Hearing Aid Purchase, Part Three

Buying Hearing Aids In Edinburgh? Part Three Of our Article

In the first two parts of this article series we covered the test, the recommendation and the actual fitting of the hearing instruments you chose. In this article we will look at what happens next? What happens at the first after care session and beyond that.

The First Follow Up Visit

Your first follow up visit is an important one, you should report back to the hearing aid dispenser on how you have done and how the hearing devices functioned for you. You should talk about your listening experiences with devices.

What You Need To Cover

You should cover the performance in the different listening situations you experienced, such as in noise, your perception of loudness, clarity, discomfort, etc. You should alsocover the actual fit of ear molds, connections  or the hearing aids themselves. While talking about this consider things such as comfort, any whistling noises etc.

What They Should Want To Know

The hearing aid dispenser should ask you to evaluate any improvement that you feel that the hearing aids have made on the effect of hearing loss on your life. They should cover situations like, at home, at work, at meetings, when going out, etc.

What They Might Do

It is not unusual for a hearing aid dispenser to need to do some fine tuning during this vist. The fine tuning will be made in response to the information that you provide, the clearer your information is, the better the fine tuning. 

Don't worry too much, this process takes time and it is also not unusual for it to take a little time for you to become accustomed to the hearing aids that have been fitted. It is also not unusual for it to take some time for you to get the best out of your hearing devices.

What They Should Cover

At the follow up visit your hearing healthcare professional should again give you a run down on the hearing instruments. They should cover the functions of the aids making sure that you know how to troubleshoot any common problems. They should also reinforce the clean and care routine of your hearing aids with you. Clean and care of your hearing aids is important for you for long term reliability of your hearing aids. 

Accessories!

Your hearing professional may talk to you about telecoil use, using cell phones & cordless phones. They also may discuss assistive listening devices that are available, using telecoils with audio loops, FM and Infrared systems. This isn't a sales pitch, these are all devices and options that could deliver assistance for you in a host of lifestyle situations in your life. 

Ask Them Questions

You have questions, that is perfectly normal, so ask them. Don't think you are silly, there is a large amount of information for you to take in during the early period of using hearing aids. Professionals will always try to cover all of it and make sure you understand, however, everyone forgets stuff.

So ask questions and if you think you need the answer written down, ask for that as well. Professionals have undergone in-depth training and they get regular top up education. You on the other hand have a couple of sessions with a professional and waht you can glean from internet research. You aren't silly or stupid and no one is going to think you are. 

The Financial Details

Edinburgh Hearing Practice is an independent business. this means that we deal with all of the manufacturers of hearing aids. However, that is not always the case. Some Practices are owned by one particular manufacturer. You need to know and understand this, because it may have a bearing on the hearing aids that are recommended to you.  So there are things you need to consider such as : 

• Did the hearing healthcare professional provide information about the hearing aid manufacturers he or she works with?
• Disclose how many and which manufacturers s/he works with? 
• Recommend models in different price ranges?
• Did the hearing healthcare professional provide written information on any warrantees provided by the manufacturer?

Trial Periods & Ongoing Services

Every hearing device is supplied under a trial period, a period of time when the aids can be returned and your money refunded. That trial period and the amount of money that is returned varies though. You need to be clear about this, so the hearing healthcare professional should provide written information about the:

Your Contract

Sometimes though, this may come at a cost, a portion of what you paid for the hearing aids may be returned to cover work undertaken. This needs to be explained to you clearly. 

Every hearing device is supplied under a trial period, a period of time when the aids can be returned and your money refunded. That trial period and the amount of money that is returned varies though. You need to be clear about this, so the hearing healthcare professional should provide written information about the:

Your Contract

This is all important information, and you should ensure that it is written into your purchase contract. you need to receive a written contract which details the ongoing services to be provided to you. it should cover:

• Trial period and refund policy
• Trial period, return time limits
• Fees charged if the hearing aid or aids are returned within the trial period
• Whether the trial period is suspended if the aid breaks down during the trial period and needs to be returned for repairs
• The cost of the hearing aids
• Cost of the hearing healthcare professional’s services and number of follow-up visits included in the cost
• Date and place of sale

If you have all of these details in your contract, you can have some peace of mind that the company will honour and abide by them. 

This is the last of our articles, we think we have covered most of the details around buying a hearing aid in Edinburg. Hopefully you are better armed to become a first time hearing aid user. If you have any questions or we haven't answered your particular question, don't hesitate to give us a call on 0131 629 1819

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