At Resonance Audiology, everything comes together at the hearing aid fitting appointment. This is where you receive your hearing aid(s) and are appropriately “fit” with the hearing aids through very specific computer software programs that match your hearing loss to a first fit algorithm in the hearing aid we choose for you.
This fitting comprises of a few steps:
Step One:
Initial fit and comfort- Dr. Horan will assess the physical fit of the hearing aid(s) and ensure that they are fit appropriately and will neither cause any pain or discomfort nor fall out of your ears. It is crucial your hearing aid(s) physically fit well on your ears, otherwise, they will not provide you with the optimal listening experience you are looking to achieve.
Step Two:
Dr. Horan will run some initial tests with the hearing aid(s) in your ears to ensure that they are fit correctly to your specific ears and hearing loss.
The first of these tests is a feedback test- this test is completed by presenting some static noise in your ears followed by tones and measures the properties of your ears and ensures that the hearing aid(s) can provide you with the correct amount of amplification for your hearing loss without feeding back or “whistling.”
The second test is the in-situ hearing test. This is essentially a hearing test completed with your hearing aid(s) in your ears and ensures that the hearing aid is set up to amplify the sounds in the environment based on not only your hearing loss but also the physical properties of your ears. Dr. Horan is essentially tailor making the hearing aids to your specific ears, so that there is less of a need for fine tuning the hearing aids because they are fit to your ears right from the beginning.
Step Three:
Dr. Horan will assess how you are hearing with your new hearing aid(s) and determine if further adjustments need to be made. This is typically called fine tuning, as Dr. Horan can adjust the devices based on your initial experience with the hearing aids and she will work with you to ensure that you are hearing as best as you can with your new hearing aids.
Step Four:
Dr. Horan will identify the goals and expectations you have for your hearing aids, so that we can be sure that we are exceeding your expectations and goals for what you want to hear with your new set of hearing aids.
Step Five:
Dr. Horan will instruct you on the basics of how to use your hearing aids- how to put them in, take them out, change the batteries and also how to clean and maintain your hearing aids. This is a very important step, since your hearing aids need to be properly cared for in order for them to work as best as they can to help you hear.
Step Six:
Dr. Horan will objectively verify your fitting and validate that you are actually receiving the correct amount of amplification for your hearing loss with your hearing aids in not only quiet but also noisy environments. This will be done with computer software that measures the sound coming out of the hearing aids and compares if it is meeting the targets required for you to best achieve success with your hearing aids in your daily environments.
Call us at (717) 925-6112 and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have or click here to send us a message.