BEFORE You Purchase

1. Locate a qualified audiologist for diagnosis of your hearing loss and for purchase of your hearing aids.

Prior to buying hearing aids you should have your hearing tested by a qualified licensed audiologist.  If a correctable medical or surgical problem is found, then the audiologist can refer you to an Otolaryngologist (Ear-Nose-Throat Physician) specializing in the diseases of the ear.  Only 5-10% of hearing loss is medically or surgically correctable. Sensorineural hearing loss can only be helped with amplification (Hearing Aids).

2. Who will help me choose the BEST brand, style, and technology features for my hearing aid?

Hearing aid success is 60% the result of proper physical and acoustical fit, and 40% the result of correct choice of a hearing aid to meet your individual needs.

3. When I first get my new hearing aids, who will adjust them for comfort and sound quality?

Following the initial adjustment of the hearing aids, we use Probe-Mic Measures based primarily on your audiogram (your hearing loss).

We schedule at least 2 more follow-up fitting appointments, as you are experiencing the hearing aids in your home, work, and social environments. It is usually important to make several re-adjustments based on the patient's particular lifestyle and social/business interactions.

After wearing the hearing aids for a few months, further modifications to both the physical fit and acoustic characteristics of the hearing aids are often made by our audiologists to ensure a comfortable and more precise fitting as you become more accustomed to hearing the sounds you have been missing for many years.

It may be necessary to re-adjust the aids several times during the initial trial period.

4. Who will counsel my family members and me on how to use my aids to the best advantage in new listening situations?

Perhaps the most significant factor affecting successful use of hearing aids is the degree to which the patient is informed concerning the hearing loss, the hearing aid, its proper use and realistic expectations of its benefits. We offer extensive counseling to you and your family to optimize the hearing aid experience and to encourage a successful fitting.

5. Who will re-adjust and re-program my hearing aid in the months following my purchase as I become better able to tolerate newly heard sounds?

After several months of wearing a hearing aid, you will often find the need for further adjustments as you become more accustomed to amplification and desire a more precise acoustic fit.

After purchasing your new hearing aids we typically schedule you for a follow-up appointment within 3-4 months to make any necessary adjustments.  A patient with new hearing aids will often return to our office in a few months requesting the hearing aids be "tuned-up" a little.  This is expected as one becomes more acclimated to the sounds they had been missing. 

6. Who will clean, maintain, and repair my aid over the LIFE of the hearing aid?

The average hearing aid requires routine cleaning, maintenance and minor adjustments every 6 to 12 months.

7. Who will reprogram my hearing aid if my hearing worsens?

Hearing aids require readjustment and reprogramming as the hearing loss of the user changes over time.