For some time, you’ve had the feeling that your hearing is not as good as it used to be. You realize that you have more and more difficulty understanding the people around you and this difficulty disrupts your activities. You are determined to undertake the necessary steps to improve your quality of life and overcome the drawbacks of hearing loss. Here is a guide to walk you through the steps to get a hearing aid.
Step 1: Recognize and Consult
When you start suffering from a hearing problem, it is necessary to act to reduce the negative impacts of hearing loss.
First, you can mention your hearing loss to your family doctor who will verify the hearing problem is not simply caused by an earwax buildup or an infection.
Next, you can look up an audiology clinic near you or a hospital to get an appointment.
Step 2: Make an Appointment with an Audiologist
The audiologist is a professional who evaluates hearing and determines the nature and degree of hearing loss. He will measure the configuration of your hearing and note the results on a document called ‘’audiogram’’.
Depending on your hearing results, the audiologist will recommend the best solutions according to your needs and situation.
If appropriate, the audiologist will give you information on hearing aids, their advantages, and limits, as well as the difference between the wear of a hearing aid in one ear or both ears.
All this information will help guide and inform your choice.
Step 3: Make an Appointment with an ENT Doctor
A consultation with an ENT doctor will be necessary to investigate the cause of your hearing loss.
This specialist doctor will verify if you have contraindications to hearing aid wear and will give you a medical certificate.
This certificate is necessary if you are eligible and wish to get a hearing aid financially covered by the Régie de l’Assurance Maladie du Québec (RAMQ).
Step 4: Make an Appointment with an Audioprosthetist
After getting an audiogram from the audiologist and a medical certificate from an ENT doctor, you must book an appointment with a hearing aid professional.
This professional will determine which type of hearing aid is best suited to your type of hearing loss. He will also adjust the hearing aids to the configuration of your hearing loss.
Once you have your hearing aids, your hearing difficulties will be reduced, but you must be patient and wear them as much as possible to allow your brain to adapt to the new way of hearing.
Do you have any questions about the steps to get a hearing aid or do you want a hearing assessment?
Book an appointment at one of our ODYO clinics!