What To Expect At Your First Visit

Your Experience Matters To Us

At Harbor Hearing, we treat each patient like a member of our own family. Our comprehensive hearing evaluations utilize a series of tests to accurately diagnose and treat your symptoms; we’ll take the time to thoroughly explain the details of your appointment. We always try to offer a variety of solutions to empower our patients to make the treatment choices that best meet their needs. Having an in-person evaluation is crucial to make a proper diagnosis but if you still aren’t sure about coming in, you can also take our quick one-minute online hearing test now!

Before Your First Appointment

It’s normal to experience a bit of nerves before visiting a healthcare professional for the first time, so at Harbor Hearing it’s our goal to make your visit as relaxed and comfortable as possible. Your first appointment with us is an important opportunity for us to get to know your needs, concerns, and hopes for long-term results. Prior to seeing one of our specialists, we’ll need:

  • A complete new patient intake form (i.e. personal information on any injuries, trauma, or exposure to loud noises in your history)
  • An overview of your medical history, including any medications you may be currently taking

You’re encouraged to bring a loved one to your hearing evaluation with you. Hearing loss affects more than just the patient, and we’re happy to answer any questions that you or your family may have. Having support from a friend, partner, or family member can also be helpful as you choose the best treatment option for your needs.

Hearing Consultation: Reviewing Your Needs

We begin your hearing evaluation by getting to know you and your concerns. Together, we’ll review your information and discuss the challenges you’re experiencing.

We will discuss:

  • Your history (medical and any experiences that are relevant to your hearing health)
  • Current symptoms
  • Unique hearing needs for your lifestyle

All these factors help us determine the cause of, and solution for, any hearing issues we may uncover.

During the Hearing Evaluation

A comprehensive visit at Harbor Hearing typically takes about 60 minutes.

We start by checking the inside of your ears to ensure they are clear and healthy. Any ear wax blockage or abnormalities could be contributing factors to your hearing impairment, so it’s helpful for our professionals to rule out these possibilities before beginning your hearing test.

Hearing Test

We’re proud to offer our patients the latest technology for your hearing test at Harbor Hearing. We’ll put on a pair of specialized ear inserts on you and we will play a variety of sounds that range in frequency and volume. By indicating each time, you hear a sound emitted, it allows us to better understand which tones you can clearly hear and which ones you cannot. Since hearing loss presents itself in a variety of ways, this information will paint an overall picture of the best types of treatment for your specific needs.

The hearing evaluation may include the following tests:

  • Air conduction and bone conduction testing
  • Speech testing
  • Speech in noise testing
  • Sound Field testing
  • Tympanometry or acoustic immittance testing

Reviewing Your Results

After completing a series of tests, our doctor will sit down with you and discuss your results. You can feel confident that each element of your hearing loss will be explained in detail, as your understanding of this information will largely impact the hearing loss treatment plan that you select. Details including the type and degree of your hearing loss will be clearly explained and you’ll have an idea of how often you may be missing the sounds around you.

If a hearing aid is recommended, we’ll examine the wide range of options available.

When making a recommendation for a hearing aid, we always consider three main factors:

Our job is to inform and guide you but never to make a choice for you. Meeting your individual needs and priorities is our mission at Harbor Hearing and it’s why we take the time to get to know you and your hearing concerns.

After Your Visit

Most patients find success by taking a slow and steady approach to wearing their devices, and slowly increase the amount of time they wear them each day. Our team is available, and we welcome all questions as you get used to your devices. We recommend follow-up visits as well as regular maintenance for your hearing aids to achieve the best results possible. Click here to learn more about our fitting process. Wearing hearing aids can sometimes come with a bit of a learning curve, but it’s our goal at Harbor Hearing to provide support every step of the way.

The first time you insert your new devices, you may notice that things seem a bit different than what you expected.

The process of adjusting to your hearing aids can take some time, but rest assured that at Harbor Hearing, we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Remember to be patient and diligent with your new devices, and keep in mind that our experts are only a phone call away!

Our team will work with you during your hearing aid fitting to adjust your devices in such a way that enhances your specific daily activities.

Even though they possess incredibly advanced components, today’s hearing aids are not “plug and play” like many other electronics on the market. Once you step foot outside of our office, the acclimation process begins! Keep in mind that it may take your brain some time to relearn how to process the sounds you were missing, and although things may seem odd at first, you will slowly adjust to this new way of hearing.

Some of our patients prefer to gradually wear their hearing aids for longer periods of time each day, as this gentle acclimation is easier for them to work with.

Others jump right in and want to wear their devices full-time in order to get the most out of their new purchase. No matter which option feels right for you, the team at Harbor Hearing will always be here to answer your questions. You may find that in certain situations you aren’t hearing quite as well as you would like, and it’s important for you to let us know so that we can fine-tune your devices accordingly.

Follow-up visits are a key component to your success, and our open-door policy offers you the ability to come in and visit us for a quick tune-up or a detailed adjustment whenever needed.

You can expect our staff to check in with you during the first few weeks after you have received your hearing aids and we recommend visiting our office regularly for routine care.

Hearing evaluations are the first step toward hearing well.

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