What is an audiologist?
An audiologist is a healthcare professional who is university-trained to provide a comprehensive array of services related to prevention, evaluation and rehabilitation of hearing impairment and its associated communicative disorders. An audiologist may also work with assistive listening devices should hearing aids not be a suitable solution.
What is involved in a hearing test?
A hearing test is performed by an audiologist in our clinics. The objective is to find the softest volume level that you can hear. The test takes no more then an hour and is detailed enough to determine if hearing aids are required or not. Our audiologists will provide you with an explanation of the results and the effects it may have on your hearing.
An in-clinic comprehensive hearing assessment is provided to adults ages 18 and older at no cost. The results of this assessment will be reviewed in detail by a professional hearing healthcare provider. In-home hearing tests, workplace tests, children’s hearing tests, and audiogram record requests are available; however, they are subject to a service fee.
Are you ever too old to benefit from hearing aids?
No matter what your age, you rely on your hearing to maintain a connection with the world and communicate with those closest to you.
Can hearing aids help all types of hearing loss?
All age-related hearing loss can be helped through amplification. A hearing test will provide you with a definite answer.
Will hearing aids restore my hearing to normal?
Just as their name suggests, hearing aids can only aid your hearing, whatever its condition. They can’t restore hearing to normal nor retard the progression of hearing loss.
What is Aural Rehabilitation?
Aural Rehabilitation is the technical term used for the ongoing counseling and education process required to assist hard-of-hearing people learn how to effectively use their hearing instruments. Hearing Solutions recommends aural rehab especially for new users of hearing aids to ensure they get the maximum benefit from their investment.
What is a Hearing Instrument Specialist?
Hearing Instrument Specialists (HIS) are also known as Hearing Instrument Practitioners (HIP). Hearing Instrument Specialists in this province are registered with the Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners of Ontario. They are qualified to perform hearing assessments and consultations, provide counselling, assist with hearing aid selection, perform hearing instrument fittings, fabricate earmoulds, perform hearing aid adjustments and repairs, among other services.
Will my hearing aids eliminate background noise?
Hearing aids don’t eliminate all background noise. Keeping in mind that background noise is a nuisance for everyone – even for people who don’t have hearing loss – modern hearing aids are specifically designed to automatically improve speech understanding in noise.
Are hearing tests painful?
A hearing test is a very comfortable procedure. You should feel no pain or discomfort while your hearing is being evaluated by an Audiologist or a Hearing Instrument Specialist. A hearing test is a non-invasive procedure and will include your clinician looking in you ear. Most of the assessment consists of you listening to very soft tones to gauge how well you can hear.
Do I need a doctor’s referral to schedule a hearing test?
No, at Hearing Solutions you don’t need a physician’s referral to schedule an appointment for a hearing test. Simply visit our hearing loss clinic locations page to contact us by phone or book an appointment online.
Why was I advised to bring a friend or family member to my appointment?
Hearing Solutions recommends, if possible, that you bring a friend or family member with you to your hearing evaluation appointment for additional support, as test results will be discussed, along with the effects of hearing loss, communication tips, and any hearing aid recommendations. If you’re diagnosed with hearing loss, your Audiologist or Hearing Instrument Specialist will also conduct a demonstration of what hearing aids sound like. Having a familiar voice present allows you to make a more accurate assessment of the benefit of amplification devices. Your spouse, family member or friend may talk to you in both quiet and in simulated noise to see how well you can hear them while wearing hearing instruments.
What are some common signs of hearing loss?
Common signs of hearing loss include…
- Struggling to understand what’s being said in groups or whenever there’s background noise
- Missing parts of conversations
- Frequently asking people to repeat themselves
- Feeling as though everyone is mumbling
- Your spouse or family members complain about how loud you listen to the radio or the television
- You feel anxious, irritated or exhausted from straining to hear
What is an audiogram?
An audiogram is a graphic representation of your hearing test results. During your hearing test, you’ll be presented with sounds at different frequencies and intensities. Your clinician will plot the softest sound you can hear at each frequency on the graph. This will be used to determine whether you have a hearing loss, the degree of your hearing loss, and if necessary, your hearing aid options.
Do I need to wear my hearing aids all the time?
Wearing your hearing aids, as prescribed by your Audiologist or Hearing Instrument Specialist ensures you’ll experience a successful adaptation process.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is often characterised by ringing, hissing, buzzing or any other sound that’s not generated outside of the body and is almost never heard by others. Tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying issue, which can include any one of over 200 health disorders. In most cases, tinnitus isn’t caused by a serious condition or illness, but it’s commonly associated with hearing loss. Tinnitus is also commonly brought on by prolonged exposure loud noise.
Can your clinic help me with tinnitus?
Yes, at Hearing Solutions our clinicians can conduct a complete audiology assessment to determine the presence of tinnitus and advise you of your tinnitus treatment management options.