Your first appointment with your hearing care professional

Your new hearing care professional will be your partner in finding the perfect solution for you and your ears. He or she will explain all the things you need to know when getting hearing aids. You will get to understand your hearing loss and needs, and together, you’ll explore the possible solutions.

What to expect at your first visit

  • Take a simple yet comprehensive hearing test to find your hearing level
  • Discuss situations and sounds that you struggle with
  • Talk about your hearing history and your test results
  • Plan how to secure your future hearing

How to prepare for your first appointment

To get the most from your first visit, you can prepare in the comfort of your own home.

Since your hearing is unique, it’s difficult for the professional to guess what your needs may be. We have created a short questionnaire that you can download and fill out and bring to your first appointment. This way, you can make sure you don’t forget any important details.

Top tip: Many people feel they get more from their visit if a close friend or relative shares the experience.

Download the questionnaire to start preparing

Which situations do you find challenging?

Here is a range of common situations that make people with hearing loss struggle. Before your first meeting with a hearing care professional, ask yourself which questions apply to you:

  • Do you feel like you often say “pardon?”, “excuse me?” or “what?” 

  • Do you turn up the volume more than other people would like?

  • Can you hold a conversation in a crowded room or around a dinner table?

  • How well do you keep up during meetings at work?

  • Does hearing become challenging on a street that’s busy with traffic?

  • Where do you usually meet your friends? What do you struggle to hear when you are there?

In what other situations have you noticed hearing difficulties?

"I spent so much energy trying to compensate for my hearing loss I didn't have the energy I needed to enjoy all the wonderful things in my life." – Diana

Interesting facts about hearing

A little knowledge can help you get the most from your first visit to a hearing centre.

  • You hear with your brain, not your ears — listening is thinking!
  • Untreated hearing loss makes it difficult to follow conversations and is often very tiring
  • Hearing aids help you stay connected to the world via devices such as TVs and telephones 

Your brain is the most important part of your hearing system

Your ears gather sound and funnel it into your hearing system, where your brain processes the sound into meaning. In fact, your ears send sound to your brain constantly – even while you are asleep.

The brain automatically identifies sounds and locates where they are coming from. It decides where to focus, which sounds to listen to, and when to concentrate on something else. The brain also fills in the blanks if the ears fail to funnel all of the sound through the hearing system.

This is the reason we build our hearing aids on a foundation of BrainHearing™ technology.

Find out more about BrainHearing technology

Untreated hearing loss can affect your mental performance

Since the brain does most of the work to process what you hear, you use more mental energy if hearing loss is untreated. It takes more effort to follow what people are saying, which is tiring and takes energy away from other brain activities. This means it can affect other functions such as your memory.

People with untreated hearing loss often find themselves more isolated, because they experience reduced contact with friends, family and colleagues — all of which can lead to depression.

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Treating hearing loss keeps your brain fit

If you treat hearing loss, your brain gets more stimulation. The positive benefits of treating hearing loss include:

  • Improved communication
  • More mental energy
  • Better social life
  • Reduced mental decline

Taking care of your hearing is taking care of your health

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Do not put it off any longer. Book an appointment at your nearest hearing centre today and take a step closer to better hearing, and a healthier brain.

Find a hearing centre near you