Things to Consider when Visiting the Hearing Professional

Now that you have found the hearing health professional you wish to book an appointment with, there are a few things you may want to consider or ask when booking your first appointment.

1. Hours of operation: this is an important question to ask, as you need to ensure they are open hours that accommodate your lifestyle. You need to ensure they are open when you are not at work, such as evenings or weekends. If you happen to live out of town how can they accommodate this or if you live in a nursing home with limited mobility or access to transportation are they able to accommodate?
2. Cost: will there be a cost for the initial appointment or follow-up appointments? Is there a cost for a hearing test, for adjustments to your hearing aids (if you purchase some), for maintenance to your hearing aid? Ask about any and all costs that may be related or associated with your initial and follow-up appointments as this could help or hinder your journey with the hearing health professional.
3. Cancelation Policy: ask if there is any type of cancelation policy and what it entails, such as cost or a minimum cancelation time frame. These can add up over time depending on the policy the hearing health professional and their company have in place.
4. How long is the initial appointment: your initial appointment may vary depending on the policy of the hearing health professional and their company. Some initial appointments are a meet and greet, getting to know each other and the needs of the potential patient. Other appointments can be long and include the meet and greet, gathering of medical information and a full hearing test. Ensure you ask how long the appointment will be to plan accordingly.
5. Ask what you can expect to take place in the initial appointment: make sure to ask what will take place in the initial appointment to ensure you are prepared. As stated above it may just be a meet and great to get to know each other and what your needs are, however, some appointments may include a full hearing test so you will want to know and understand what will happen and what to expect.
6. Ask if they wish you to bring anything with you to your appointment: make sure to ask if there is anything that you should bring to your initial appointment such as prior paperwork, health care card, insurance card, etc.
7. Can you bring family or friends: ask if you are able to bring a family member or a close friend with you to the appointment. Most times this is ok, support is very important and also having another set of ears can help, as there can be a lot of information given to you in the initial appointment. Try to limit it to one or two people you bring with you because brining the whole family may be more of a distraction for you and the hearing health professional.