If you have hearing difficulties then no doubt you will have either booked yourself in with a local audiologist or an audiologist will be coming to your for a home visit. If you have never had a hearing test before you may be wondering what makes up a consultation. There are subtle differences between the more conventional consultation where you visit a clinic and the home visit consultation. The main difference being the equipment used. This article will take you step by step through a typical hearing aid consultation and what happens next.

First consultation

Your audiologist will first make a thorough examination of the ear canal before asking you to enter their sound proof booth for some audiometric testing. This part of it may be slightly different with a home visit as the audiologist will not be able to take a sound proof booth with them everywhere they go.

Following your examination your audiologist will explain your results. A good audiologist will explain your results in great detail so if you don’t understand then don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Once you know your results you will receive a recommendation on which type of hearing aid will best suit your needs dependant on various considerations. Lifestyle is a big one in terms of, do you work in particularly loud and noisy environment in which the aid will have to cope? Cosmetic feel is another as some people are more conscious of how their aid will look to other people. Will you need an automatic device or will it be better if you have a remote control aid. There are many more considerations but the three previously mentioned are definitely the most popular.

Fitting

Your hearing aids will be expertly programmed by the audiologist based on your results and level of hearing loss. As with most new equipment a complete run down of how exactly the device works will follow. Most people expect a lot from a hearing aid so your expectations will be dealt with at this stage and the audiologist will tell you exactly what you can expect from your new aid. Usually with good hearing centres you will receive at least a forty day trial period whereby you can get used to your new instrument.

Follow Up Visits

These are vitally important as it is at this stage when your device will be fine tuned based on your experience since fitting. People are usually called for their follow up appointments within a few weeks of the fitting.

Aftercare is what separates good hearing centres from bad hearing centres. First class aftercare is what you are looking for especially as your hearing is so essential to your well being. If you can come back to the centre to ask questions or have your device tweaked then this will make you feel more re assured that you are being looked after properly. Always check what assort of guarantee you get with your hearing aid. Your device will be covered by the manufacturers guarantee for an agreed period of time so its always worth checking just how long this is.

There are probably lots more little points that haven’t been covered in this article that you would experience during the whole hearing aid process and the above procedure will differ between hearing aid centres but serves as a good guide so you are not going into the whole thing blind.

No longer do you have to make an appointment to go and see your local audiologist and then have to travel all the way down to wherever it is their office is to get your hearing aids. This may sound silly but more and more audiology hearing centres are now coming out to you rather than the other way round. Mobile audiology, is it the future?

It is common practise for audiologists to work out of different centres whilst having a base where they store all of their big bulky fixed equipment whilst using smaller mobile equipment out of their satellite offices. It was only a matter of time before they moved on and made the next logical step and do house calls especially if they already have the equipment. This service will suit some people but not others and this article outlines the advantages and disadvantages of using a mobile service over the more conventional method of booking an appointment and getting there yourself.

Convenience (Advantage)

By far the biggest advantage of using a mobile service over more conventional methods is convenience. The old method of having to battle either public transport, the elements or the ever busier roads can be eliminated completely and you can just sit back make yourself a nice cup of tea in the comfort of your own home and let the audiologist do all the hard work and come to you.

A more personal service (Advantage)

Hearing aid consultations are very personal in the first place but anything that is performed in your own home immediately becomes even more personal. This is a huge advantage as will give you an opportunity to build a better working relationship with your audiologist. The better the audiologist knows you the better his or service will be. Unfortunately a more personal service will not change any diagnosis but it will help when delivering it good or bad.

Easier for Older People (Advantage)

This could have probably come under the convenience part but in some cases not being able to travel because of age or medical condition it becomes less of a convenience factor and more of a necessity. The majority of hearing aid wearers are people of a certain age who may struggle travelling long or short distances or simply just might not be able to. A mobile service to this group of people is a huge advantage as it allows them to obtain treatment that they may not have been able to otherwise.

Price (Disadvantage)

As with everything that is convenient to the end user it usually comes at a cost. Mobile hearing aid consultations usually come at a price. Why you ask? The simple answer is time. If you require the audiologist to come to you then you need to cover all of his costs and one of those will include travel time. He or she couldn’t possibly travel without building in some travel costs so expect this when considering using this service. Just as you, can make better use of your time whilst waiting for your hearing consultation the audiologist will have to be compensated for loss of earnings due to travel. All that said for such a first class convenient service it is well worth that little bit extra.

All in all mobile hearing aid consultations seem to be a better option as long as you can afford the slightly higher than normal costs. As it becomes more popular we will no doubt see a reduction in costs as competition becomes more widespread. Certainly for older people and people who cannot walk or travel very well this service is an excellent idea and will continue to expand until it becomes common practise.