Audiologist Insider: Part Three – So you’re coming to the end of your trial period?
Welcome to the third article in this blog series on entering into the world of hearing aids. So far we’ve discussed trying hearing aids for the first time and what it might feel like when you first begin wearing your devices.
During this article, we’ll be discussing some of the thoughts you might be having if you’re coming towards the end of your trial period. Furthermore, I’ll offer some reflections that I hope will help guide your decision about whether you would like to keep your devices, or not.
Thought 1: Reflect
When you first visited Harley Street Hearing, part of your hearing aid assessment will have included discussing the listening situations you find the most challenging. These are called your ‘outcome measures’ and help your audiologist to assess your progress over the course of your appointments. These measures are unique to you and could have included hearing your family, difficulty socialising, or simpler hearing moments like the doorbell or telephone ringing.
At Harley Street Hearing we care deeply about you and your aural fulfilment and want to provide the best possible improvements. Take time to reflect on the concerns you initially raised with your audiologist and evaluate if you feel these situations have become easier, more difficult, or if there has been no change at all. If you have been keeping a sound diary, then use it to reflect on the changes you have noticed in the last month, since you began wearing your hearing devices.
Thought 2: Don’t panic!
Should you not be getting on as well as you hoped with your devices, then don’t panic. Your follow-up appointments provide the perfect opportunity for you to reflect honestly with your audiologist about your progress. The more information you have to hand (especially where there’s room for improvement) the better, as this allows us to fine-tune your devices and make tailored suggestions to suit the specific challenges you might be facing.
I often describe to my patients that one of three things can happen during their follow-up appointments:
- You’re getting on well and seeing improvements with your hearing. This is wonderful news and allows us to continue down the rehabilitation journey we have started together. We’ll make adjustments to your hearing aid settings based on your feedback to try and improve things even further.
- You’re seeing some positives, but also some negatives. This is where we can come back to the drawing board and consider our options. At Harley Street Hearing you are welcome to have trials with multiple devices, to see what options might result in better outcomes for you. This could be considering a different manufacturer, or maybe a different style of hearing aid. Your audiologist will guide you on what options they think will have the best chance to overcome the difficulties you have encountered.
- You’re not getting on well at all and are wondering if hearing aids are the right thing for you. Should this be the case, then there are multiple things we can do together. Firstly, if you are at all on the fence, then we may be able to extend your trial period, giving you the chance to try your hearing aids with further adjustments. However, if you would rather return to trialling hearing aids at another time, then you are welcome to return the devices to us within your trial period, and you will receive a full refund for the devices, minus a small trial fee.
Thought 3: What’s included?
Financial considerations are, of course, a crucial part of your decision-making process. So it’s important to highlight what you would be getting as a hearing aid patient of Harley Street Hearing:
- A lifetime’s worth of aftercare – all your appointments, including wax removal, are all included within the cost of the hearing aids.
- Two-year manufacturer warranty on the devices, which can be extended to four years.
- Complimentary annual reviews. We want to see all of our hearing aid patients at least once a year. These 60-minute appointments give us the opportunity to check the health of your ears, retest your hearing, and ensure your hearing aids are doing the best job they can be for you.
- Two years’ worth of batteries. Should your hearing aids use replaceable batteries, enjoy a two year supply, included within the cost of your hearing aids.
- Excellent customer service. As of September 2024, Google has us rated at 4.9 stars after a whopping 1362 reviews. Don’t just take our word for it, we pride ourselves on our aftercare and this comes across in how people review us.
We also have the option of payment plans, should this make purchasing the devices more manageable for you.
Even if you choose not to go ahead with the devices, this would not mean the end of your care under Harley Street Hearing. We will endeavour to offer you complimentary annual reviews, to retest your hearing and see if we can be of any further help for you in the years to come. To find out more contact us here.
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