“Why Do I Need to Bring Someone With Me?”

When scheduling an appointment for a hearing evaluation in our office, you will be asked to bring a family member/friend with you.  Many of our patients ask, “Why do I need to bring someone with me?”

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU TO YOUR HEARING EVALUATION?

The initial visit of performing a hearing evaluation is an essential first step in the process of assessing your hearing needs.  At this appointment, we will be conducting a thorough case history of your hearing.  Often times, your family/friends can help answer these questions or add additional information pertinent to your needs.

Next, we will be performing the hearing evaluation.  This evaluation serves as the prescription for your hearing.  It will not only diagnose a hearing loss, but also tell us the proper treatment.  When a permanent hearing loss is found, amplification (hearing aids) are the recommended treatment.

When choosing which amplification device is appropriate for you, your family member/friends can help you decide.  We will take things into account such as your lifestyle, budget, cosmetics of the hearing device, along with dexterity and visual acuity issues.

Once your hearing devices are ordered and received in our office, you will return for your fitting appointment.  Once again, bring your family member/friend with you to this appointment.  We will sit down and go through a class showing you the proper way to insert/remove your hearing devices, care for your hearing devices, and counsel you and your family member/friend on communication strategies to get the best performance with your hearing devices.

So as you can see, this process truly is a team effort.  The audiologist, patient, and family member/friend all play a key role in determining the best path to be taken to achieve better hearing.

By: Rebecca Donchess, M.A., CCC-A

Licensed Audiologist​