13 Oct What Are You Saying "No" To?
What really are you saying “no” to?
Who decides on whether to wear a hearing aid? I guess that seems an easy question – it is up to the person to determine if they want to wear a hearing aid – correct? Hmmm…
Clients come to us for a hearing test because they are experiencing trouble hearing well. Often they do not know what their hearing level is like, just that they are no longer hearing as well as they used to. Perhaps a loved one has suggested they get a test, their doctor recommended a test or they are motivated to get tested themselves and make that initial call to book an appointment. Regardless of how they arrive at Hearing Institute Atlantic, our clients are tested thoroughly on both pure tone and speech understanding and a report of their hearing level is then reviewed by our audiologists and recommendations are discussed.
As audiologists we are often faced with a number of objections as to why someone does not want to wear a hearing aid, all of which are valid to the person, but can usually be overcome with some information and counseling. Hearing aids, hearing technology, talking about how hearing loss affects a person are often new subjects and the “what do I do now” comment needs support and open, honest information.
Should a treatable hearing loss be present, one that is suitable for amplification, we then counsel on the different types of hearing aids that would provide benefit given a person’s lifestyle and listening environments.
Not all hearing aids are the same.
Indeed, there are many types that provide benefit for differing circumstances, have different features or technology levels and quite frankly ones that perform better than others. Seeking out the services of an audiologist, and a reputable company are keys to making sure that a choice of products and ongoing support is available.
But what happens when the client says “well my doctor doesn’t think I need a hearing aid” or perhaps it was their ENT specialist, a neighbor, a friend or relative that tells them, “oh you’re ok, you hear just fine”. We often see our clients giving more weight to an opinion of another person rather than the audiologist – even when they themselves have acknowledged that they are having troubles hearing! But that’s ok, it is all part of the process, it’s frustrating at times, because we know firsthand that successfully treating hearing loss with hearing aids does indeed improve people’s hearing.
So how do we help? At Hearing Institute Atlantic we believe in allowing clients to hear and experience the difference for themselves. We offer a 2 week take-home demo, where clients can wear the hearing aids in their own environments and determine if their hearing is improved. And beyond that, when the demo is successful, clients can have an extended trial period to continue wearing the aid and seeing the benefits. And yes, the extended trial still has full return privileges. Our goal is to improve your hearing, not simply sell you a device, and offering a full trial is just one of the many ways we ensure your full satisfaction.
We know hearing aids work! This is our job, our passion, this is what we do everyday and we hear the results from our happy clients. When they are properly selected, fit and supported hearing aids will improve your hearing. No, they won’t cure your hearing loss, or make you hear as good as you may have when you were younger, but there’s no doubt that your hearing will improve. So ask yourself this question, if you have hearing loss, are experiencing troubles in your daily life (or others are!) and you haven’t tried wearing hearing aids, what are you waiting for? Don’t let another’s opinion or advice steer you away from the help you may need – you decide.
Talk to your audiologist and set up a take-home demo, see for yourself how much better you could be hearing. If you have never worn aids before, then what really are you saying “no” to? You won’t know until you try.