Preparing for Your First Audiologist Appointment

Just as you would with your sight, you need to look after your hearing. This is especially important as you get older, and you have to consider the fact that seeing an audiologist is a priority. Your audiologist is there to help you and to get your hearing back on track as much as possible. You would wear glasses if you noticed that your eyesight was failing, so you need to consider the same with your hearing. Both your hearing and balance can be affected when your ears are in trouble, which is why you should call your audiologist for an examination. When you get there, though, you will have some questions that need answering. Below, we’ve covered some of the most common questions that you can ask your audiologist and get a real answer for!

How good is my hearing?

Your audiologist will be your first contact if you are noticing a slow down in your ability to hear clearly. There is every chance that you have a blockage, and it’s a simple fix, but if not, your audiologist will test your hearing in a few ways to measure how well you can hear. They will be able to tell you whether your hearing issues are a simple fix or if you need some help with hearing aids. An audiologist will want to know whether you are experiencing hearing loss, and they will want to get an idea of your current hearing abilities, too. This is why they will test you. The tests that are performed explore your hearing range and determine which pitch or volume you can hear sounds to or whether it’s a difficult reading altogether. This includes speech and speech in a crowd. You will then be able to have the question as to whether you have any hearing loss at all answered and they will be able to tell you to what degree you have lost your hearing, too. These tests may sound scary, but don’t worry – they’re painless, and your audiologist knows what they’re doing to get the right reading.

What is causing the hearing loss?

Everyone experiences different levels of hearing loss, and if you are experiencing it for yourself, your audiologist will be able to tell you how extensive that loss is. If the hearing loss is severe, they will be able to examine your ears and find the root cause of your hearing loss at the same time. Some of the most common causes of hearing loss include exposure to high levels of noise or age, and there are temporary causes, too, and these can be caused by ear trauma or head trauma. If you have experienced anything like this, it’s worth letting your audiologist know so that they are fully aware of why you are seeing them for an appointment about hearing loss in the first place. It could be something as simple as an earwax impaction that will need to be removed. No matter what, your audiologist will be able to fix it for you. How can I prevent losing further hearing? Prevention is always better than cure, but when it comes to hearing loss, it can help to know how late “too late” is, and if you want to prevent further loss, hearing protection is important. Your audiologist will be able to explain to you how you can help yourself against the major causes of preventable hearing loss. They’ll talk you through exposure to excessive levels of noise, and they can also speak with you about noise-canceling headphones and earmuffs. An audiologist will be happy to discuss whether you should be using hearing aids, too.

Are there interventions available for hearing loss?

The sooner you seek outside help, the better when it comes to hearing loss. Your audiologist will be more than happy to talk you through the risks of untreated hearing loss and the impacts that hearing loss can have on your health when left untreated. For most people, hearing aids are used to ensure that hearing can be improved, but remember that the damage to the hair cells in the ears is not reversible at this stage! Your audiologist will walk you through the hearing aids you could be using and whether you can use them. There are so many different styles that they will more than likely talk to you about which would work better for you.

Contact us now

If you have any hearing-related questions that we haven’t covered, why not call an expert audiologist at Grusecki Audiology & Hearing Aid Services on this phone number: 623-583-1737? We’re more than happy to help!