What happens during a hearing test?

Prior to attending our practice, there are a few things you can prepare to make the most of your audiology appointment.

1. Make a list of the situations you have started to notice increased difficulty listening or concentrating in.
2. Ask family or friends if they have noticed any changes in the way you hear things or whether you ask for repetition of information more frequently.
3. Think about any family history of hearing loss and make a note of it.
4. Consider any ear related trauma that you have suffered during your life, or any significant noise you have been exposed to (e.g. work related noise exposure, recreational noise exposure).
5. Start to think of at least 3 situations where you wish you could hear better.

If you already have hearing aids, please bring them with you to your appointment. If you have details of when you were fitted, please keep a note of this.

If you have a medical referral from your doctor, don’t forget to bring it with you as you may be eligible for a bulk billed hearing assessment.

During your hearing assessment, your audiologist will sit with you and discuss your current and past hearing health. You will be asked questions about why you have come in for a hearing assessment, what your main concerns are with hearing, other hearing health-related questions, and questions about your general health and lifestyle.

Your audiologist will then move on to assessing your hearing. Depending on what type of appointment you are booked in for, your assessments may vary. In general, the most comprehensive assessment we offer is a full audiological assessment. This appointment will include the following assessments:

• Video Otoscopy: Visualisation of the ear canal and ear drum with a camera.
• Tympanometry: An objective assessment of middle ear function.
• Pure Tone Audiometry (Air conduction and Bone Conduction included): Determination of your hearing levels.
• Speech Audiometry: Determines your recognition of speech based on your level of hearing.

Other assessments that may be completed include:

• Acoustic reflex testing: helps to differentially diagnose middle-ear, cochlear, and 8th-nerve disorders.

Once the required assessments are completed, your audiologist will go through your results in detail, ensuring you understand what your hearing health status is. The audiologist will generally make a recommendation regarding your audiological needs. This may mean returning for a checkup in 12 months, referring you back to a doctor for further medical investigations, or advising you of possible rehabilitation needs (e.g., hearing aids, referral for implantable technology).

During the appointment, we recommend you ask any questions that you may have, and we always encourage you to bring a companion with you to your appointment! We will also provide you with information brochures and a copy of your results.

A full audiological report is provided when you attend your appointment with a medical referral. If you do not have a referral, we will still provide you with your results, and if you would like a full audiological report, we can provide this for a fee.

If the diagnostic results come back with an aidable hearing loss, we can discuss the various options of hearing aids available. Your qualified audiologist will provide professional advice and give you the opportunity to see the latest hearing aid technology and understand the styles that are suited to your needs.

Once you have selected the model and style of the hearing aids, we can arrange either an on-the-spot fitting or a separate fitting appointment. Your qualified audiologist will ensure they are comfortable and programmed to your unique hearing loss and personal preferences. You will be shown how to manage the hearing aids, including how to clean them and how to charge them. You are also welcome to ask any further questions that you might have to ensure you are confident and know what to expect from your new hearing aids.

Typically, it can take time to get used to the sounds around. This is normal as the brain is receiving more stimulation than it had previously been getting, but after a few weeks it all becomes normal. If there are any concerns, your qualified audiologist is ready to help by making further adjustments to the volume or the sound quality as needed. All our hearing aids come with a 60-day satisfaction period and a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty for further peace of mind.

After you have been fitted with your hearing aids, we will book a follow-up appointment one to two weeks post fitting. This period ensures you have enough time to use your new hearing aids in different environments and gives you time to determine if you would like any adjustments made at the follow up appointment.

The follow-up appointment allows us to check how you are doing with your hearing aids and gives your audiologist the opportunity to make any adjustments, if required. Your audiologist will take some objective measurements with the hearing aids on your ears to determine if any adjustments are required from a clinical/prescriptive standpoint, and you will also be encouraged to voice your personal preferences regarding sound quality as this information is also valuable to your audiologist. We will review hearing aid management and provide you with an opportunity to get clarification on any further questions you may have.

After the follow-up appointment you are welcome to come back for troubleshoot appointments as required, otherwise, if everything is going well, appointments can be kept to a routine annual review.

George and Matilda Audiology understands that the fitting of appropriate hearing aids is only the first step to a successful all-round hearing healthcare journey. What equally contributes to the success of your hearing rehabilitation is the continued on-going support and care in combination with routine annual check-ups with your qualified audiologist to ensure your hearing devices are functioning at their optimal capability.

The annual review appointment is provided free of charge, whether you decide to move forward with a hearing aid or not, because your hearing health is important to us. At your annual appointment, you can expect us to review your hearing and ear health and discuss your hearing goals to determine if there have been any changes. If you have been fitted with a hearing aid, we will check, clean, and fine tune your devices to accommodate any changes that may have occurred within the year. Our promise is to ensure a high level of device after-care so that both your needs and your hearing goals are met.

The level of hearing technology you require can depend on the demands of your lifestyle situation. We’ve taken the confusion out of selecting the right device, with our fully transparent lifestyle assessment price guide. Your Audiologist can walk you through the options available to ensure your hearing solution is tailored to your individual hearing needs.