What Does a Hearing Instrument Specialist Do?

If you have noticed an issue with your hearing you might need to book an appointment with a hearing instrument specialist. A HIS is a highly trained and qualified individual who can help make sure that you get the hearing technology that matches your needs. However, their role goes far beyond simply providing you the hearing aids that you need. As you are about to discover, when you have a hearing issue, this specialist provides a crucial service. Let’s look at the different aspects of the support they provide and how it will impact you.

Checks your hearing

When you notice an issue with your hearing, the next step is to find out how much it has been affected. You need to discover the level of your hearing loss. Hearing loss is typically divided into mild, moderate and severe. Mild hearing loss is enough to be noticed but it probably won’t be having a massive impact on your quality of life. The issue here is that even minor hearing loss can slowly but surely develop into a much larger problem. Ultimately, you can find yourself struggling to hear people talking, the sound from the TV or any other tech device. It might even impact your ability to socialize. So, it is important to get your hearing tested as soon as you notice an issue.

Running a hearing test, a HIS can determine how effectively your ear is picking up sound and also discover whether you have lost the ability to hear certain pitches. This is common with hearing loss but it will only be picked up in a professional hearing test.

Once a hearing test is completed, a hearing instrument specialist will be able to provide expert advice on the tech that you need. This could be anything from an in the ear hearing aid to a device that fits behind your ear. The style or design recommended will largely be determined by your level of hearing loss. For instance, in the canal hearing aids will only be suitable for those suffering from minor levels of hearing difficulty and a HIS will certainly inform you of this.

Handles your hearing aid fitting

A HIS can supply you with the hearing aid tech you need and also make sure that your hearing aid fitting is handled by an expert. Getting a hearing aid fitting will begin with a mold of your ear. This will be essential particularly if you are getting in the ear hearing aids. We’re all different and that’s also true for the shape of our ears. The shape of your ear won’t match someone else and this means that a hearing aid needs to be designed specifically for you. A HIS can handle this for you and a mold will usually be completed as soon as you decide that you want hearing aids and have chosen a design.

Remember, a HIS is the ultimate expert on hearing aids and compatible technology. It’s important to ask their device on not just the design but the level of tech that might be available as well. The days have long since passed when hearing aids were simple pieces of tech. They are now quite complex devices.

Use and maintenance

During a hearing aid fitting, a HIS will provide expert support and advice on how to use and manage your hearing aids effectively. They will go through a range of important steps including how to put them in and take them out the right way. Failing to put hearing aids in the right way can damage them or cause them to feel uncomfortable.

As well as this, a hearing instrument specialist will also set up your devices for you as well. Modern hearing aids have memory settings. This means that they can store different programs for everything from volume to noise reduction and pitch. A HIS will set up one or multiple programs that you will be able to use and that could provide a great benefit in your life. They will make sure that you know how to switch between these settings and get the most support from your device.

Once these have been set up, the HIS will test your hearing once again to make sure that the settings are correct for you.

Are you in need of a hearing test to determine what hearing aids are right for you? Contact The Hearing House today for more information and advice on booking an appointment by calling (715) 384-4700.