Ask the Audiologist webinar

Hi Tony.... That is true and yes very frustrating. Take a look at Barb's suggestion that I and some others offer to go in and speak to the doctors. That makes more sense because we are the ones who deal with issues personally. I don't know why I was thinking that my audiologist and ENT doctor should train others when there is so much that they don't understand or think about themselves. Thanks for responding. Judy

Let's get the conversation started. What kinds of questions are good to ask an audiologist when you go for an appointment? What would you recommend to someone who is going to an audiologist for the first time?

The Ida Institute (a non-profit organisation committed to advancing person centred hearing care) has some fantastic tools to help you prepare for your appointments, and these tools have also been embedded on the HLAA website. It helps you to think in more detail about who you communicate with, where it is important for you to communicate, what your main priorities are, and any questions that you would like answered by your hearing care professional. You can complete it all online from home, and then either email it to you audiologist/docter, or print it and take it along to your appointment. You can access it from the HLAA website, the Ida Institute website, or the Ida app. It would be amazing to hear about your experiences with these on this forum!
1. https://www.hearingloss.org/hearing-help/hearing-loss-basics/ida-telecare-tools/
2. https://idainstitute.com/tools/telecare/prepare_for_your_first_appointment

@judyca7 @barbb HLAA chapters do reach out to ENT's and audiologists. We contact them to be guest speakers at our meetings. Attendees can ask them questions. If these speakers do not know about HLAA before they present, they certainly know about us afterwards. So many people do not know about HLAA. I so appreciate the staff at Mayo Clinic for the great moderation and for the opportunity for us to help spread the word.
Tony in Michigan

Saw my audi yesterday. Took my list of questions and she wrote out answers. Asked about possibility of setting up a staff meeting after Christmas where 3 or 4 patients could come in and talk to staff about how better to help us. She said this type of thing has been under discussion for over a year and was planned but because of the virus is on hold. Kaiser does not want any training at all scheduled right now..... rooms too small, don't want gatherings, etc.
Also asked her about electronic devices compatible with my aids that might help. She showed me a remote mike that the person I am speaking with can clip on and their voice goes directly into my aids. She programed it to my aids, walked to the other side of the room, turned her back and spoke to me. I'll be darned, I could hear her.... not well of course but I understood the words. So I have ordered one of those.
So why didn't she tell me about this a few months ago? I don't know enough about the options to know what to ask. But I am learning from all of you on this site and that's great!
My hearing is now almost totally gone. Much significant loss since last test in September. Now I am being referred to the Choclear Implant Department for evualuation. We'll see where that goes. I am still hopeful. Thanks for listening.... Judy

Saw my audi yesterday. Took my list of questions and she wrote out answers. Asked about possibility of setting up a staff meeting after Christmas where 3 or 4 patients could come in and talk to staff about how better to help us. She said this type of thing has been under discussion for over a year and was planned but because of the virus is on hold. Kaiser does not want any training at all scheduled right now..... rooms too small, don't want gatherings, etc.
Also asked her about electronic devices compatible with my aids that might help. She showed me a remote mike that the person I am speaking with can clip on and their voice goes directly into my aids. She programed it to my aids, walked to the other side of the room, turned her back and spoke to me. I'll be darned, I could hear her.... not well of course but I understood the words. So I have ordered one of those.
So why didn't she tell me about this a few months ago? I don't know enough about the options to know what to ask. But I am learning from all of you on this site and that's great!
My hearing is now almost totally gone. Much significant loss since last test in September. Now I am being referred to the Choclear Implant Department for evualuation. We'll see where that goes. I am still hopeful. Thanks for listening.... Judy

@ken82 My former audiologist mentioned to me that "...we are doing this to ourselves" when I asked about the OTC hearing aids that will soon be flooding the market. Audiologists did not support the OTC bill when it was first introduced. It's not easy to research hearing aids from the manufacturers websites. There's very little information. I've always wanted to see an MSRP (manufacturers suggested retail price) but that may limit the amount of money that a hearing health care professional could charge for a device. Most people do not research hearing aids and rely on the audiologist for their expertise. I get frustrated when I hear another horror story. Despite the negativity, there are a lot of reputable hearing health care professionals out there. The OTC's are only targeted to people with mild to moderate loss but may benefit people with more profound loss, which I have. I hope that this will bring the cost of professionally fitted hearing aids down. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Tony in Michigan

I'll be interested to hear how you like the remote mike when you get it. Also, which one did you order? As I've said before, my cochlear implant was a miracle for me. Not perfect, but so very much better. We are lucky to living in times when these incredible solutions exist. When my hearing loss was diagnosed in 1963, I was told that there would NEVER be any help for my progressive hearing loss. I was a college junior then. It bothers me that people we trust with our hearing issues don't always share this kind of information with us.

Saw my audi yesterday. Took my list of questions and she wrote out answers. Asked about possibility of setting up a staff meeting after Christmas where 3 or 4 patients could come in and talk to staff about how better to help us. She said this type of thing has been under discussion for over a year and was planned but because of the virus is on hold. Kaiser does not want any training at all scheduled right now..... rooms too small, don't want gatherings, etc.
Also asked her about electronic devices compatible with my aids that might help. She showed me a remote mike that the person I am speaking with can clip on and their voice goes directly into my aids. She programed it to my aids, walked to the other side of the room, turned her back and spoke to me. I'll be darned, I could hear her.... not well of course but I understood the words. So I have ordered one of those.
So why didn't she tell me about this a few months ago? I don't know enough about the options to know what to ask. But I am learning from all of you on this site and that's great!
My hearing is now almost totally gone. Much significant loss since last test in September. Now I am being referred to the Choclear Implant Department for evualuation. We'll see where that goes. I am still hopeful. Thanks for listening.... Judy

In 1980 while in Oklahoma City..Dr. Hough said that I was a candidate for a CI..but insurance would not cover it ..my left ear was profoundly deaf. But I could cope with the analog HA. I still do not have a CI He was a pioneer.