Member Voices

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ป๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—บ

The questions matter more than the technology.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ป๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—บ... Sometimes, it is a questioning problem.

Before anyone talks about brands, styles, features, rechargeable batteries, Bluetooth, or price, the conversation should start with the patient's real life.

Because hearing aids are not chosen based solely on an audiogram.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป.

The best recommendations come from understanding how someone lives, communicates, struggles, works, connects, and hopes to feel again.

Here are some of the questions every patient should be asked before deciding which hearing aids may be the right fit:

Where do you struggle the most: restaurants, meetings, watching TV, phone calls, family conversations, church, work, or group settings?

Who are you most afraid of missing in conversation?

What does a "successful" hearing aid outcome actually look like to you?

Have you worn hearing aids before? If so, what worked, what frustrated you, and why did you stop wearing them?

How comfortable are you with technology, apps, Bluetooth, streaming, and making adjustments from your phone?

Do you have any dexterity, vision, memory, or comfort concerns that could affect daily use?

How important are invisibility or cosmetic discretion compared with performance?

What environments are part of your normal weekโ€”not just your best-case week?

Do you want the most automatic experience possible, or would you prefer having manual control?

Who else should be part of the conversation to help ensure realistic expectations at home?

There are dozens more.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—น ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต. It should feel like someone finally understood what the patient is trying to get back.

Hearing care professionals: What question do you always ask before recommending hearing aids?

Patients and families: What question do you wish someone had asked you sooner?

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About the Author Cara Fiske Regional Director | Executive Leadership | Entrepreneur | Small Business Owner, SoundSense by Legacy

Most people enter hearing care through technology. Cara Fiske entered through consequence. Long before hearing healthcare became her profession, Cara had witnessed what untreated hearing loss could gradually take from a person and a family: conversations, confidence, connection, independence, and access to the moments that make life meaningful. A family history of dementia and Alzheimerโ€™s, frequently accompanied byโ€ฆ

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