Finding the Right Audiologist for You

Everyone knows the importance of finding a skilled dentist you can trust. The same is true when you need the advice of an audiologist. Just as a good dentist performs the treatment painlessly and leaves your smiling, so a good audiologist will assess your hearing needs. 

Why do your needs matter?

People are individuals. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to hearing devices, especially when it comes to who is doing the fitting. Your hearing loss is different from your neighbors; just as you hobbies are different. And indeed the latter is highly relevant because it influences the hearing environment.

For example, a sportsperson puts different demands on a device to a keen quilt-maker. Whereas the former may need a water-resistant hearing aid that minimizes wind noise, the quilter needs a device that can filter out background noise to make speech clearer.

So how do you go about finding the audiologist that is the perfect fit for you?

Ask family and friends

Don’t be bashful about speaking to friends and family with hearing loss, and chatting about their experiences. Because they visited a certain clinic they can give you excellent insight into whether they were satisfied or not.

Consider asking about how easy it is to park, what is the appointment availability like, do you get to see the same audiologist every visit, and so forth.

Personal recommendation is a great start. While websites can give you a feel for the practice and allows you to check out the credentials of their staff, only someone who has used the service for real can give you the inside track.

Check out the website

The website gives you a good feel for the ethos of the clinic. Is the site well maintained and full of helpful information or it is outdated and unfocused? A good clinic that puts effort into all aspects of their business, including their online presence, is more likely to be client aware and geared up to meeting and then exceeding your expectations.

The website may also have a section for testimonials, which can give you a valuable insight into the positives of their service. However, for the negatives you’ll need to seek out online reviews.

Read some reviews

In an internet search engine pop the clinics name, followed by “reviews.” This should pull up relevant review – sites for you to digest. However, be savvy when using these sites. Be aware that some people are very hard to please and thrive on bad news. If a review looks disastrously dire, it’s worth checking out that person’s other reviews, to see if bad times seem to dog their heels (in which case, the clinic might not be the thing at fault).

And finally, visit or phone the clinic and see how that interaction makes you feel. If you get a warm glow and come away with a smile, then the chances are you’re onto a winner.