What should the standard of service be from your hearing aid dispenser?
Firstly the hearing aid dispenser dealing with your hearing must be registered with the HPC (Health Professional Council). The HPC (Health Professional Council) register is available at; (copy and paste into your browser)
http://hpc-portal.co.uk/online-register/
The quality of improvement to your hearing WILL depend on several factors;
- The level of technology contained within the aid. As an example one of the many attributes of a hearing aid that the amplied sounds are governed by the number of adjustable channels contained in technology of the hearing aid chip. Not enough channels can cause unwanted sounds such as back ground noise to be amplified too much. The hearing aid will not be as effective when listening in noise with fewer channels.
- The correct aid being prescribed for your hearing loss. If your hearing loss is damaged in the higher tones only, the danger could be that a hearing aid fitted in the canal, could cause occlusion or a sensation of your own voice sounding boomy. If your hearing is severe you will need a high powered amplifier to cover the hearing loss. Incorrect prescriptions will lead to disappointment
- Precise programming of the hearing aid. If the hearing aid is not amplifying sounds correctly it could cause a feeling of sounding like an echo either in your own voice or other people’s voices, also over amplification of higher tones can give an effect of sounding tinny or metallic. This sensation can also be a natural one due to the brain being starved of these sounds over a long period of time. In this case it is advised to reduce amplification of high tones on the fitting so that the user can get used to the aid but a follow up would be vital to increase these sounds to give maximum audibility. The accurate programming of the hearing aid will depend not only on the quality of product you have bought but also the degree of experience the dispenser has. To ensure the best quality of sound try to spend as much as you can afford on your hearing as you WILL get what you pay for.
- Accurate audiometry ( Hearing test ). Your hearing test must be carried out on a calibrated audiometer to BSA regulations. If the audiometry is inaccurate then this could mean at best an incorrect prescription being applied or at worst a hearing aid that the client never wears due to either poor comfort or poor quality of sound.
- An aftercare program. Finding the right product is only the start of your journey to better hearing. As time passes your hearing will deteriorate, meaning that the hearing aids become less effective without you realising. That is why it is important to have regular checks (6 -12 months apart), to ensure that the hearing aids are free of wax, any tubing is renewed, and filters are cleaned and checked. On these visits it is important to have your ears looked at as to monitor wax building up and make sure that the general health inside your ears is ok.
- Any less than a complete service is unacceptable
For more details call 0800 0304 542
