Finding The Right Audiologist Is Imperative

By Author: Lynn O'Bray-Donohue
Total Articles: 4
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Do you believe that you or someone you love is dealing with a loss of hearing? Are you currently wearing hearing aids? Did you move into a different area and away from your audiologist? It can be quite a challenge to find the perfect audiologist for your needs. Audiologists are an integral part of the team that works with you to help improve upon your overall health. It is imperative that you take the time to find a medical care provider that you feel comfortable with and you know you can trust. The same rule applies to your audiologist.

Start with asking your health care provider for their recommendations. Their office will normally have a list complied to help you out in that regard. Contact the local insurance company to obtain information as to who is on your plan. Determine whether you need to get a referral from your healthcare provider before you make your first appointment.

Ask your friends and family members for their recommendation. Going by another person’s word of mouth can be one of the best ways to find a provider. Support groups focus entirely on those who live daily with a loss of hearing or total ...
... deafness. Often you will find a lot of information from the other members and administrators.

If you find that asking others in the area is not getting you any further in your search for an audiologist, you might want to start searching through the yellow pages. Check into the medical section of your newspaper and see what advertisements are in there. Perform an Internet search and see what you can find for audiologists near you.

As soon as you have a list of potential audiologists, it is time to start making the phone calls to them. The doctor works for you, so you should feel comfortable conducting an interview over the phone before you decide to hire them as your audiologist or not. You can tell quite a lot about their office practice in the manner of which their receptionist handles your call to their office. There should not be any issues when it comes to answering your questions and undergoing a consultation with them if you want to do so. They should be open to providing you with testimonials or references from some of their current patients.

You are obviously going to want to get their credentials up front. If the staff is courteous and the clients are happy, you know you are making a smart decision. Having an office that offers convenient hours and located central to your home or office is critical. It is imperative that you find out how long it will take to get your appointment and the average length of time you will spend waiting to be seen upon arriving at your appointment.

On the market, there are literally dozens of hearing aids available for purchase. Take the time and perform some research to evaluate all of your options. It is imperative that you find an audiologist who is going to provide you with all of the makes and models that are going to be the most beneficial for your individual circumstances. Finding a provider who sells all of the supplies and accessories you need for proper care and maintenance of your hearing aids is just an added benefit. Having the ability to purchase everything you need all in one convenient location is extremely beneficial for anyone’s situation.

Dr. Lynn O'Bray-Donohue is a N.Y.S Licensed Audiologist and Hearing Aid Dispenser, and has been providing Audiologic Care at East End Hearing since 1987. She has been co-owner of East End Hearing, with her partner Dr. Michael Qualley, since 1991. She is often invited by civic organizations to speak on behalf of hearing loss and hearing aids.
On a personal note, Dr. O'Bray-Donohue spends her free time reading, traveling and relaxing with her family. She lives in the local community with her husband and daughter.