Category: Audiologist

Here are a few essential steps to ensure that you are well prepared for your audiology appointment, saving you time and energy. Check appointment times ahead of time and follow the suggested steps to ensure that you have a stress-free experience that answers all of your questions.

Step One

When preparing for your audiology appointment, you should take the time to write a list of the critical things you have noticed about your hearing loss or the impact that this is having on your daily life. You must make a record of any hearing loss you have experienced, writing down any relevant information and take the information you have gathered with you to your audiologist appointment.

Step Two

Take time to research different hearing aid devices currently available on the market. It may also be a great idea to look at the types of devices available before your audiologist appointment so that you can discuss what is right for you with the audiologist. When looking at your options, you should also consider your budget and how much you intend to spend on the hearing aid device. There are many different styles and types of hearing aid devices currently available. These include several that link to new technology, such as in the ear (ITE), behind the ear (BTE) and in the canal (ITC). Why not visit the Evolution HEARing website to look at the different colors, quality and styles on offer.

Step Three

What hobbies and activities do you love to do in your spare time? Maybe you enjoy going to loud gigs and concerts or sing in a choir. Alternatively, you use noisy power tools in your place of work, and these could all have a dramatic impact on your hearing, mainly if you have not used ear protection. Your audiologist may discuss safe practices with you, or you could ask for further advice on how to act using specific techniques and equipment to prevent any damage.

Step Four

It may be a good idea to write a list of any medications you are taking, as some medicines can cause side effects that impact your hearing.

Some of the following medications lead to hearing loss: aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen, and naproxen.

If you are taking the following antibiotics, you should also mention this to the audiologist: aminoglycosides, gentamicin, streptomycin and neomycin. Certain medicines used to treat cancer are also known for causing hearing loss: cyclophosphamide, cistapin, and bleomycin.

If you are taking any of these medications, you must not stop but seek advice from your audiologist and medical teams. If the medicine is the cause of any hearing loss, you should discuss this and seek alternative medications to reduce any further loss of hearing with the audiologist.

Step Five

The audiologist may also want to know about your medical history as some conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and COVID-19, among other illnesses, may be linked to hearing loss. By providing the audiologist with a full picture of your medical history, the audiologist can advise you more effectively on medicines that may need to be changed to prevent further hearing loss.

Step Six

What do you find the most difficult regarding your hearing? Have you noticed any differences? For example, are you finding it difficult to hear people on a phone call, or do you struggle to make out what people say on your favorite daytime program on TV?

This information may be crucial in helping your audiologist to find the right solution and ensuring that the correct hearing device is recommended to meet your needs. Your hearing can change throughout your life. But being aware of any changes, and acting quickly, can help prevent any further hearing loss.

Step Seven

Your appointment with the audiologist should be as stress-free as possible, but it may be useful to take a family member or friend with you, as you could receive a lot of helpful information at the appointment with the audiologist. Plus, having a second pair of ears and someone supporting you can remind you of any information you have forgotten, enabling the audiologist to gain a greater picture of the symptoms you are experiencing and the treatments they will provide to alleviate any hearing loss.

To learn more about Evolution HEARing and to book your audiology appointment with one of our audiologists: Call Charlottesville, VA: (434) 216-3599

When it comes to discussing any health concerns you have, the chances are you will head to your health practitioner to get these checked out. The same goes for your eyes. A visit to your eye specialist can help you to correct any issues with your vision. However, when it comes to getting your hearing checked, do you know who the best person to turn to is?

Finding the best audiologist in your area to look after your hearing is an essential step to catching any changes in your hearing or potential problems. Audiologists and hearing specialists have extensive training and education to be able to carry out hearing evaluations. An audiologist will hold either a master’s degree or a doctorate to allow them to carry out hearing evaluations on adults and children.

If you are noticing changes in your hearing or your child’s hearing, then getting yourself to an audiologist is the next step to help you find the cause of the issues and to get it rectified. But what should you be looking for when it comes to finding the best audiologist in your area?

Ask for a referral

One of the best ways to find the right audiologist for you is to ask others for referrals. Do you have any family or friends who have visited an audiologist before? If so, asking them for their experience and who they would recommend can be a really simple way of finding a hearing specialist for your concerns. Ask them different questions about their experience, how happy they feel with the care they have been given, what the waiting times are like, and so on to get as much information as possible. This should give you a much clearer idea as to who to book an appointment with.

Another effective way of finding the best hearing specialists in your area is to ask for a referral from your health practitioner. They will know who is available in your area and advise you on the best way to get your hearing checked and what to expect. Many healthcare professionals rely on referrals meaning the healthcare professionals in your local area will have good knowledge of who will be the right person for you to visit for a hearing evaluation.

Check out their history

If you are making a shortlist of audiologists in your area, then checking out how long they have been in the business for is a great indication of the level of care they provide. While you should never count newer, less established firms out completely, a hearing specialist with a long history will likely have many previous and current satisfied customers that have been using the same hearing specialists for many years.

Check online and in the practice to find testimonials, see how they serve their local community and what their websites say about them. In some cases, fewer reviews could simply mean that the practice is newer and needs time to build up a solid reputation; however, your research should give you more of an idea as to whether this is the case.

Insurance

In some cases, your insurance will cover a diagnostic hearing check. If they do, they will have a list of providers for you to choose from to receive this test. Going through the list of local audiologists in your area will help you to narrow down your search and select the best hearing specialist for you.

It is always worth checking with your insurance beforehand if they cover this type of examination. Some insurance companies will need you to get a professional referral to allow for you to be covered as opposed to simply booking yourself in. The last thing you want is to be left with a huge bill as your insurance doesn’t cover your hearing evaluation.

Get in touch with Evolution HEARing

At Evolution HEARing we are dedicated to providing you with the best care possible. Every member of our team is on hand to help you get the treatment you deserve as we work to resolve your hearing issues, keep your hearing in the best health possible or resolve any queries you may have concerning your hearing.

Using an extensive range of equipment and the best techniques possible, our staff of qualified audiologists can perform extensive evaluations to help improve your hearing abilities for many years to come. To see how we can help you call us today – Charlottesville, VA: (434) 216-3599.