What to expect
You’ve taken the first step, that’s huge! (Did you know that the average time between someone noticing hearing difficulties and actually doing something about it is 8 years?) Meeting our new clients for the first time are our favourite appointments. This generally takes somewhere from 45mins to 1 hour.
To make sure you get the most out of your time with us we encourage you do the following:
- Bring a family member or loved one with you
- Bring in any concession or private health cards (our team can contact your relevant funds on the day to find out your exact benefits as well as taking care of the claiming process for you)
- Bring any existing hearing aids with you
The process.
Health and Hearing Questionnaire
We’ll use this to get a picture of your hearing and overall health to understand why you came to see us and how your quality of life is affected so we can try and improve it as much as possible. This is the first step in your comprehensive hearing assessment.
Otoscopy (Outer Ear)
Using an otoscope, your audiologist will first perform a visual examination of your ear canals and Tympanic Membranes (ear drum). This will ensure that the hearing test results are accurate and not influenced by things like excessive ear wax. This step is a routine but essential part of our diagnostic hearing exams.
Tympanometry (Middle Ear)
Tympanometry is a fast and painless method of assessing the function of the middle ear system. It uses a probe type device to vary the air pressure within the ear canal. The subsequent movement of the ear drum is then recorded. Performed on both adults and children, this middle ear hearing exam can diagnose middle ear fluid, perforations of the TM, grommet function, Eustachian tube dysfunction and other medical conditions of the middle ear.
Pure Tone Audiometry
Performed in a sound compliant room or booth, this hearing test uses a series of beeps or tones delivered through insert earphones to determine the type and severity of your hearing loss. Using both air and bone conduction, we’ll ask you to press a button in response to any sounds that you hear. Our aim is to build a picture of the softest sounds you can hear at each of the frequencies that make up human speech, otherwise known as an audiogram. This forms the foundation of your full hearing assessment.
Speech Recognition Testing
By now, your audiologist has formed a good idea of the degree and type of your hearing loss. What can we do with this information is our next question. Often used to verify the audiogram, this part of the hearing exam plays an important role in testing how your residual hearing is able to make use of the sound information it receives. Via earphones, you will be asked to repeat a series of words at both normal conversational and amplified levels. This can be done in quiet and in the presence of background noise. These results will determine if and how successful hearing aids are likely to be, and which hearing aid features may be most effective for you.
Results
Let’s put it all together. Your audiologist will provide you with a thoughtful overview of your hearing assessment results in a relatable, uncomplicated manner linking real world examples to your individual problems. Questions are encouraged.
Where to from here?
Depending on your results, we will provide our honest opinion on what your next steps look like. Whether its hearing aid intervention or further medical follow-up, we will be with you every step of the way.
Hearing Assessment FAQs
Click here to view our hearing symptom checker to see if its time you had your hearing checked.
Yes – The Hearing Services Program covers the cost of hearing tests for eligible concession card holders. The program may also cover some or all of the costs of hearing aids for these individuals. Conditions apply under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program, however, our dedicated staff with your consent, can handle all the application and billing process for you.
Individuals on a chronic disease management plan from their GP or with a referral from an ENT or Neurologist can also submit their receipt to Medicare for a rebate.
Hear More Audiology does not charge for initial consultations. A fee will apply only if a medical report needs to be written for referral or employment purposes and for paediatric assessments.
Please allow up to 60 minutes for your initial consult, although in many cases you may be finished sooner.
Avoid loud noise exposure for at least 24 hours prior to your appointment. Try and ensure your ears are clean and free of excessive wax (don’t stress if we find wax to be an issue at your appointment, we offer micro suction removal at all of our clinics).
Yes – We can generally perform a hearing test and tympanometry on children over the age of 5. Children younger than 5 can have tympanometry done but will likely need to see a paediatric audiologist that offers play based audiometry if a hearing test is required.