So you?ve completed your first appointment with an audiologist. You?ve had a hearing evaluation and learned what kind of hearing loss you experience. Your audiologist has walked you through treatment options and helped you find the perfect hearing aid for you. But you shouldn?t forget your audiologist as soon as you walk out the door! While your first visit is important, an annual evaluation makes your hearing loss treatment effective.
An Annual Evaluation Helps Manage Hearing Changes
You may have noticed your level of hearing loss change over the course of your lifetime. It might have occurred rapidly due to a hearing injury or illness. Or it could have happened gradually as the result of noise exposure or aging.
While a hearing aid can slow or even halt the decline of your ability to hear, your hearing may still change over time. And the more time you spend wearing your hearing aids, the more likely you?ll notice ways in which they could be improved.
An annual visit to your audiologist gives them the chance to help you correct for these changes. At your hearing checkup appointment, they can evaluate your hearing again to find out how much has changed in the last year. Based on their findings, your audiologist can re-tune your hearing aids and take into account any shortcomings you?ve noticed.
What?s New in Hearing Aid Tech?
From cars and smart homes to phones and computers, sometimes it feels like we can?t keep up with all of the new technology that?s available to consumers. Hearing aids are becoming just as advanced as these other devices – and new hearing technology is always being developed, too.
These aren?t your parents? hearing aids. Today?s devices are more powerful and precise than ever before. A Bluetooth connection to your phone gives you more control over them than ever, too. Some are even equipped with AI technology that can enhance your hearing and even translate other languages. And with health and safety features like physical activity trackers and fall detectors, there?s never been a better time to upgrade your hearing aids.
But you don?t have to feel overwhelmed by all of the new hearing aids available to you. An annual evaluation is an opportunity to see all of these new devices for yourself. Your audiologist can walk you through the year?s advancements in hearing aid connectivity, AI, and more to help you determine how the latest technology can benefit you.
Audiology Best Practices Are Evolving
How do you know if you?re seeing an effective audiologist? They?re always educating themselves in the latest advances in audiology and staying up to date with best practices. But that means those practices might change from one annual evaluation to another – which is what makes those visits so important.
For example, at The Hill Hear Better Clinic, we began incorporating Cognivue cognitive testing into our hearing evaluations last year. This technology helps us find out if a patient is experiencing cognitive decline, to what degree, and how much of a role it plays in their hearing loss. If you had your first hearing aid evaluation before we started using Cognivue, you can get the benefits of this easy-to-use testing at an annual visit.
Best practices in hearing care continue to evolve, from the way audiologists measure hearing to the way they conduct consultations and even fit hearing aids. To stay at the forefront of these best practices, we?ve joined Dr. Cliff AuD’s Best Practice Pro Provider Network.
This network helps audiologists ensure they?re providing the best possible care. Patients can also use the network to find the best hearing care in their area. If these best practices are updated to improve care, an annual evaluation lets you reap the benefits.
Make the Most of Your Hearing with an Annual Evaluation
It can be hard to keep up in our constantly changing world. But when it comes to your hearing, it doesn?t have to be. A yearly visit to your audiologist will help you make the most of your hearing and account for any changes that have happened in the last year. With an annual evaluation, you?ll also get the benefits of updated care practices and the opportunity to explore new technology.
