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Noteworthy:Johnson Audiology—takes seriously

its mission to help as many people as possible hear better and be successful with their decision to wear hearing aids.

T I M E S F R E E P R E S S . C O M• • •PAID ADVERTISINGA4 › Wednesday, February 27, 2019

You did it! You prioritized your hearing health and pur-chased hearing aid technolo-gy! You recognized the emo-tional toll that untreated hear-ing loss can have, knowing that it can lead to social isolation and even feelings of depres-sion and anxiety. You (and perhaps those nearest and dearest to you) experienced the frustration of constantly asking for conversations to be repeated and decided enough was enough. You realized that impaired hearing can have an effect on your balance, your general safety, and can even lead to brain tissue loss and dementia. Accepting the consequences of hearing loss wasn’t ok with you, so you chose to make an investment of time and financial resources so that you could hear better and lead a happier, healthier, more fulfilled life.

And you and your hearing aids lived happily ever after, right? Well…maybe not…

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOUR HEARING AIDS ARE NOW RESIDING FULL TIME IN A BED-SIDE TABLE OR DRESSER DRAWER!

The reasons why hearing aids may go unused can be numerous. Let’s focus instead on four steps that can lead

to success with your hearing aids!

Step #1: Make a commit-ment to yourself

You might think that suc-cess with hearing aids is all about the technology. Cer-tainly, today’s advanced tech-nology is an important part of the equation; however, just as vital is the hearing aid wear-ers commitment to success. Thomas Jefferson observed that “Nothing can stop the person with the right mental attitude from achieving a goal; nothing on earth can help the person with the wrong mental attitude.” When embarking on your journey to better hearing, make a mental and emotional pledge to yourself. Accept that hearing loss is a health issue just like any other and make the conscious decision to address it, just like millions of people address other aspects of their health each day, like their eyesight, their teeth, etc. Now that you’ve commit-ted yourself to your hearing health, move on to the steps below.

Step #2: Find a trusted partner

You’ve made the commit-ment to your hearing health, and the next step is to find a hearing health care clinic whose attitude is “If you’re all in, we’re all in with you!” When choosing a provider, ask

the health care clinic if you will be working one-on-one and face-to-face with universi-ty-trained audiologists and ask about his or her credentials. You want to find an audiology practice that employs audiolo-gists who have a minimum of a master’s degree in audiolo-gy or, preferably, a doctorate in audiology. Know the dif-ference between an audiolo-gist and a minimally-trained hearing aid dispenser. You want a well-established, local audiology practice that will be there for you through every step of your hearing journey, from the initial hearing eval-uation, through your fitting and orientation appointment, for multiple follow-ups and adjustments and for years to come.

As you search for an audi-

ology practice with which you can establish a partnership, also, take these considerations into account. Find out if your audiology practice works with all the major hearing aid man-ufacturers—instead of just one or two. Do the audiologists in the practice stay abreast of updates and new technology in the industry and partici-pate in continuing education classes? Ask if the practice provides a detailed report to your primary care physician of your progress. Inquire as to whether the practice works with the full realm of insur-ance companies and checks your insurance benefits.

Step #3: Choose the right technology

Here’s the great news! The landscape has never been brighter for effective-ly treating hearing loss. The sweeping and ongoing Digital Revolution has meant a collat-eral benefit in the hearing aid technology world—smaller devices with ever-improving sound quality, programming options, style and connectivity are a far cry from the clunky, obtrusive hearing devices of years gone by.

Today’s hearing aids are complex medical devices that can help you achieve amazing results toward better hearing. Again, your audiology practice

is your partner on your road to success. Your audiologist should take into account a number of factors when rec-ommending technology. First, your audiologist will consid-er and review with you the results of your hearing test to identify the type and degree of hearing loss, since, just like your fingerprint, your hear-ing is unique. Your audiologist will ask you questions about your lifestyle, daily activities, your common listening envi-ronments, etc. He or she will also talk with you about your budget and other financial considerations so that you will be comfortable with the investment you are making.

But choosing your technol-ogy is only the beginning. The real work begins when you are fit with you hearing aids and start wearing them. Remem-ber to be patient and don’t give up. Adjusting to hearing aids can take some time as your brain learns to process sounds it may have been missing for years, so a big part of your commitment to your success that was discussed in Step 1 is to put your hearing aids on when you wake each morning, don’t take them off until you go to sleep, and never skip a day.

Keep in mind that get-ting your new hearing aids fined-tuned to your unique circumstances may take some tweaking. That’s why the audiologists in the practice you choose should be ready, willing and able to meet with you—multiple times, if need-ed—to achieve success. You will work with your audi-ologist on issues like the fit and comfort of your hearing aids, the sound quality and adjusting the programming for things like background noise and speech recognition. It’s a process that is ongoing and can change over time, so always speak up and discuss your concerns. Just like with your other healthcare profes-sionals, you want your rela-

tionship with your audiologist to be one forged over many years of positive experiences and ongoing dialogue and built on trust.

Step 4: Take advantage of all the insurance benefits and financial assistance you have coming to you

When you make a decision to buy hearing aids, you want to be sure you are making the most sound financial decision possible, and nothing is more frustrating than spending good money on technology that goes unused. Following the steps outlined thus far in this article can go a long way toward success with your hearing aids. Couple that with feeling like you got the best technology for your outlay of money, and your satisfaction continues to increase.

One way to ensure you get the best hearing aid options at the best price is to work with an audiology practice that goes the extra mile to find out if your specific insurance policy offers a dollar amount or discount for hearing aid testing and/or technology and then works hard in help-ing you take full advantage of those benefits. But beware, not every hearing aid profession-al verifies insurance benefits, and understandably, knowing every benefit your insurance offers can be a daunting task for a patient since insuranc-es that provide hearing aid benefits do so in a variety of ways. Therefore, working with an audiology practice that has trained on-staff billing spe-cialists means they will know exactly what questions to ask your insurance company and will work on your behalf.

Don’t settle for a world of silence

Now, more than ever before, hearing loss does not have to be a sentence into a world of silence for most. That’s a timely message as age-related hearing loss is the third most prevalent chronic health condition facing older adults in the U.S. today. As noted above, however, suc-cess with hearing aids can be elusive, leading to hearing aids being relegated to the dark recesses of your sock drawer. If this scenario describes you or someone you know, con-sider carefully the four steps above and contact a reputable audiology practice like John-son Audiology—one that takes seriously its mission to help as many people as possible hear better and be successful with their decision to wear hearing aids.

Are your hearing aids spending more time in a drawer than in your ears?

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www.JohnsonAudiology.com

1618 Gunbarrel Road, Suite 102 l 423.710.14325617 Highway 153, Suite 203 l 423.713.5266

JOHNSON AUDIOLOGYYour Partner in

Healthy Hearing for Life

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