Understanding the Role of a Hearing Specialist in Hearing Loss Management

Have you heard the term hearing instrument specialist (HIS) before? If not, you might be wondering what it is that they do, and how they work with people who are experiencing hearing loss. A HIS can perform a number of different tasks and is generally a massive part of the hearing loss community, helping patients to live their best life. They will help you find treatment that is personalized to your exact needs.

Administer and Interpret Hearing Tests

One of the things that a HIS can do is administer and interpret hearing tests. Now, what you might not know is that there are a range of types of hearing tests that check for different aspects of your hearing. A HIS should be able to administer and interpret all of these, explaining to you what is going on with your hearing, and what each of the tests mean. Your hearing instrument specialist may administer a pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry or a tympanometry. After these tests, they will discuss the results, determining the severity of your loss and which treatment will be suitable for your needs, whether it be hearing aids or counseling for your hearing loss.

Working with Hearing Aids

A hearing instrument specialist works with hearing aids, the devices that are commonly used to treat certain levels of hearing loss. While hearing loss does not have cure, hearing aids serve as valuable tools in managing it and preventing further loss from happening. A hearing instrument specialist collaborates closely with patients. Their role involves recommending the most suitable hearing aid options tailored to the specific type of hearing loss an individual is experiencing.

There are many different types of hearing aids, and some are more suited to certain types of hearing loss than others. The three main styles of hearing aids are in the ear (ITE), behind the ear (BTE) and in the canal (ITC). Your HIS will be there to offer you advice and support when choosing the correct device. Not only this but they can then fit the device either into your ear or on your ear, depending on which style you have chosen.

It might be the case that later down the line as your level of hearing loss changes you need some changes made to your treatment. For example, the type of hearing aid that may have worked for you then might no longer be the best fit, and your HIS can advise here.

Recommending Treatment for Hearing Loss

A HIS will also be able to offer treatment options for your hearing loss outside of hearing aids. As we have already said, there is no cure for hearing loss, so all of the treatment options are going to be focused on relieving the symptoms as much as they can and making you comfortable. Your HIS will have a lot of knowledge surrounding this matter, so they will be able to provide you with information on what you can do to manage your hearing loss.

Some of this advice might include lifestyle changes, avoiding any excessively loud noises and other things like this. If your HIS suspects that there is an underlying cause for your hearing loss, then they may complete more hearing tests, to find out the underlying causes. If it turns out there was an underlying cause, your hearing instrument specialist can recommend treatments to manage the related condition along with your hearing loss, to lessen the symptoms.

Repairing Damaged Devices

A Hearing Instrument Specialist (HIS) possesses the skill to repair damaged devices, although there are limitations. Unfortunately, irreparably damaged as well as those with manufacturing faults, fall outside the scope and will have to be sent back to the manufacture for repairs. However, for general issues, a HIS can adeptly address and resolve them. Drawing on their expertise in the field, they may even handle more intricate repairs, avoiding the need to send the device back to the manufacturer for resolution. If you take your device to a HIS they will be able to conduct an assessment on it, and let you know fairly quickly if they can fix it or if it needs replacing.

Get in touch with us today here at Armand’s Hearing Center. Call us today at Bradenton: (941) 357-2054 or Sun City: (813) 990-0335. We are available to you when you need us, helping you to get scheduled with one of our hearing instrument specialists as soon as possible.