What to Expect At Your First Appointment
Step 1: Before Your Appointment
Before your appointment, please complete our case history form to help us learn more about your medical history, hearing concerns, listening lifestyle, and goals or expectations for your appointment. Also, please have a complete list of your current medications with you for the appointment. If you have bothersome tinnitus or a sound sensitivity, please fill out the corresponding questionnaire.
10 mins
Step 2: The Beginning of Your Appointment
We’ll sit down and discuss your case history form, your hearing lifestyle, and your goals. If you prefer, this can be done remotely or in-person. Individuals who regularly attend parties or large events will have different goals than people who prefer to socialize in smaller groups or one-on-one. We’ll briefly discuss how our brain processes sounds. Then your audiologist will look in your ears and make sure everything looks healthy. If earwax is present, your audiologist will remove it.
30 mins
Step 3: Evaluating Your Hearing
You’ll wear headphones or earbuds and first listen for soft beeps. Next, you’ll be asked to listen to words and repeat them aloud. We may also complete additional tasks, like asking you to listen to sentences with background noise and repeat them back. Your doctor might conduct immittance measures, which is a quick and simple pressure check that ensures your eardrum is moving properly and that your hearing reflexes are working. Otoacoustic emissions may be evaluated to confirm a part of your inner ear is functioning well. If you have bothersome tinnitus or a sound sensitivity, we’ll conduct measurements to quantify your concerns.
30 - 60 mins
Step 4: Review Results & Discuss Treatment Options
After your hearing evaluation, your audiologist will go over your results and explain what they mean. If you do have hearing loss, we’ll discuss which treatment options are best for you, including hearing aids, middle ear or cochlear implants, surgery, assistive listening devices, and/or rehab exercises you can complete at home. If hearing aids are recommended, we’ll fit you with a loaner pair for two weeks. (Note: Your functional and communication needs assessment costs $175 and is non-refundable.) If you have bothersome tinnitus or a sound sensitivity, we’ll discuss various treatment options to reduce or eliminate your symptoms.
30 mins
Communication and Functional Needs Assessment
Doctors and people who have worn hearing aids before know that completing a simple hearing test and fitting you with hearing aids don’t lead to successful hearing in all real world environments. ASH Audiology is committed to serving each person’s individualized communication needs to ensure you thrive in any situation, and we go the extra mile to make sure this happens. In addition to a typical hearing evaluation and discussion of hearing aid options you may see elsewhere, with ASH Audiology you’ll also receive a comprehensive communication needs assessment that discusses your goals and expectations, listening lifestyle, communication strategies tailored for your specific needs, and solutions to your concerns. Because we know hearing is related to your overall health, we will also conduct a functional needs assessment that optimizes your communication success beyond just your hearing. This may include screenings and testing for cognition, vision, dexterity, tinnitus, sound sensitivity, auditory processing, and vestibular/balance functioning as well as discussions regarding tech savviness, motivation, safety alerts, falls prevention in the home, and more. Rest assured knowing where you stand with your health, obtain easy specialist referrals when needed, and have peace of mind knowing your loved one is in good and safe hands.
Bring a Friend
Research studies have shown patients remember around 40% of what they’re told during a medical visit, and of the information they retain, only 50% of it is remembered correctly. ASH Audiology always recommends having a loved one present during appointments as we know, two sets of ears are better than one.
FAQs
Are some types of hearing losses easier to treat?
Yes. In general, the more severe and the longer the hearing loss goes untreated, the more time it will take for your brain to re-learn how to hear well again. Much of the success of treatment depends upon your word understanding abilities. Can you understand 100% of words said to you if they are at an audible volume, or can you understand 40%? Equally important in your treatment success depends on your motivation to hear better and the importance of wearing hearing devices during all waking hours, not just when you feel you need them. Our top priority is helping you hear your best. Be sure to let us know when you are having any problems.
Are there any downsides to not treating hearing loss?
Unfortunately, untreated hearing loss can have a negative impact on both physical and mental health. People with untreated hearing loss are more likely to feel lonely and socially isolated. Hearing loss is also associated with higher levels of depression and dementia, and increases the risk of falling. To learn more about how your hearing is connected with your overall health, click here.
Are there different types of hearing loss?
There are two main types of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss is caused by damage to the outer ear or the middle ear. Ear infections, allergies, and earwax buildup are some common causes of conductive hearing loss. Conductive hearing losses can often (but not always) be partially or completely resolved with medical management.
Sensorineural hearing loss, sometimes referred to as ‘permanent or nerve hearing loss,’ is caused by damage to the inner ear. Aging and exposure to loud noise are the most common causes of sensorineural hearing loss. Once your inner ear has been damaged, it cannot be repaired. However, hearing aids can treat sensorineural hearing loss by providing a volume and clarity boost that overcomes the damage.
My dad had hearing problems. Is hearing loss hereditary?
Sometimes, but not always. Just like high blood pressure or heart disease, hearing loss can run in the family. Hearing loss can also be due to environmental causes like injury, illness, regular exposure to loud noise, and aging. However, if someone is born with hearing loss or has hearing loss at a very young age, it is likely their hearing loss may be genetic. According to the CDC, 50 to 60% of hearing loss in newborns is caused by genetics.
What should I do if I get sudden hearing loss?
If you notice an immediate decrease in your hearing, act immediately. Sudden hearing loss can be reversible, and the sooner you seek medical attention, the more likely it is that your hearing will recover. Contact ASH Audiology, explain that you have a sudden hearing loss, and we will refer you to the nearest ear, nose, and throat physician.
“My experience with audiologist, Dr. Rachel Magann Faivre has been wonderful. With her help, I am hearing things I haven't heard in many years. Her clinical expertise is amazing, but she also empathizes with and desires to help me and make a difference. I feel very blessed to have found her.”
— Paula T in Norman, OK