Denton County Living Well Magazine May/June 2017 | Page 26

The Value of the Audiologist in Hearing Care
By Elizabeth Brassine, Au.D.
F
rom the moment we wake up to
the time we go to sleep, sound
plays an important role in our
lives. Whether it’s alerting us to dan-
ger, delivering needed information, or
making us simply laugh, smile or cry.
Sound informs, entertains and connects
us to the world. Consequently, when
we experience hearing problems and
begin to lose this vital sense, and even-
tually, most of us do, we also begin
to lose those connections and diminish
our ability to be engaged, entertained
and informed. It’s not uncommon to
hear people who suffer from hearing
impairment say it impacts their “qual-
ity of life.”
The sooner we seek treatment for hear-
ing problems, the more successful
we’ll be at slowing the negative social,
psychological, cognitive and health ef-
fects that come with it. Once you sus-
pect your hearing has declined, it’s
time to take action. The next step is to
seek out a hearing care professional
who will give you a thorough evalu-
ation including a lifestyle discussion.
Your hearing professional will show
you the best solutions to fit your unique
needs and lifestyle.
Did you know the single biggest con-
tributor to a successful outcome of
hearing aid use is the professional?
According to one large study (MarkeT-
rak VIII), the professional, along with
the clinical protocol they use, makes a
bigger difference to success with hear-
ing aids than the technology itself.
Also in focus studies completed by the
Hearing Industries Association and
those reported in Consumer Reports,
the success or satisfaction of hearing
aid usage was found not to be related
to the type of loss, style of hearing aid,
type of payment or referral source but
due to the hearing care professional
themselves. Specifically, the consum-
ers reported the following items as
things audiologists did that led to “de-
light” with their hearing aids: assume
the patient had little or no prior infor-
mation, offer educational information
on hearing loss and causes of loss,
explain how the hearing aids work,
discuss which hearing aids would be
more appropriate for a given person
and reasons why, see patients routine-
ly for follow up appointments, provide
explanations of first week experiences
and what to expect.
If you’re concerned about your hear-
ing, visit your audiologist today!
Elizabeth Brassine is a Doctor of Audiology
and the owner of Hearing Services of McKinney.
HEARING SERVICES
of M c Kinney
Better Hearing Keeps You Connected!
• Staffed by 2 Licensed, Doctors of Audiology
• Hearing Aid Fittings, Maintenance and Repairs
• Invisible Fittings/Open Fittings
• Evaluation Period On All Hearing Aids
• Hearing Evaluations For All Ages
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• Battery Purchase Programs
“After 10 years of training hearing
• Custom