Hidden Hearing Services
At Hidden Hearing our expert clinicians offer a range of leading hearing aid services. They are committed to providing the very best in personalised, innovative and caring hearing services. Our local clinics offer the following services.
Hearing Tests
We offer the latest and most advance hearing solutions to suit all our clients’ hearing needs. Being hearing impaired goes beyond not hearing sounds loudly enough. Hence, we offer many hearing services to find out the state of your hearing health.
The four main problems caused by hearing loss are:
- soft sounds can’t be heard
- key parts of particular speech sounds may not be heard
- sounds are difficult to separate so voices become jumbled with background noise
- a reduced range of hearing may make loud sounds intolerable.
Hearing tests (link to online screener) measure what sounds you can and can’t hear. Our Audiologists use a variety of tests to extensively measure this. The results of a hearing test indicate the degree and type of hearing loss.
The most fundamental test of hearing ability is called pure tone audiometry, where you listen to a range of beeps, called pure tones, and indicate when you can hear them. The loudness of each tone is reduced until you can just hear the tone. The softest sounds you can hear are your hearing thresholds. You can take our Free Online 3 Minute Hearing Test now!
Tympanometry
Tympanometry is not a hearing test, but a test of how well the middle ear system is functioning and how well the eardrum can move. A small rubber tip is placed in the ear and a little air is pumped into the outer ear canal. If there is a problem in the middle ear, it may show up on this test. According to Garvan Institute of Medical Research “hearing loss caused by damage or a blockage to the outer and/or middle ear and can be acquired or congenital. Loss of loudness is the key symptom.” The results of tympanometry can indicate the location of a blockage that is causing the hearing loss and if medical treatment may help.
Speech discrimination tests
The ability to hear speech is a function of the ability to detect the sounds of speech, and the ability to understand speech. The range of audible sounds, not just the degree of hearing loss, can vary considerably from person to person.
Unfortunately, when hearing is damaged it is usually not just the volume or quantity of sound heard that is lost. Often the quality of the sound is also distorted. The amount of distortion can be measured using speech discrimination tests. Poor speech discrimination means that voices are distorted and they are not loud enough.
Hearing instrument prescription, programming and fitting
The hearing instrument process normally comprises three stages:
- Assessment, diagnosis, review and selection of your options
- Our Audiologists will discuss your needs and preferences, and together you will select the most appropriate instrument. Hidden Hearing is independent of hearing aid manufacturers, so the advice and devices we fit are right for you.
- Hearing instrument fitting, fine tuning and verification
- Every hearing instrument needs to be programmed to the specific hearing needs of the wearer. Personal preferences and tolerances need to be taken into account. Verification tests are performed to quantify and validate the improvement.
- Personal training program to help you obtain maximum benefit from your hearing instrument
- The complete process may take several weeks or months. It involves at least three consultations, maybe more, depending on individual needs and previous experience. These consultations are included in the total cost of the hearing instrument.
Hearing instrument repairs for all makes and models
Hidden Hearing offers a battery supply and repair service at all our permanent hearing clinics. Our staff are trained to troubleshoot and identify most problems. Repairs are usually carried out on-the-spot, with the exception of malfunctioning electronic components, in which case the instrument would be returned to the manufacturer for repair.
For clients who cannot come into a clinic, we offer a postal repair and battery supply service.