Hearing Aids

Hearing Aid Evaluation

The Interview

The first step in determining what will help you hear better is our comprehensive interview regarding your hearing history. You can rank the demands you put on your hearing and list the situations in which you find yourself struggling to hear. We will ask you about your priorities in addressing your hearing loss, e.g. the number one person you need to understand better, the places in which you need function better, your hearing on the phone, in a car, for TV, at meetings, restaurants, etc.

Do it together

We suggest that a friend or loved one accompany you to the evaluation. Often, our perceptions of how we hear are very different from the way others see us functioning. Hearing loss can affect our loved ones as much as it affects us. We welcome their input, and we suggest that they are included in the up-front work as well as the treatment plan.

Otoscopic Examination Of The Ears

We will look in your ears to see if wax (cerumen) or infection is apparent. If we are not able to see the eardrum, we cannot do a hearing evaluation. If we can remove the wax, we will do it carefully with a small tool called a curette. If we are not able to safely remove it, we will refer you to a physician who can remove the wax using irrigation. You will return to us right after that appointment, even the same day, for the hearing test and consultation.

concentrated-doctor-examining-patient-s-ears

The Hearing Assessment

The next step is the hearing test. The results of your hearing evaluation will provide our audiologists with data describing the range of sounds you can hear well and those that are not audible. We will review the test results with you and relate them to the hearing problems you experience in life to give you a foundation for understanding what is at issue and how we will remedy the issues.

We will determine if the hearing loss can be improved medically and if so, we will refer you to a physician for treatment before discussing hearing devices. Our audiologist uses many tests to determine if you have a medically-treatable condition. Most hearing losses cannot be corrected with medical treatment, but you are always welcome to seek consultation by a physician before proceeding. If your hearing loss is not amenable to medical treatment, we will proceed to a discussion of hearing devices and treatment plans.

The Plan

Many factors contribute to a successful outcome in hearing care. The most important part of the hearing aid evaluation for us is to understand your situation and needs. Our recommendations will be based on the results of your hearing tests and your description of your hearing problems in your day-to-day life. We consider your lifestyle demands, your budget and your manual dexterity. We all must be comfortable with the way we present ourselves in public, so we will take into account your preferences as to how the hearing devices will look. We discuss the pros and cons of several options, and we will recommend hearing devices that address all your needs. The hearing devices we choose together must often be ordered from the manufacturer and will be ready for dispensing a few days after your first visit.

When You Get Your Hearing Aids

It takes about an hour for us to program and prepare your hearing devices using our advanced software. We use your hearing test results and create amplification settings for different environments. As the situation changes around you, the hearing aids adjust automatically to optimise their performance. After we insert the aids in your ears, you will listen to a variety of sounds including speech in quiet and with background noise. We can make a wide range of adjustments to the hearing aids while they are in your ears using wireless connections to our computer systems.

First-time users may need less amplification on day one than at 15 or 30 days post-fitting. We often raise the amount of amplification you use over a period of days or weeks to ease you back into all the sounds of life. We counsel you about how to insert and care for the aids, and how to change batteries. We give you batteries and the supplies you’ll need. We activate the warranty for you at that appointment. You will schedule your first follow-up visit before you leave that day.

Hearing Aid Fitting

Once you have selected your hearing aids after an evaluation, your audiologist will program them, based on a prescription, to meet your hearing needs. The audiologist will explain how to use the devices, how to put them in the ear and how to remove them, how to change batteries and how to care for and clean the devices. It is also a good idea to bring family members or close friends to the hearing aid fitting so they can help remember all the information that is given and be a support to you.

When you put the hearing devices in for the first time, you may have different emotions about the sounds you hear – this is normal and to be expected. The goal of the hearing aid is to make every day sounds audible and comfortable, but the sound you hear should be clear and pleasant. Small changes can be made to the hearing aids at your first fitting if there are things that you feel should be adjusted right away. The audiologist will do some testing to make sure the hearing aids are giving you enough sound where you need it.

You may be also be given a short survey or a list of questions to answer. Be honest about what you hear so that the audiologist can work with you to create the best listening experience with your new hearing aids. Your hearing aid fitting is only a starting place; other changes to customise the hearing to your liking may need to take place over a few appointments, as you wear the hearing aids in more situations and adapt to all the new sounds you are hearing.

Attitude is one crucial key to success with hearing aids. Hearing aid studies have shown that people who have a positive attitude do better with hearing aids. If you, as well as your spouse or family, approach your hearing aid fitting with a positive outlook you will have a much better listening experience more quickly. Keep in mind that it may take some time to get used to the sounds you were missing, and by working closely with your audiologist, you will get the most out of your new hearing aids.

Real Ear Testing

Probe microphone measures, also called Real Ear Testing, are a series of calibrated tests that allow us to fit your hearing aids with precision. While our computer programs can arrive at a very close approximation of how much your hearing aid should be amplifying, probe microphone measures allow us to measure precisely how your hearing aids are amplifying sounds.

While seated in our test booth, a tiny tube called a probe microphone is inserted in your ear canal close to the eardrum before we insert your hearing aid and turn it on. Calibrated sounds or speech is then played in the test booth through a calibrated speaker. The sound is detected near the eardrum by the probe microphone as your hearing aid amplifies it, and recorded. We analyse the graphs of these measures to determine if speech is audible and comfortable.

During programming, certain frequencies may be under- or over-boosted by the hearing aid. Probe microphone measures allow the audiologist to see where in the range of amplified sounds that this occurs. We can then make the necessary adjustments to your hearing aids to correct these problems. When the amplified sounds fall within certain levels, we can be sure that speech is audible and comfortable. Real Ear Testing (or Probe Microphone Measures) is an objective means of verifying the accuracy of the settings in your hearing aids.

After the Fitting

Several rechecks of the efficacy of the hearing aids are conducted during the first 30 days of use. We teach you how to clean and maintain your hearing aids. We will also continue to help you develop strategies to get the most out of your hearing devices. We may add programs that you can manually switch to as needed, but we try to keep things as simple and straight-forward as possible.

We recommend follow-up appointments every 12 months, or sooner if problems arise. We will inspect your ears, professionally clean and service your hearing aids, and discuss add-on products such as Bluetooth devices or remote microphones as the needs arise. If your hearing changes, we will retest you, and we can usually re-program your hearing aids to accommodate the new level of hearing loss.

Hearing Aid Repair

Hearing aids have small working parts, and it is not uncommon for a hearing aid to need a repair over time. You may try to turn the hearing aid on in the morning and find that there is no sound. We would have taught you how to get your hearing aid working again at your fitting appointment, but even if you change your battery or wax guard, the aid may continue to malfunction. These things do happen even when the hearing aids are well looked after. If your hearing aid needs repair, bring them to Essence Audiology. They are equipped to diagnose broken hearing aids.

Several rechecks of the efficacy of the hearing aids are conducted during the first 30 days of use. We teach you how to clean and maintain your hearing aids. We will also continue to help you develop strategies to get the most out of your hearing devices. We may add programs that you can manually switch to as needed, but we try to keep things as simple and straight-forward as possible.

We recommend follow-up appointments every 12 months, or sooner if problems arise. We will inspect your ears, professionally clean and service your hearing aids, and discuss add-on products such as Bluetooth devices or remote microphones as the needs arise. If your hearing changes, we will retest you, and we can usually re-program your hearing aids to accommodate the new level of hearing loss.

Custom Earplugs

For Hearing Protection, Insert Earphones/Earbuds, Musician Earplugs and Monitors, And Swim Plugs.

Sudden or prolonged exposure to noise can cause damage to your hearing and is one of the leading causes of hearing loss. Hearing loss from prolonged noise exposure is often detected too late resulting in a permanent hearing loss. Hearing loss from noise exposure may start as ringing in the ears after a loud concert or after using a power tool. Even if the ears don’t ring, if the noise is repeated, the damage to the ears adds up to cause a permanent hearing loss.

Hearing protection is extremely important for anyone who is in a high-noise environment including target shooters, motorcyclists, airline pilots, musicians, disc jockeys, rock concert goers, construction workers, auto mechanics and factory workers. Anyone subject to noise exposure should wear hearing protection to prevent long-term hearing loss.

Although over-the-counter earplugs offer some protection, custom-made earplugs provide a comfortable fit that is designed specifically for your ears. With a good fit, you are likely to get better protection for your hearing and will be inclined to use them whenever you are in high noise environments.

In some environments, a combination of custom earplugs and headphones are recommended to provide maximum noise reduction to preserve your hearing. Your audiologist can recommend the proper combination of custom earplugs and sound reducing headphones.

Making Custom Earplugs

You will be scheduled for an appointment to discuss your requirements and to take an impression (or mould) of your ears. This process takes about 15 minutes. Your ears will be inspected for excessive wax or other conditions. A small cotton ball with a thread attached will be inserted in the ear canal. The cotton ball blocks the impression material from entering too deeply in the ear. Soft impression material is put in the ear with a syringe. The material becomes firm from the warmth of your skin in about 2-3 minutes. The impressions are removed and sent to the lab that manufactures your custom plugs. The finished sound plugs are sent to us in nearly a week, ready to fit in your ears.

Earplugs come in a wide variety of styles described below, and we can decide on the style and colour at your appointment. Some people order a cord attached to the plugs so that you can remove them and let them hang over your shoulders until you are ready to reinsert them.

Standard Custom Earplugs

These solid plugs have one level of sound reduction and are useful for most noise reduction situations.

Musicians Ear Plugs

Musician’s earplugs come in both custom and non-custom options. Ready-fit musician earplugs can reduce sound levels by approximately 20 dB, enough to reduce harmful sound without distorting speech or music.

Musicians prefer Musician’s earplugs because they retain good sound quality while practising and performing. They are designed to reduce the overall sound levels without compromising the music quality. Specialised acoustic filters can reduce sound by up to 10dB, 15dB or 25dB without distorting the integrity of the sound. There are three acoustic filters to choose from, each with the ability to filter conversational sound and other non-damaging noise.

Musician’s Ear Plugs Are Not Just for Musicians. They Are Also A Popular Hearing Protection Option For:

Sound crews
Recording engineers
Band teachers
Concert-goers
DJs
Airline personnel
Athletic coaches
Motorcyclists
Medical professionals
Construction workers
Industrial workers
Truck drivers

Electronic Shooter’s Earplugs

We can order electronic earplugs used by shooters. When a gun is fired, the compression of the device reacts to protect the ears. In quiet, the user can hear environmental sounds and conversation and may have a volume control for soft environmental sounds.

Custom Earmolds For Earbuds, Headphones and Other Applications

People often complain that their earbuds are uncomfortable or that they fall out of their ears. We can order custom earplugs that are designed to fit onto earbuds thus securing them in your ears comfortably. The same process is used to make boom mic headsets for pilots, phone support staff and many other purposes.

Swimmers Earplugs

Some people need to keep water out of their ears during swimming or bathing. We make swim plugs for adults and children in many colours.