When should I have my hearing tested?
How do I know when a friend/family member needs to have their hearing tested?
How can I help a loved one with hearing loss?
Do I need a doctor’s referral to schedule an appointment?
What should I expect at my first appointment?
What is the cost of hearing aids?
What are your payment and financing options?
Do you deal with private insurance companies?
How long do hearing aids last?
What is tinnitus and what treatments are available?
When should I have my hearing tested?
We all get our teeth and eyes checked regularly; having our hearing tested is just as important for our overall health! Even if you have no concerns about your hearing, determining a baseline early on will provide important information for the future should any changes occur.
It is even more important to have your hearing tested if you or someone close to you have concerns about how you have been hearing, you have worked around noise, or there is a history of hearing loss in your family. There are many signs of hearing loss to be on the lookout for, including:
- Hearing speech, but experiencing difficulty understanding what is being said
- Increasing difficulty listening in groups or in the presence of background noise
- Asking people to repeat themselves frequently
- Other people telling you that your TV or radio are turned up too loud
- Difficulty identifying where a sound is coming from
- Experiencing ringing, buzzing or any other noise in your ears
When coming in for your hearing test, we always recommend bringing a close friend or family member so you can get the most out of your visit. They will be able to help your hearing care professional learn about your listening needs and abilities, help you gather and remember new information, and of course provide support in sharing this experience.
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How do I know when a friend/family member needs to have their hearing tested?
Hearing loss can affect anyone and usually starts gradually; therefore, it is often not the individual themselves who first becomes aware of it, but rather those closest to them. There are many signs that may help you identify whether a loved one is experiencing a hearing loss, including:
- More frequent need for repetitions and/or complaints that others are mumbling
- Failure to respond to noises and voices behind them
- Increased TV and radio volume
- Inappropriate or a lack of reaction to what is being said (i.e. saying ‘yes’ when they should say ‘no’, laughing when they should not, bringing up a topic that has just been discussed, etc.)
- Withdrawing from or remaining quiet at social situations that they used to enjoy
- Being tired/exhausted at end of the day or experiencing difficulty remembering what they were told
If you have noticed any of these signs, we recommend offering your support and recommending a hearing test to your loved one. Early intervention for hearing loss will not only avoid future frustration, but may also prevent decline in speech understanding and memory function.
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How can I help a loved one with hearing loss?
Hearing loss affects not only the individual, but also those around them. It is important to let your loved one know that you care about them and support their endeavor to improve their hearing. They may not be aware of the difficulty they are experiencing – it is difficult for them to know what they are missing when they cannot hear it! Recommend that they have their hearing tested and show your support by offering to accompany them. You can also offer to schedule the appointment for them.
In the meantime, there are several strategies to keep in mind when communicating with someone who may be hard of hearing, including:
- Get their attention before you begin to speak and maintain eye contact
- Reduce background noise whenever possible
- Make sure your mouth is not covered or obscured (which includes eating, chewing gum, or smoking)
- Ensure there is ample lighting to avoid shadows and move closer if necessary so your face is clearly visible
- Speak clearly and rephrase rather than repeat – avoid yelling or speaking slowly. By using different words, they may hear new parts they missed previously which will allow them to fill-in-the-blanks and understand the full message
- Ask them if there is anything you can do to help improve the listening situation
Always remember to be patient, positive and supportive!
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Do I need a doctor’s referral to schedule an appointment?
No referral is required to see us, even for a hearing test. Anyone can call or e-mail our clinic directly to schedule an appointment with one of our hearing care professionals.
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What should I expect at my first appointment?
We are so excited that you have decided to have your hearing tested. If this is your first visit, there are a few things you may want to know in preparing for your appointment. We always recommend bringing a close friend or family member so you can get the most out of your visit. They will be able to help your hearing care professional learn about your listening needs and abilities, help you gather and remember new information, and of course provide support in sharing this experience with you.
Typically, a full hearing assessment at Maico Hearing Service will take approximately one to one and a half hours. During this time, you and your hearing care professional will get to know each other. We take the time to learn about your listening abilities and most importantly, find out about your listening and lifestyle needs. After reviewing your health and hearing history, the clinician will visually examine your ear canals and perform the hearing test in a sound proof booth. Once the test has been completed, the clinician will explain the results to you and your loved one, and discuss their professional treatment recommendations.
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Do I need two hearing aids?
Your hearing care professional will determine whether you should be wearing one or two hearing aids based on your ears, hearing, and speech understanding. Their recommendations are always centered around maximizing your hearing success.
Typically, if you have a hearing loss in both ears, two hearing aids will be prescribed. If you have vision loss in both eyes, you would wear glasses instead of a monocle! Your hearing is the same. There are many benefits to wearing two hearing aids, including a richer, more natural sound quality, feeling balanced, better understanding in background noise, and being able to identify where sounds are coming from. Most importantly, true hearing happens in the brain rather than in the ears: the brain requires both ears to send the most accurate information available for processing. When both ears are sharing this work, it is easier to hear and it is not as tiring as if one ear was doing all the work alone. Research has shown that wearing two hearing aids leads to higher user satisfaction than if wearing one alone.
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What is the cost of hearing aids?
When you come to Maico Hearing Service, you are purchasing much more than just hearing aids, you are purchasing a hearing health package. We pride ourselves on patient-centered care from the start, and will build a relationship with you to provide and maintain the best possible hearing experience.
While our services are provided to all of our patients at the same high standard, hearing aids are available in a range of prices that depend on you. Your hearing care professional will review your hearing, listening needs and lifestyle with you to determine the technology that would be best suited for you and your budget.
We offer hearing packages that include devices from a variety of manufacturers so we can provide the best solution for you. The investment typically ranges from approximately $1,300 to $3,300 per ear.
Most people wear their hearing devices during all waking hours, 7 days a week and 52 weeks a year. This means the investment in improving your hearing is comparable to a cup of coffee a day!
If your personal health insurance policy covers hearing aids, we can provide you with all of the information you require for reimbursement. In Newfoundland, there is no sales tax added to medical services or devices.
Please see below if you are interested in learning more about payment or financing options.
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What are your payment and financing options?
We offer a risk-free 30-day trial period for hearing devices. In order to make this process as easy as possible for you, we accept many types of payment, including cash, Visa, Mastercard, cheque, money/bank draft or debit. If after the 30-day trial period you require more time to pay in full, we offer different payment plans to suit your budget needs.
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Do you deal with private insurance companies?
Some insurance companies allow direct billing for hearing aids. If your policy does not allow direct billing, we are happy to provide you with all of the information required for reimbursement. Should your insurance company require a hearing test/prescription from a registered audiologist, all of our clinics can provide this documentation.
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How long do hearing aids last?
Like all modern technology, hearing aids need to be replaced every few years. Generally, the lifespan of a digital hearing aid is four to five years, dependent on several factors (hearing loss, cleaning and care, manufacturers’ ability to repair, etc.) The hearing aid industry advances in research and development at such a rapid pace that after this time, the technology available will be dramatically improved from previous generations. The benefit you will experience from new hearing aids after this time will no doubt have you wanting to jump at the opportunity to hear the best you can, even if your hearing aids are still functioning!
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What is tinnitus and what treatments are available?
Tinnitus describes any noises that are heard in the ears or head that are not external sounds in the environment. It is often described as, but not limited to, ringing, buzzing, clicking, or hissing, and can be constant or occasional.
Maico Hearing Service is the only clinic in Newfoundland and Labrador that specializes in tinnitus treatment, including Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT). Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is known around the world as one of the most effective tinnitus therapies. It includes a combination of tinnitus counselling, sound therapy, and listening exercises. The goal of TRT is to retrain the brain to improve the perception of the tinnitus sound and the effects that it has on an individual’s life. Our clinic has been offering TRT for the past decade, and our trained and experienced clinicians have seen significant success with their patients over this time.
Back to FAQ
When should I have my hearing tested?
How do I know when a friend/family member needs to have their hearing tested?
How can I help a loved one with hearing loss?
Do I need a doctor’s referral to schedule an appointment?
What should I expect at my first appointment?
What is the cost of hearing aids?
What are your payment and financing options?
Do you deal with private insurance companies?