When you are diagnosed with hearing loss, tinnitus or any similar condition affecting your hearing, an audiologist will take you through the necessary steps to gain back some measure of the hearing you had before. Typically, this will involve being assessed for, and then provided with, a suitable hearing aid.

With the extent of hearing loss having been diagnosed at the assessment, the audiologist will then assist you in being fitted for a hearing aid. This will usually take place approximately two weeks after the initial assessment, and the goal of this process is to match you up with the ideal hearing aid for your needs. 

The role of the audiologist in hearing aid fittings is to ensure that not only do you get the hearing aid that you need, but that it is correctly fitted to your ear in order that you get the best results from the device.

What the audiologist needs to know before fitting a hearing aid

A series of tests should have provided the audiologist with the information they need to understand what level of amplification the device needs. They will test different sounds at different pitches, and find out what is the softest sound you can hear as well as the loudest sound that is comfortable for you to be subjected to. This will help them find the right settings for the hearing aid to work as it should. 

They will discuss with you what you need from the device, what kind of settings you will be using it in and guide you in choosing a device that is right for you. They will likely also take molds of your ear in order to ensure that the hearing aid fits snugly in the ear once it is delivered.

What role does the audiologist play at hearing aid fittings?

When you are called in for a hearing aid fitting, your audiologist will run through some procedures to make sure that the hearing aid provides the appropriate level of amplification and does not cause you any discomfort. Part of this process will involve taking what are called real ear measures. A thin tube, connected to a microphone, will be placed in your ear canal and the audiologist will play sounds to gauge how loudly they are heard in your ear. 

The audiologist will then insert the hearing aid and play the same sounds again so that they can find levels where you can hear soft sounds, moderately loud noises are clearer and that loud noises are heard loudly without being uncomfortable.

What will happen before you leave the audiologist’s office?

When the sound levels have been correctly adjusted, the audiologist will ensure that the hearing aid has been appropriately molded to fit your ear and will record the relevant data so that they can make any necessary adjustments. You will then be shown how to adjust the hearing aids yourself, as well as how to clean and store them and how to replace the batteries. You will be given a chance to practice these procedures before you leave with your new hearing aids fitted, intact and working as they should.