Download How to Make the Best Use of Time with Hearing Health Care Providers

How to Make the Best Use of Time with Hearing Health Care
Providers
By: Marcia B. Dugan
We are consumers of many products and services, and we try to become informed before making a
decision involving large amounts of money. When we buy a refrigerator, we go to the library and read
Consumer Reports, we talk to friends who have recently purchased refrigerators, and we ask them about
their vendor and whether they were pleased with the service and the product they received. We do the
same for VCRs and automobiles
Buying a hearing aid is different.
For that purchase, we need to find a good hearing health care provider--and from now on, I will use the
word audiologist.
Selecting an audiologist
The job of selecting an audiologist is extremely important.
You are choosing a person with whom you will have a long-term relationship and as in all relationships,
you will want the relationship to be comfortable, trusting, and mutually beneficial.
The manufacturer and the model of the hearing aid is not as important as the audiologist.
Everyone’s hearing is unique.
Finding a responsive audiologist
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Talk to friends and relatives who wear hearing aids.
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Talk to people who are comfortable with their aids.
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Talk to people who have had a positive experience during the selection, purchase, and
aural rehabilitation program.
Best way to find a good audiologist
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Talk to CHHA members here in Canada.
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Talk to HLAA members in the USA.
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Talk to Zennancho members in Japan.
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Talk to IFHOH members or organizations worldwide.
Communication with Audiologists
…Is a two-way street.
You should express your needs and wants and the audiologist should provide options to meet those
needs.
Be prepared
An audiologist begins the evaluation by taking a case history. You are asked about your hearing loss,
situations in which you find it difficult to hear, and what you are not hearing at all, your medical
prescriptions, and your dietary habits. By listing all the situations where you have difficulty hearing
(understanding) ahead of time, you will be one step up. It is very easy to forget an important hearing
situation when you are distracted by all that is going on.
Make a list
List all situations where you have difficulty hearing (understanding).
Do you have difficulty hearing;
On the telephone
In restaurants
In places of worship
At the movies
At large meetings
In small groups
In one-on-one conversations
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Do you have pain or ringing in your ears?
Is balance or dizziness a problem for you?
Do other people in your family have a hearing loss?
Do family members complain that you are missing conversations?
Do they say you have the TV on too loud?
Do they tell you that you are misinterpreting comments or questions from others?
Tell the audiologist about any medication you take regularly
Some medications might be ototoxic.
Salicylates (aspirin or ibuprofen) can cause ringing in your ears
NAIDs (Advil, Clinoril, Motrin)
Loop Duretics (Lasix,Bumex, Edecrin)
Chemotherapeutic drugs
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Dietary habits (i.e. caffeine, salt, etc.)
Family history of hearing loss
The Testing
The audiologist will perform a battery of tests;
to determine the existence and extent of your hearing loss
to determine your understanding of speech.
Tests
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Pure tone air conduction
Pure-tone bone conduction
Speech reception and speech discrimination
Threshold of discomfort, comfort, and awareness
Impedance testing
The Audiogram
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A basic picture of your ability to detect tones
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Hz (hertz) on the horizontal axis
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dB (decibels) on the vertical axis
Circles record thresholds for the right ear
Xs record thresholds for the left ear
The audiologist records your test results on an audiogram then should explain the audiogram and its
implications. At the beginning or end of your hearing evaluation, be sure to ask for a copy of your
audiogram for your records. It is one of the first steps in understanding your hearing loss.
How many of you have a copy of your audiogram?
If hearing aids are not recommended
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Your loss is mild…too early for an aid
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Use of assistive devices
o Amplified telephone
o Infrared in movies or theater
o Other assistive devices (connect with Jo-Ann’s talk)
If hearing aid(s) are recommended
 Ask about the various kinds of aids
 Ask how they differ in function and in price
 Ask how they will help you
 Ask what their limitations are
 Ask how to buy them.
The T-coil
Why it is important?
Get right away instead of retrofitting.
The Audiologist: Skills and Attitude
Notes: Selecting and getting use to the right hearing aid takes time and patience. Not only will you
have several visits with a dispenser before the final purchase, you will return again and again for
evaluations, repairs, education, and, eventually, another set of new hearing aids...
So it is important that your audiologist has the skills and attitude you want.
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Interpersonal skills.
Competency
Adequate diagnostic and testing equipment
Selection assistance
Education and rehabilitation services
Pricing and service policies
Parking facilities and proximity to public transportation.
Costs
Hearing aids are an investment that can be costly. Don’t be rushed into a decision. Choose a dispenser
whose primary goal is to satisfy your needs.
Although hearing aids last for four or more years, they are expensive. The average price for hearing aids
follows: (This is being updated)
Average Price of Hearing Aids
Programmable aid
In-the-canal aid
In-the-ear aid
Behind-the-ear aid
$1563
$ 952
$ 762
$ 765
The newest generation of programmable digital hearing aids may cost as much as $2500. These prices
in most instances include testing, fitting, and follow-up visits.
The Sales Contract
 Get it in writing
 Read it carefully.
The Sales Contract Should Include;
 Price
 Payment agreement
 Trial period
 What is refundable
 Rehabilitation services
 Warranty
 Third-party providers
Other Costs to Consider
 Batteries
 Repairs
 Options for payment
A word of caution...
Never purchase a hearing aid by mail or by phone. Remember that you are not only purchasing a device
but also the services of a specialist, who will test the fit and fine tune the aid when needed, and advise
you, an audiologist with whom you have developed a special relationship.
In order to make the best use of your time with an audiologist, you need to be
 informed
 assertive
 careful
Remember…
You are the most important person in the relationship. You need to be Satisfied.