Treating a
newly diagnosed hearing loss patient can be a tricky process. For Hearing Care
Professionals, no two fittings are ever the same. For patients, the plethora of
information, senses and emotions that come with hearing loss can get
overwhelming and exhausting. At Sonic, it is our mission to improve life
through enhanced hearing. That’s why we are committed to working with our
partners to make Everyday Sounds Better for every Sonic hearing aid wearer. And
while each patient’s hearing needs are different, as a Hearing Care
Professional, there are several ways you can be a valuable source of
information, support and encouragement for those who are newly diagnosed. Here
are five ways to get started:
1. Be
informative. When patients are newly diagnosed with hearing loss,
they’ll want to understand everything about their diagnosis. What caused my
hearing loss? Will it progress? What can I expect now that I know my level of
hearing loss? Which hearing aids should I use? How long is the adjustment
period? These are frequently asked questions that merit personalized,
comprehensive answers. Be a source of information and take the time to counsel
patients as they learn to navigate the life changes that come with hearing loss.
Provide them comfort and confidence — this can be especially helpful as they
prepare to invest in hearing technology.
2. Provide
options. Staying up to date with the latest advances in hearing
instruments is one of the most integral facets to obtaining a product that will
best suit your patients’ needs. As a Hearing Care Professional, you know that
hearing loss is very individualized, considering both type, level of loss, as
well as lifestyle. Whether your patient has mild conductive hearing loss or
severe sensorineural hearing loss, hearing instruments should help support them
in various listening environments. Each of Sonic’s products are built to keep
sound natural and enhance speech understanding in noise. Developed with
sophisticated technology foundations like Speech Variable Processing and
SoundDNA, patients have access to benefits like binaural processing, wireless
connectivity and Tinnitus SoundSupport.
3. Give
assurance. Perhaps one of the greatest comforts Hearing Care
Professionals can provide newly diagnosed patients is the assurance that they
are not alone. While it’s true that 1 in 3 Americans over the age of 65
experience some hearing loss, 1 in 10 of all Americans can have hearing loss in
varying degrees. It can occur at any age for any number of reasons. Any
information, examples, support groups or opportunities for patients to connect
with others that you can provide will help them feel empowered. Provide
resources for your patients both in and outside your practice, so they can
learn more and engage with the hearing loss community.
4. Encourage communication. Let
your patients know they should always be vocal with friends, family and
coworkers about their hearing loss — trying to hide it will only make things
more difficult for every party involved. Communication is a two-way process,
and each party involved has a role and responsibility to be expressive. Provide
communication strategies that both the listener and the communicator can
utilize in everyday conversation, such as listening with the eyes, not just the
ears or verifying that messages in conversation were heard correctly.
5. Emphasize patience. Living with
hearing loss is not easy and adjusting to new hearing instruments can be
exhausting! Patience is an incredibly valuable recommendation to give any
individual living with hearing loss. By gradually committing to wearing hearing
aids every day, the auditory fatigue many patients experience can decrease.
It’s also vital to encourage patients to keep a sense of humor and go easy on
themselves — getting used to any change in life will always take time.
Just as our
partners value their patient relationships, at Sonic, it is our priority to be
a valuable resource for our clinic partners. With a never-ending mission to
improve life through enhanced hearing, we are always here for support — from
fitting support to our hotline, E-learnings, trainings and more. If you’re
looking to make Everyday Sounds Better for your patients, contact us today and
hear how we can help!
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