If you are living with hearing loss, visiting a hearing specialist essential. Regular checkups ensure you are properly managing your condition and getting all the assistance you need to improve your quality of life. Navigating effective communication with an audiologist and optimizing your appointment experience may pose occasional challenges. However, approaching your sessions with thoughtful preparation and opens doors to valuable opportunities and fruitful outcomes. You will gain some insights into what you can do to communicate better and get the treatment you need.
Write Down Your Main Goals
Before your appointment, write down your main goals and expectations for your hearing care. Figure out what you’re looking to get out of the experience. Try asking yourself the following questions to help with this:
- What type of hearing aids do I prefer, and which styles best suit my needs and lifestyle?
- What are the main reasons I want to wear hearing aids? Do I want to hear people better, be able to concentrate on what people are saying in noisy rooms, listen to music or simply understand people over the phone?
- What concerns do I have about the maintenance and adjustment of hearing aids and how might an audiologist help me?
Writing down and answering these questions put you in a position to have a meaningful and thorough conversation with your hearing specialist. Plus, considering these things in advance of your appointment makes it easier for audiologist to gauge your needs.
Be Honest and Open
Be honest and open with your hearing specialist about your hearing difficulties and how they affect your daily life during your appointment. Don’t be afraid to talk about the issues you experience in social situations or at work. Your audiologist will help you through your hearing loss providing the right treatment for you.
For instance, tell your audiologist if you:
- Have trouble following conversations in noisy environments.
- Avoid certain social situations because you can’t hear what people are saying.
- Regularly feel frustrated because of your lack of hearing.
- Avoid certain activities because you can’t hear what people are saying.
When you are honest about how you feel, it makes it easier for your audiologist to understand what you need. They may be able to provide better treatment and resolve issues more rapidly if you provide them with a detailed account of your experience.
Ask Them to Adjust Your Hearing Aids for You
If you are going for a hearing aid fitting or already wear hearing aids, you should also ask your hearing specialist to adjust them. They have diagnostic equipment that lets them discern your precise level of hearing loss and calibrate devices accordingly. By contrast, setting up hearing aids by yourself can be complicated. Modern units have many adjustable options, making it harder to get the perfect balance of settings.
Ask Them How to Use Hearing Aids Properly
Another excellent way to get the most out of your hearing specialist appointment is to ask them how to use hearing aids properly. They can provide detailed instructions, telling you how to get the most out of your devices. For instance, you should:
- Regularly clean your hearing aids to remove wax, sunscreen, hair products, dirt, grime and other contaminants.
- Be patient and realistic with your expectations. Hearing aids will sound a little strange at first as your brain adapts to using them.
- Check your batteries regularly and replace them when they are low. Carry spare batteries with you in case they run out unexpectedly.
- Wear your hearing aids as much as possible, especially in the first few weeks, to get used to them and to train your brain to process sounds better.
Follow-Up With Your Audiologist Regularly
After your appointment, follow up with your audiologist regularly and report any changes or problems with your hearing or hearing aids. Remember that your hearing can change over time, necessitating additional adjustments or a different form of treatment. Pay attention to any improvement or decline in your hearing in the weeks following your appointment. If you notice new issues, speak to your audiologist and ask them to perform a new hearing test to see if there have been any changes.
Book Your Appointment Today
If you believe you might have hearing loss or need help choosing hearing aids, our team at Kirsch Audiology is here to help. We’re a group of experienced audiologists who’ve assisted thousands of patients, improving their quality of life. To learn more about your appointment or our audiologists, call us today at 310-586-5533.
