FAQ

I think I have a problem with my hearing

You can contact us for a comprehensive hearing test and we will:

• Evaluate your present hearing ability
• Determine whether or not you have a hearing loss
• Assess if your level of hearing loss is actually significant and requires amplification

How much does a hearing assessment cost?

The cost for a full diagnostic hearing assessment is $90.00. Clients presenting their valid SuperGoldcard receive a 20% discount.

How important is hearing, and what will hearing problems mean?

Hearing enables us to receive information, communicate, listen to the sounds of nature, enjoy music and be aware of our surroundings. “Hearing impairment” or “loss of hearing” may mean difficulty with:

• Keeping up with conversation
• Communicating with others
• Receiving information
• Group social interaction
• Awareness of our surroundings

These situations often result in feelings of isolation, fatigue, loneliness and a lessening of quality of life. Hearing impairment can also pose a safety risk e.g. not hearing a car or person approach.

What contributes to hearing loss?

Here are some of the contributing factors to hearing loss:

• Prolonged exposure to excessive loud levels of noise accelerates this process, whether in the work place or around the home - and our world is increasingly becoming noisier
• Ageing
• Family history
• Acoustic trauma - e.g. explosion
• Accident
• Illness - e.g. meningits can cause loss of hearing
• Loud music for prolonged periods – this is not limited to rock concert fans only as all musicians in orchestras or bands are exposed as well
• Earphones with the volume on high – many enjoy hearing music all the time and can do so with MP3 players such as iPods, but when the volume is turned up high to drown out unwanted “outside” noise, this directly will affect your hearing

If you experience sudden loss of hearing, whether in one ear or both ears, please contact your Doctor immediately!

Hearing Protection

How does a Personal Communication Assistant or Hearing Aid help me?

A Personal Communication Assistant or Hearing Aid is programmed to your hearing loss to aid specific frequencies which have deteriorated in your hearing ability.
The aim is to improve the audibility and clarity of conversational speech and other environmental sound which was either no longer audible or more difficult for you to hear in comparison to other people with normal hearing.  The sophisticated signal processing in today's hearing aids will make it easier for people with loss of hearing to communicate more effectively in social situations and noisy environments, raising the awareness of their environment and providing them with a better quality of life.

What should be expected from hearing aids?

• Automatically enhance speech and reduce background noise
• Provide better speech understanding in noisy surroundings
• Adjust amplification and sound according to your specific needs
• Provide clear, undistorted sound
• Discreet in appearance
• Ensure the best possible music enjoyment
• Not whistle, especially when you give a hug
• Make your own voice sound natural, not tinny or hollow
• Not whistle when you use the telephone
• Be comfortable from early morning until late evening
• Be flexible to meet your future needs if they change over time

 

What can be done if my hearing aids are not up to my expectations?

Please feel free to discuss your goals and expectations with us. We will help you with

• Assessing whether your goals and expectations from hearing aids are realistic
• Whether the technology inside your hearing aids is capable of delivering to your expectations
• Solving hearing aid fitting problems
• Checking your hearing aids - they do require maintenance checks from time to time 
• Determining whether your hearing aids perform to specifications or whether they require repair

It is very important during a hearing aid trial, whether it is for the first time or upgrading to better hearing technology, to express any concerns that you may have, so that we can help you to meet your goals and the outcome to the best of our abilities.

Are there alternatives to hearing aids?

Sometimes there are other possibilites to improve one's hearing. If the nature of your hearing problems suggests alternative possibilities than hearing aids to improve your hearing, or if a medical opinion were beneficial, we can recommend and refer you to the appropriate specialist.

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the name given to the sensation of sound when there is no external physical sound present. Tinnitus does not sound the same to everyone. The characteristics of the sound can range from whistles to hissing. Some people hear more than one sound. Sometimes the sound is in the ears, not in the head and some people can localise it to a point in space.

What causes tinnitus?

Many things can cause tinnitus (eg. exposure to loud sounds, some drugs, stress). Generally, a hearing test should be done because tinnitus is often associated with a hearing loss.

What is the effect of tinnitus?
For most people tinnitus is only a nuisance. However for a few people it can be a chronic condition resulting in loss of concentration, sleep problems, and even depression.

Do we know what tinnitus is?

The actual mechanism for tinnitus is not known. What is known is that it is real, probably resulting from disruption of normal function somewhere in the hearing system. There is a lot of research being undertaken to find out how tinnitus works.

Does tinnitus mean a hearing loss?

In most cases it is associated with a hearing loss. Sometimes, only the tinnitus is noticed because the hearing loss may be too small to measure. But having tinnitus does not mean that you are going “deaf”.

Is there a magic cure for tinnitus?

There is no magic pill that immediately eliminates tinnitus. All treatments take time and aim to reduce the intrusiveness and annoyance of tinnitus.