Your hearing aid fitting is just the beginning of your hearing care journey. Follow-ups ensure that your hearing rehabilitation is successful and aligns with your health goals.
At Happy Ears Hearing Center, we go beyond standard audiological care that only considers your needs today. We believe in ongoing patient support that protects your hearing health for the long term. Discover why follow-up care is key to our approach and what to expect from these appointments.
Why Follow-Up Care Is Essential
Your hearing needs naturally change over time, regardless of the severity of your hearing issues. Factors like the environment you’re in, your general health, and aging can all change how your hearing fares. Audiologist follow-up visits aim to address these gaps.
Hearing aid follow-up care is especially important. Your devices may need reprogramming or adjustments for optimal performance, and regular hearing aid maintenance helps prevent small issues from turning into bigger frustrations.
What Happens During a Follow-Up Appointment?
At Happy Ears Hearing Center, we take follow-up appointments as seriously as your initial visit. This means we follow best practices for improving long-term hearing health outcomes at every appointment. Here’s what you can expect during your follow-ups with us.
Reviewing Hearing Aid Performance
We do more than arbitrary tests to make sure your hearing aids are functioning as you need them to. We’ll discuss your hearing aids’ performance in your day-to-day life.
This is the time to bring up any questions and concerns you have about your devices’ functioning.
Verifying Real Ear Measurements (REM)
REMs ensure that your assistive hearing devices still fit perfectly in your ear canal. We test this by evaluating sound amplification and pressure levels in your ears while you’re wearing them.
Cleaning, Maintenance, and Parts Replacements
We’ll perform a deep cleaning and check for mechanical malfunctions in your hearing aids. If they need replacement parts along with standard cleaning and maintenance, your follow-up visit is the time to address this.
We can replace small components of your hearing aids to help you avoid the costs of total replacements. These replacement parts often include domes and tubing, which can greatly improve the performance of many patients’ devices afterwards.
Addressing Your Concerns
You’re the one using your hearing aids to navigate the world. Your concerns are at the forefront of what we do. Our audiologists can address any problems you’re facing and make programming adjustments as needed.
Common Issues Resolved in Follow-Up Visits
Hearing aid follow-up care can resolve many common hearing aid issues before they escalate, which translates to a better quality of life with less stress for you. These are some of the most frequent issues we see at follow-up visits.
Difficulty Hearing in Noisy Environments
When the environment around you is especially loud, you need your hearing devices to function optimally. During follow-up visits, we can adjust your device’s programming and fit to prevent ambient noise from interfering with your hearing. This way, you can interact without frustration in noisy settings.
Feedback or Whistling Sounds
If you’re experiencing unpleasant audio feedback or high-pitched whistling sounds, your device likely needs to be reprogrammed. Our audiologists can help with this to eliminate these auditory interferences.
Discomfort and Poor Fit
Poorly fitted hearing aids can sacrifice your hearing quality and defeat the purpose of these devices. We can adjust your fit so that you can comfortably use your hearing aids for years to come.
Connectivity Problems
Bluetooth pairing is a convenient feature of modern hearing devices, but when the connection goes bad, it can cause more frustration than it solves. We can help you troubleshoot Bluetooth problems with your hearing aids.
Maintenance and Care Questions
If you’re not sure how to maintain your devices or need help with ongoing hearing aid care, our audiologists can offer expert advice and answer any of your questions.
The Benefits of Ongoing Follow-Up Care
When it comes to your hearing health, you have much to gain from regular, ongoing follow-up care. Some of the notable benefits include:
- Better speech clarity
- More listening comfort
- Longer device lifespan
- Increased satisfaction with your experience
- More device usage
- Improved adaptation for first-time hearing aid users
- Proper device maintenance
As you get to know your audiologist and new hearing devices, you’ll learn to spot the signs that it’s time for another appointment. We can also recommend a follow-up schedule personalized to your needs.
How Happy Ears’ Follow-Up Care Stands Out
Our unique patient-centered philosophy allows the team at Happy Ears Hearing Center to stand apart from the rest. We believe you deserve to live the life that’s authentic to you, with plenty of hearing comfort. That’s why we provide personalized care plans tailored to your specific lifestyle.
Our patient-provider relationships are at the heart of what we do. We are committed to fostering trust and continuity of care to achieve better long-term hearing outcomes.
We also use state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and technology for precise adjustments and increased comfort. We stay up-to-date with the latest in hearing science, so you can count on receiving the education you need to feel confident managing your hearing devices.
Long-Term Health Beyond Hearing Aids
Hearing aid adjustments are important, but what about other aspects of your hearing health? During follow-ups, we can also take care of the following:
- Monitor for hearing changes
- Identify early hearing health concerns like wax buildup or middle ear issues
- Counsel on communication strategies
- Educate about hearing protection methods
Follow-up visits help us monitor your overall long-term hearing health at every level.
Making Follow-Up Care Part of Your Routine
Regular follow-up visits save you time, money, and hassle by helping prevent the need for total device replacement. It’s vital to prioritize these appointments in your hearing care journey.
Think of your hearing care as a lifelong investment. The time and money you contribute now can pay off tenfold in the future when it comes to quality of life and social connectivity.
New users may have a different follow-up schedule compared to experienced users. Your audiologist will recommend the right schedule for your needs at your appointment.
Schedule Your Follow-Up Appointment With Happy Ears
Take control of your long-term hearing health by keeping up with your follow-up visits. The work you put in now will reflect in your hearing quality throughout your lifetime.
Schedule your follow-up with Happy Ears Hearing Center today to enjoy clearer hearing for years to come.
