As an audiologist, I see many patients who have been to other clinics in the area and their hearing aids are not fitting properly or are not adjusted correctly to meet their listening needs.
When it comes to hearing aids, it’s not about the actual device; it’s about the care you receive from a trained professional who can match that device to your everyday needs. According to leading consumer research, two-thirds of hearing aids are improperly fit. Why? Because hearing devices by themselves are not a solution. The ability and expertise of your doctor to integrate your devices into your lifestyle is essential to achieving better hearing.
As an Audigy Certified professional, I believe in training programs to keep up to date with the latest in technology, and have the expertise to help the technology meet your individual listening lifestyle. Through exclusive diagnostic and fitting tools, like e-Patient and the AGX fitting system, we provide you with a level of care no one else can match.
Bringing a companion to your consultation and fitting appointments allows the family member to be involved in the process, and allows your audiologist to hear their concerns for your hearing care. During these appointments, a lot of information is given, and it helps to have a second set of ears listening in to absorb it. We also can show your loved one through a hearing loss simulator, what a person with your specific hearing loss experiences on a daily basis. During the new hearing aid fitting appointment, we can use the companion’s voice, mapped out on the computer, to make sure your prescription is able to hear and understand them specifically using a program called Live Speech Mapping (LSM).
Live Speech Mapping allows for a very accurate fit, based on the patient’s ear canal characteristics as well as their hearing loss. The process of LSM is simple and painless for the patient. Use of LSM also allows the patient and their loved one to see each pitch as the hearing aid is adjusted. It also helps the audiologist explain and demonstrate how each adjustment can enhance or detract from the patient’s ability to hear speech. This can be done with recorded speech signals or even the voice of the loved one!
Live Speech Mapping is an exciting breakthrough in hearing aid fitting technology. Using LSM truly separates the practices that are committed to total patient satisfaction from all the rest. Be aware, not all clinics use LSM. In most cases, the manufacturer’s “best fit” is a far cry from the most accurate fit. The only way to know for sure what a patient is hearing is to measure.
If you are experiencing difficulties with your current devices or have never had a hearing test before, contact us today to experience better hearing firsthand!
By: Dana Luzon Coveney, Au.D, FAAA
Board Certified Doctor of Audiology
Contributions by: Linda Logan, M.A.