Shopping For Parents
The first step in the process of purchasing hearing aids is the comprehensive hearing evaluation. The doctor of audiology will sit down with your parent and take a thorough case history with questions related to hearing loss, tinnitus (i.e., ringing in the ears), and dizziness.
Next, the audiologist will complete an evaluation of the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. In most cases, the hearing loss is located in the inner ear, but there are cases where the hearing loss may be due to the outer ear (i.e., ear wax or debris) or the middle ear (i.e., fluid or disarticulation of the bones in the middle ear). It is also possible that the hearing loss may be due to dysfunction in more than one part of the ear (e.g. a hearing loss in both the middle and inner ears) Therefore, it is important to evaluate every part of the ear in order to determine if there is a hearing loss and if so where the hearing loss is located.
In addition to evaluating the entire ear, we also want to make sure that the hearing loss is not being caused by something going on beyond the ear, such as a benign tumor on the acoustic nerve. Therefore, we typically perform word recognition testing at multiple levels to screen for a possible retrocochlear (i.e., beyond the ear) pathology. After the audiologist knows about your parent's hearing loss, then she will counsel your parent over his/her hearing loss and make recommendations. If your parent is a candidate for amplification, then a complimentary demonstration with current hearing aid technology will be performed. If your parent is ready to pursue purchasing hearing aids, he/she is legally given a 30-day trial period with hearing aids. During this trial period, your parent will be scheduled weekly follow-up appointments where he/she will be seen by the doctor of audiology for any necessary adjustments. At Cornerstone Audiology, we only dispense current digital hearing aids, and we have options for every budget.
We offer payment discounts and 0% financing options if needed. In some cases, it may be necessary to see an ear, nose, and throat physician before being fit with hearing aids. If this is necessary, the audiologist will make this recommendation and get your parent scheduled with an ear, nose, and throat physician of his/her choice.
If the case history and interview establish that your parent has difficulty with dizziness and imbalance, a recommendation for a balance function evaluation may be made at this time.
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