A long-term hearing health plan is designed to provide a structured, multi-year plan to treat your hearing loss. This means more than simply fitting you with out-of-the-box hearing aids; it means custom fittings, annual screenings, diagnostic exams, hearing aid cleanings and device repair, and you’ll have your audiologist at your side for the whole plan. Here are the main pillars of a long-term hearing health plan.
Building a Relationship with Your Audiologist
Your audiologist will prove to be a constant presence in your treatment and a vital source of guidance and expertise every step of the way. As you continue going to follow-up appointments (more on this below) and meeting with your audiologist, they will come to understand the ins and outs of your hearing loss, and you will undoubtedly build a firm relationship based on care and capability.
Your First Screening
Your hearing health plan will begin with a hearing test. A hearing test will assess your hearing loss: specifically, its severity, type and cause. Once the results from your hearing test are in (which happens immediately), your audiologist can use that information to begin crafting your hearing health plan. They will determine how best to treat your hearing loss needs based on these results.
Getting Your Hearing Devices
If it’s determined that hearing aids or some other assistive listening device is the best option, your audiologist will put the order in for the devices that best suit your needs and preferences.
Importantly, your audiologist will have advice on how to navigate the adjustment period. This period is often characterized by extreme listening fatigue, feeling overwhelmed, relearning sounds you’ve forgotten about or adjusting to a slightly different sound than you’re used to.
Follow-Up Appointments
A few weeks after you start wearing your hearing aids, you’ll return to your audiologist’s office for a follow-up appointment, at which you can share your experiences with your new devices, adjust settings if necessary and ask questions.
After that, you’ll come back in for similar follow-up appointments at least once a year. Your audiologist will continually assess whether your hearing aids are providing the hearing help you need, if any adjustments need to be made or if your hearing loss has progressed.
Ad Hoc Care and Repairs
As the years go by and you wear your hearing aids daily, you will eventually need to get them professionally cleaned or repaired. You should be cleaning your hearing aids regularly, but a professional cleaning once or twice a year is incredibly beneficial for ensuring that those nooks and crannies that your wax loop can’t reach get cleaned.
Repairs to your devices are also possible here. Despite your best care, sometimes hearing aids need to come in for repairs, perhaps due to damage to the shell, increased feedback or distorted sound quality. When this happens, bring them straight to us, and we’ll do our best to repair them.
Evolving With Your Hearing Needs
As your hearing loss progresses, your hearing needs will change. This is natural, and your audiologist is your partner in those changes. When the time comes, you may need to upgrade your devices or change to a different listening device. Your audiologist will be there to help you make those decisions.
If you’re ready to begin the process of continued care and guidance from an expert audiologist, call Southwest Idaho Ear, Nose and Throat. We’re so excited to partner with you in your hearing loss journey. Call us today to schedule a hearing test.