You might find the hearing aid prices are more expensive because they have to pay for high overheads.

Does the clinic provide speech in noise testing as part of its assessment?

No matter how convenient the clinic, if you're not offered speech in noise testing your hearing aids will not work in the widest range of circumstances.

Is there ongoing support for me and my hearing aids?

Some clinics are excellent in selling hearing aids, but not so good in providing ongoing support. Ask whether your audiologist will be available to assist you during follow up appointments.

Ideally you should be invited back for a complimentary clean and check every six months to make sure your ears and your hearing aids are in good condition. 

Ask whether they have a defined client journey that supports you for the life of your hearing aids (which is about five years).

Before you make a decision on where to buy your hearing aids, we recommend that you survey at least three different providers. 

To assist you, we’ve created a 6-step checklist that will help clarify your hearing needs and to make an informed decision on which provider to see.

Regardless of which provider you choose, be sure to ask yourself these questions after your first appointment.

How informed did you feel during the consultation?

Is the audiologist interested in your needs? One way is to see if they ever ask you what you’d like to achieve in the appointment.

Do you feel listened to? A good audiologist will give you opportunities to ask questions and will give relevant answers, taking your needs, as mentioned, during the consultation into account. You should never feel ignored or patronised.

How did you feel after the initial consultation?

Did you feel well informed and satisfied? Or did you feel underwhelmed with many questions unanswered or perhaps just overwhelmed?

Did you feel pushed into a decision?

You should feel empowered to make the right decision for you, with the confidence that the audiologist can back up their confident recommendation with great outcomes.

Are they free to make choices that are best for you?

Ask them what brands they mainly work with. Also feel free to ask what other models they might consider as alternatives and why the model they recommended was they one they did.

Ask about any special needs you may have?

If you have any needs you consider to be special, ask the audiologist about their experience and expertise in this area. You may not find one audiologist that does well in multiple areas, but certain conditions like profound hearing loss, Meniere’s Disease or severe tinnitus is better served by an audiologist with plenty of experience in this field.