Hearing Assessments

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When Was The Last Time You Had a Hearing Test?

A Canada-wide survey of people aged from 40 -79 years, between 2012 and 2015, found that an estimated 77% were experiencing unperceived hearing loss at a measurable level. What this means is that they were suffering hearing loss without ever being aware of it.

One of the biggest challenges with hearing loss is that it comes on so slowly that it’s impossible to notice the day-to-day changes.

As a result, family, friends, and coworkers are likely to recognize it before you do.

The only way to know the truth about whether or not you have hearing loss is through regular non-invasive hearing assessments.

However, many people put off hearing tests in spite of the fact that leaving your hearing challenges untreated does extensive damage and leads to a more advanced level of hearing loss.

Ear inspection during hearing assessment at Arnold Hearing Centres

Why Do People Put Off Having a Hearing Assessment?

There are many reasons why scheduling a regular hearing test is not on the health priority list of most people. Those reasons are the result of misinformation about hearing loss and the value of early detection, including:

1. My Hearing Loss Doesn’t Really Bother Anybody.

The person who is bothered most by your hearing loss is you.

Leaving hearing loss untreated reduces your quality of life by making you a higher risk for developing mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and isolation, as well as contributing to other physical health issues, especially related to balance.

In addition to your personal health, those with hearing loss often struggle in their relationships at home and work due to communication problems and greater dependence on others to make up for your hearing deficiency. Hearing tests identify your hearing challenges early on, preventing many of these issues from developing.

2. If I Had a Hearing Problem, I’d Be The First To Know.

Most of the time, the person with hearing loss is the last to know rather than the first.

Family members, close friends, and colleagues at work are likely to recognize that you’re struggling with your hearing before you do, whether they say anything about it or not.

The reason this is the case relates to the slow deterioration of your hearing, which is like watching the grass growing in your yard. The day-to-day changes are much too minor to identify while they are happening.

Our hearing care specialists have the necessary objectivity, training, and equipment to identify and treat hearing loss even if you’re not aware of it.

3. If I Can’t Hear, I’ll Just Turn Up The Volume.

Though volume is one of the issues associated with hearing loss, the majority of issues are related to decreased hearing clarity.

Difficulty hearing with background noise, problems distinguishing one consonant from another, struggling to understand conversations over the phone, or difficulty conversing with women and children result from reduced hearing clarity.

Amplifying distorted sound only amplifies the distortion, making the issue worse. A hearing test helps diagnose problems with clarity and provides the data necessary to solve distortion and clarity issues so you can hear clearly at normal volume levels.

4. Only Old People Suffer From Hearing Loss.

Seeing someone wearing glasses is not uncommon. But did you know that, in Canada, hearing loss issues are up to 50% more common than eyesight problems? And the issue doesn’t just affect older people.

Common causes of hearing loss in younger adults include exposure to an excessive noise event, prolonged noise exposure, continuous use of ototoxic drugs, genetics, diseases, brain injuries, and a variety of other causes that impact individuals of all ages.

Hearing tests identify hearing loss regardless of your age and provide an opportunity for a hearing care professional to educate you about preventative measures to avoid the types of damage that often lead to hearing loss.

5. I Won’t Learn Anything Useful From a Hearing Test.

During the slow progression of your hearing loss, your brain compensates for your lost hearing capacity, making it difficult to determine its severity until it becomes a significant problem.

A hearing test identifies the level of hearing loss and its cause before it impacts your quality of life. Hearing tests also provide the necessary information to prescribe the right treatment options or preventative measures to minimize its impact on your style of living.

Even when your hearing is normal, a hearing test establishes a baseline against which future hearing loss can be identified.

6. I’m Not Sure What to Expect From a Hearing Test.

Some people put off having their hearing tested because they aren’t sure what to expect during a hearing test. A quick walk-through of the process we use at Arnold Hearing Centres will help put your mind at ease.

Our painless, non-invasive process in a comfortable and caring atmosphere includes four basic steps to provide you with the most accurate results possible, including:

1. A Friendly Conversation

A critical part of your hearing assessment includes a friendly conversation about your lifestyle, occupation, family and health history, hobbies, and other activities in which you participate. This fills in a lot of the critical information we need to provide individualized hearing care that meets your objectives and fits with how you live.

2. A Physical Examination of Your Ears

The “official” testing process begins with a physical examination of your ears, ear canal, and tympanic membrane using an otoscope. We follow that with tympanometry tests to measure the reaction of your hearing structures when stimulated by sounds.

3. Hearing Tests

Next, your audiologist, hearing instrument specialist or hearing instrument provider will fit you with a set of high-quality headphones inside a soundproof booth. We’ll use an audiometer to transmit a range of sounds or spoken words at various frequencies and volume levels into the headphones, and you will respond to each sound you hear. Depending on what your audiologist discovers, you might undergo additional testing. Bone condition testing may also form a part of this process.

4. Discuss the Results

This part of the assessment is nothing more than a candid conversation to review the results of your tests and clarify what each part means. Your input in relation to any treatment and preventative solutions discussed is a critical part of establishing a transparent hearing care partnership designed to combine our expertise with your needs, objectives, lifestyle, and personal preferences.

Complete Hearing Assessment – $60

Our hearing assessments are a professional and comprehensive evaluation of your hearing health, which includes the following:

Includes:

  • Full review of your hearing health background
  • Current hearing device performance check (if applicable)
  • Otoscopy to observe:
    • ear wax, infections, abrasions, growths, perforations of the ear drum, or other obvious disorders
  • Pure tone air conduction testing, speech testing, word recognition scoring, and bone conduction testing

All these tests combined will give us a full picture of your hearing health done by a certified hearing professional.

Gentleman having his hearing assessed at Arnold Hearing Centres

Schedule a Comprehensive Hearing Assessment

The starting point for restoring hearing loss or preventing it is a comprehensive hearing evaluation.

If others complain about the volume of your television, you no longer enjoy a night out or family gathering due to background noise, friends and family tell you to get your hearing checked, or you simply want to add hearing care to your healthcare checklist, take the first step.

Submit our “Schedule a Comprehensive Hearing Assessment” form, and a member of our team will call you to assist in scheduling your appointment.

Schedule a Comprehensive Hearing Assessment

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Patient Stories

Larry Martin - Arnold Hearing Centres success story

All of the audiologists I've had at Arnold have been really good at customer service. It may be in part because there has been so much improvement in technology, but my most recent audiologist was simply extraordinary

- Larry Martin

Donna U, - Arnold Hearing Centres success story

The professional staff are there for you and are willing to answer any questions and to work with you to make the most of your ability.

- Donna U.

Natalie Carruthers - Arnold Hearing Centres success story

Arnold will take care of you the moment you step through the doors. They're knowledgeable and patient – you will become one of the family.

- Natalie Carruthers

 Shelly Resendes - Arnold Hearing Centres success story

Finally feels like I have my life back

- Shelly Resendes

Frank Fazekas - Arnold Hearing Centres success story

Go get it checked out. I did.

- Frank Fazekas

Schedule a Comprehensive Hearing Assessment

The starting point for restoring hearing loss or preventing it is a comprehensive hearing evaluation. If others complain about the volume of your television, you no longer enjoy a night out or family gathering due to background noise, friends and family tell you to get your hearing checked, or you simply want to add hearing care to your healthcare checklist, take the first step.

Submit our “Schedule a Comprehensive Hearing Assessment” form, and a member of our team will call you to assist in scheduling your appointment.

Schedule a Comprehensive Hearing Assessment

"*" indicates required fields

Your Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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