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Services
& Exam Equipment
Examination
& Diagnosis
"Dedicated
to improving your ability to communicate"
1.Our
Professional Staff will perform a thorough, diagnostic, state-of-the-art
hearing evaluation. This is the first step in helping your hearing
problems. Each area of the auditory pathway is evaluated through
a complete battery of tests. The testing procedures are as follows:
-
Video
Otoscopy
examines the ear canal and eardrum using
a television monitor.
-
Tympanometry
air pressure is changed in the ear canal to check mobility of
the eardrum and rule out abnormalities of the middle ear.
-
Acoustic Reflex Threshold Testing
checks the integrity of the auditory nerve and a branch of the
facial nerve by presenting a high intensity stimulus and measuring
contraction of the stapedius muscle.
-
Your Hearing Evaluation and Consultation
will be performed in ANSI certified sound rooms and will take
30 to 45 minutes if preceding tests are satisfactory.
- Pure
Tone Testing
requires the
patient to indicate when they hear a tone. The lowest decibel
level at which the patient responds 50% of the time is called
threshold which is measured at a number of frequencies using air conduction
and bone conduction.
- Air
Conduction Testing
presents
a pure tone signal to measure the transmission from the outer
through middle and inner ear utilizing insert earphones.
- Bone
Conduction Testing
utilizes
a bone oscillator placed on the mastoid by the ear which vibrates
the skull and stimulates the inner ear, bypassing the outer and
middle ear. These measurements are compared to indicate the type,
severity and degree of impairment.
- Speech
Audiometry
is
important to determine the speech threshold, most comfortable
and loudness discomfort listening levels and word recognition.
These tests provide the data to determine the ability to function
with the properly fit amplification.
2.
If your results suggest a medical problem, we will refer you to
your physician for treatment. Your physician will refer you back
to our office for further testing and the fitting of your hearing
instruments upon medical clearance.
3. Provided your hearing loss
can be helped with hearing instruments, we will discuss the different
types available and help you choose the best system for your hearing
loss and life style.
4. We'll make a custom impression
of your ear. This form will allow the lab to custom-design the
shell
and to select the proper style and circuitry to assure maximum
benefit of your new hearing instrument. This takes about 10 minutes.
5.
Your custom-made hearing instruments will be ready in approximately
10 working days, or less.
6.
Occasionally further testing is required to determine the cause of a hearing
loss. Otoacoustic Emissions stimulates the cochlea by sending tonal
stimuli into the ear. The probe then listens for an echo emitted
by the vibration of outer hair cells within the cochlea to check
integrity.
7.
Additional testing may include Auditory Brainstem Response evaluation.
This test is performed to check auditory nerve functions. In this
evaluation electrodes are placed on the forehead and ears of the
patient. Small insert earphones are placed within the patients'
ear and stimuli emitted. The electrical impulse from the cochlea
into the brain is then measured to check for breakdowns in the auditory
pathway.
- When you
receive your hearing instruments, we perform Real Ear Measurements.
During this test, a probe microphone is placed in the ear canal
and a measurement is taken with the ear canal open. The hearing
instrument is then inserted into your ear and performance is verified
at several levels - average, soft, and loud sounds to check for
proper fit and optimum performance. You will then receive instructions
on the use and care of the hearing instruments.
- After we
dispense your new hearing instruments, we'll schedule follow-up
visits for you. Using advanced evaluation procedures, we'll fine-tune
your hearing instruments for the best possible performance.
- Familiar
voices are important sounds required to fine-tune your new hearing
instruments. Always bring a family member or friend with you for
your post-fitting appointments.
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Aural
Rehabilitation
Your
initial fitting appointment marks the beginning of the aural rehabilitation
process. A hearing instrument is a prosthetic device. It takes the
body and mind time to adapt to this device. Together with your hearing
healthcare provider, you will explore and implement strategies that
will make the hearing instrument a part of your daily life.
Hearing professionals
provide services for hearing impaired individuals. The hearing
impaired
are at a disadvantage when it comes to communication. Audiologists,
Audioprosthologists, Hearing Healthcare Practitioners (HHP)
and Hearing Instrument Specialists counsel these
individuals on ways to cope with hearing loss on a daily basis
by improving communication skills as well as teaching speech
reading,
auditory training and the fitting of amplification and other assistive
listening devices.
The hearing
health care providers role in rehabilitation of an individual begins
with a thorough audiological evaluation to determine the severity
of the hearing loss and how much residual hearing the person has.
We must know the daily communication needs of the individual when
selecting proper amplification and understand the psychosocial implications
of that individual's hearing loss.
Amplification
and/or assistive listening devices usually play a very important
role in rehabilitation. The purpose of hearing instruments is to
provide the wearer with sounds that his or her own ears are not
able to do sufficiently.
Family and
friends should be included in the rehabilitation process. They
must understand
the difficulties the hearing impaired individual has so that they
may tailor their communication strategies for success. A professional
staff member will teach these strategies and help establish long-term
goals for successful communication.
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8.
Balance testing at Triplet Hearing & Balance Centers begins
with a complete diagnostic hearing evaluation at the first visit
followed by an ABR at the second visit (procedures outlined above).
The third visit consists of:
Posturography
Screening: Part of your balance system involves
the information the brain receives from the muscles and joints
of the body. This procedure involves standing on a platform
that records shifts in body sway as you maintain balance
first on a solid surface and then a perturbed surface both
with eyes open and then closed. Finally your Limits of Stability
are tested as you are asked to remain flatfooted and move
your torso in various directions. (A safety harness is worn
to prevent falling during the test.) This procedure gives
us information about how well balance is maintained during
challenging conditions and assists in treatment design.
Videonystagmography
(VNG): The eye is the doorway to the vestibular
system. VNG is a procedure to assess the health of the pathway
between your eyes and the inner ears. Using infrared goggles
we will measure the response of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex.
During the test, eye movements will be recorded while you
follow lights, lay in different positions, and while warm
and cool air are introduced into each ear canal. This procedure
may last 60-90 minutes.
Following these
three visits the patient will be scheduled for a consultation.
In the meantime, our professionals will analyze the data and
consult with our medical director. At the consultation we will
go over the test results and recommendations.
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Tips
for Success
- Helpful
Hearing Expectations
- I
have just begun the process of adjusting to my hearing loss and
the use of hearing instruments.
- My
own voice will sound different when I am wearing my hearing instruments.
- I
will have a new awareness of footsteps, door closings, newspaper
rustling and so forth.
- Listening
when background noise is present still may be challenging.
- I
will not know the questions to ask until I have used my new
hearing instrument for at least a few days.
- My
hearing instruments are only part of the hearing rehabilitation
services my Hearing Healthcare Professional supplies.
- I
will benefit most from amplification if I use speech reading and
positive listening strategies along with it (e.g. I should not
judge the effectiveness of hearing instruments by asking people
to cover their mouth when they speak).
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- Relearn the
trick of concentration. Pay attention. Really listen.
- Avoid pretending
what was said. It will only confuse things later.
- Do not be
hesitant to ask people to repeat or speak slower and louder.
Inform speakers you have a hearing impairment and suggest what
they can do to help you hear better.
- Remind people
to speak directly to you and to look at you when they speak.
- Carefully
watch speakers; pay attention to the lips, facial expressions,
gestures and body language.
- Position
yourselves to take advantage of good lighting. Have light come
from behind you.
- Rearrange
your position if you find there is a glare on the speaker's face.
This will assist you in using nonverbal clues.
- Try to limit
the number of people you speak to at one time. One-to-one conversations
are easier than group conversations.
- Realize that
hearing in noisy places is a problem for all listeners. At parties,
meetings, theater, movies, and church, practice will help you
learn to separate speech from background noise to some degree.
- Recommend
the use of public address systems at meetings or at church when
they are available.
- Try to arrive
early at large group functions so that you can have the option
of sitting close to the speaker(s); position yourself in the best
situation to hear, as well as see.
- Use the "T-switch"
and place the telephone receiver close to the hearing aid when
listening over the telephone.
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- Make
it a habit to watch the speaker even if listening is not difficult.
It is good to get in the habit of paying attention.
- Do
not interrupt the speaker before he/she finishes a sentence. You
may not understand the beginning, but you may catch the end.
- When
you miss something that was said, ask that it be repeated or rephrased.
- Summarize
what you did hear, so the communication partner knows what to
fill in.
- Learn
the topic being discussed. When you know what someone is talking about,
it is easier to follow the conversation.
- Learn
to look for ideas rather than isolated words.
- Keep alert
for "key words" in sentences in order to follow ideas.
- Use clues
from the situation to help get meanings. The idea is often
spelled
out by the actual situation, and you may be able to anticipate
words or phrases that will be used.
- Don't be
afraid to guess, using situational and contextual clues.
- Discuss
with friends topics in which you share an interest, making for
easier understanding.
- Keep up
with current events via newspaper and TV to recognize key words,
names, etc.
- Ask family
members to keep you informed about local and neighborhood happenings.
- Keep a sense
of humor.
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Premium
Warranty
The
following services are included in the purchase of your hearing
instruments as long as your hearing instruments are under warranty:
- Quarterly
cleanings and adjustments.
- Annual audiometric
evaluation.
- First year
loss and damage insurance included (up to 3 years available with
the Optional AHCP Program, a deductible applies in year two &
three).
- First year
warranty included (up to 3 years with the Optional AHCP Program*).
- Optional
Extended Warranties with loss and damage replacement are available
- which also include office visit fees.
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*Optional
AHCP Quality Assurance Plan
Triplet Hearing & Balance Centers® offers the AHCP Quality Assurance benefit plan (which
includes a three (3) year factory warranty, loss & damage coverage,
annual hearing testing and post dispensing fees) on the majority
of hearing instruments dispensed.
Nu-Sound
Hearing Aid Economy Warranty
The
following services are included in the purchase of your hearing
instruments as long as your hearing instruments are under warranty:
- First year
warranty included
- Includes
testing & dispensing
- Follow
up appointments for one year
- Additional
follow up appointments available for a nominal fee
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