More than 1.5 billion people (nearly 20% of the worldwide population) have some degree of hearing loss. If you’ve decided to start hearing loss treatment, it is essential to build a strong relationship with your audiologist to help you feel confident and in control of your treatment journey.
Let’s examine some tips for building a solid relationship with your audiologist.
Practice Open Communication
Open communication is the foundation of any healthy relationship, including your relationship with your audiologist. A couple of ways you can keep an open line of communication with your audiologist include:
- Discuss your goals. Misunderstandings about what your treatment can accomplish occur when you aren’t clear about your goals and expectations. To avoid disappointment or confusion, think of a clear list of goals and verbalize them to your audiologist at your hearing aid fitting or test appointments.
- Be clear about your concerns. It is common to feel anxiety or fear about beginning your treatment. Try keeping notes of your concerns to help remind you to bring them up during appointments.
- Ask questions. Many questions will likely arise during your hearing loss treatment. Keep a list of any questions and bring them to your audiologist during appointments.
- Practice active listening. Getting caught up in our thoughts, questions, and concerns about treatment is easy. Rather than focusing on your own thoughts, try to practice active listening when your audiologist is speaking to avoid missing important information. Consider bringing a notebook of questions to your appointment and set aside time for you to ask them. This will help you listen without worrying that you won’t get the answers to your questions.
Attend Regular Appointments
Consistent care is essential in building a strong audiologist relationship. Hearing loss treatment, through hearing aids or other methods, requires regular check-ups to assess its effectiveness and determine if any changes are necessary. Make sure to attend regular appointments so that your audiologist can make any necessary adjustments and give you the opportunity to ask any questions that have arisen since your last check-up.
For more information on beginning hearing loss treatment, contact Southwest Idaho ENT today to speak to one of our specialists.