What you should ask your Hearing Care Practitioner
How to prepare for your visit to a hearing care clinic
Hearing loss can change your life, and it can also change the lives of your family and your relationships. A visit to a hearing care practitioner can help return your life to normal.
If you have not visited a hearing care practitioner before, don’t worry. You don’t need to “be ready” for your appointment., The team at Inlet Hearing will make sure you leave knowing what to do for your next step. When you visit the clinic, we will guide you through the entire appointment to give you a clear understanding of your hearing.
And you do not need to have a hundred questions planned when you visit. It is our job to make sure you leave with all the answers – even the answers to questions you never knew you had.
If you are experiencing hearing loss, you are not alone. In fact, nearly 20% of adults in Canada have some degree of hearing loss that can impede their ability to hear speech. A visit to a hearing care practitioner is the first step to understand if hearing loss is impacting your life.
What Is a Hearing Care Practitioner?
When you visit a hearing care practitioner, you get an opportunity to chat with an expert. Hearing care practitioners are specialists in ears and hearing, from physiology to the latest hearing technology. It is a chance to learn about how you hear, why you are experiencing hearing loss and the best options available to help you hear better.
The best way to prepare for a visit with a hearing care practitioner is to know their areas of expertise. Hearing care practitioners are professionals in the study of how you hear. This means they are experts in how you hear, why you hear the way you do and the options available to improve your hearing. We are always excited to share our experiences and knowledge with you.
Hearing Care Practitioners Know How You Hear
The study of sound is not the study of noise – it is the study of how you collect and interpret that noise. This process requires your ear’s physical bones and membranes, and it requires complex psychological interpretation. It takes your ears and brain to hear.
Hearing care practitioners know the science behind hearing, that is, how you can collect noises and interpret them into understandable sounds.
Hearing Care Practitioners Can Help You Understand Your Hearing
With any complex process, there are a number of ways that optimal results can be impeded. Hearing care practitioners can assess your hearing and determine how it compares to the average. If there is a difference, they will explain the cause of that difference.
When you know the cause of a problem, you are better able to find a solution. Hearing care practitioners start with the problem, then work backwards to find a solution that fits.
Hearing Care Practitioners Know the Options Available to Improve Hearing
Hearing involves physiology, psychology and often technology. Therapy, hearing aids and more can be used to improve hearing for people who have a wide degree of hearing loss. Hearing care practitioners can introduce you to the incredible technology available to make your hearing better.
Hearing Care Practitioners Are Licensed Professionals
After completing their education, our hearing care practitioners must pass a standardized exam and be registered with the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of British Columbia. After that, they remain dedicated to continuous learning by attending conferences and completing courses.
What Can I Expect From a Visit to a Hearing Care Practitioner?
It is hard to know what to ask when you do not know what to expect.
We will make your visit to Inlet Hearing as straightforward and comfortable as possible. One way we do this is by letting you know what to expect before you visit. When you know what to anticipate, you will leave with more information that will help your hearing.
This is what you can expect when you visit our hearing clinic.
Meet With Our Team
If this is your first appointment at Inlet Hearing, we want to get to know you. And we want you to get to know us.
You are welcome to bring a family member or friend with you to your appointment. Your hearing care will benefit when you have the support of those close to you, and they will understand how they can assist you in your hearing journey.
Discuss Your History
Everyone experiences their hearing in different ways, which means that hearing loss is different in every individual.
We will discuss your medical history, lifestyle and hearing goals. From there, our recommendations will be based on options that are best suited to you.
Our goal is to understand the intricacies of your hearing experiences – most notably, what it is like to hear in a variety of environments and scenarios. Where is it most difficult to hear?
Hearing Assessment
We start by completing a physical examination of the ear. From the outside to the ear drum, we will take a look to see whether there are any physical considerations that could impede or impact your hearing.
For example, ear wax may build up and reduce your ability to hear. Or there may be damage to your ear drum that impacts your ability to sense and interpret sound.
After the physical examination, we will complete a series of hearing tests to evaluate how well you can hear. This includes tests to determine your sensitivity to various tones so we can understand your hearing in terms of loudness, clarity and types of sounds.
Evaluation
We will discuss the results of your hearing tests and recommend the next steps.
If there are any indicators that you need medical intervention, we will refer you to an ear, nose and throat doctor. If you could benefit from hearing aids, we will outline the technology that would help you in the environments where you have the most difficulty.
An evaluation is not a prescription. Rather, it is a discussion where we go through the state of your hearing and the options available to improve it.
Ask Your Questions – At Any Time!
And at any point in your appointment, we are open to receiving your questions. If you have many questions, that is great. And if you do not have any questions, here are some to consider asking.
The Top Questions Hearing Care Practitioners Want to Be Asked
Whether you are visiting a hearing care practitioner for the first time or have been to one before, it is an excellent opportunity to learn from an expert.
These are some questions that we appreciate being asked. They are questions that we try to answer (even if you do not ask them) because they are vital to understanding your hearing and the optimal next steps.
- What is the state of my hearing? Do I have hearing loss?
- What type of hearing loss do I have? Is it the same in both ears?
- Do you expect my hearing to improve or worsen over time?
- How does my hearing compare to others?
- What are the recommended options to make it easier to hear?
- What could happen if we do not do anything?
- What type of hearing aids are best for…
…my hearing loss?
…my lifestyle?
…the places where I have the biggest trouble hearing?
…connecting with my phone or television? - If you had the same degree and type of hearing loss that I do, what would you do?
What If I Don’t Have Any Questions?
It is normal not to have lots of questions on your first visit. For many, their first experience with hearing care is an introduction into a new way of thinking about their ears and hearing care.
Our assessment and recommendations will provide the answers to these questions (even if you do not ask them). It is our goal for you to understand the details of your hearing health.
We appreciate getting asked these questions because they are the same questions that we strive to answer even if you do not ask us.
How to Prepare for Your Appointment
The first step is to schedule an appointment. From there, here are some tips to make the most out of your appointment.
Invite Someone to Join
We welcome you to bring a close family member or friend to your appointment. Invite them to come along with you – we find that another perspective is useful for you and our team.
There is an incredible benefit to including your family and community in your hearing journey. They are always welcome to join when you visit
Inlet Hearing.
Consider Questions That We Will Ask
Your appointment is a chance for our hearing care practitioners and team to get to know you. We will review your lifestyle and history in order to understand where you have any difficulties hearing.
These are some questions to consider:
- Where and when do you find it difficult to hear?
In conversations?
On the phone?
When watching television?
When someone speaks softly?
At restaurants or parties?
When more than one person is speaking to you? - Where and when do you find it easy to hear?
- What are some examples of individuals or scenarios where you have to focus more to hear?
- Do you find long conversations exhausting?
- Do you have a hard time remembering what was said in conversations?
We also recommend speaking to someone you are close to, such as a spouse or child. Ask them about their experiences during conversations with you. Sometimes, our routines or habits are only noticeable to other people.
Your appointment will be an exchange of information. We will learn about your hearing, and you will learn about the state of your hearing and the options available to make it easier to hear.
What Do You Want to Achieve?
It is our goal to connect you with the technology and treatment that will make the biggest difference in your life. We encourage you to consider how improvements in your hearing could benefit your life at home, work or beyond.
I have a question now!
Send us your questions or call us.
We are always happy to answer any questions you have, whether it is about what to expect at your next appointment or about hearing health and technology.
We will be sure to take the time to listen to your questions and provide the information you need.
