W.L. came to the Crystal River office on referral from a local Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) physician. When he arrived for his initial consultation, W.L. arrived with his wife. He had indicated that he was not hearing well in group situations, but felt he heard well in other situations (his wife disagreed). Review of his hearing test indicated W.L. had a severe high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. I reviewed and counseled him regarding the hearing loss.
W.L. decided he would like to try the Starkey Ignite 20 Receive-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids. His lifestyle was mostly sedentary and quiet and we agreed that this hearing aid was appropriate to his hearing loss and activity level. W.L. was fit one week later.
Upon initial follow-up W.L. admitted he did not wear the hearing aids often, but that when he did, both he and his wife were noticing that he was hearing better. He was listening to the television on a softer volume and was able to hearing his wife from across the room. No adjustments were made. At his next follow up, W.L. indicated that he was not seeing enough benefit to justify the expense. He was counseled about habituation and the hearing aids were adjusted. At today’s follow-up appointment, W.L. and his wife enthusiastically reported that he was hearing much better. His wife stated that she did not hear him say “huh” as often since the adjustments were made. W.L. paid for his hearing aids today and was scheduled for a future follow-up appointment.
In the end, with effective counseling and hearing aid adjustments, W.L was able justify the expense of hearing aids; as he saw the positive impact they had in all listening situations. Communication with your audiologist is vital for a positive experience and outcome.
