July 1, 2025 • 22 mins
Crossing the threshold into better hearing often feels overwhelming for patients who've postponed treatment for years. What makes the difference between hesitation and confident decision-making? The answer lies in experiencing transformation firsthand through expertly conducted in-office hearing aid demonstrations.
This episode dives deep into why these demonstrations represent a crucial moment in the patient journey. When a patient has waited 7-10 years to address their hearing loss, simply reviewing an audiogram and quoting prices falls woefully short of what they deserve. By contrast, a thoughtfully orchestrated demonstration allows patients to hear with unprecedented clarity in challenging environments like restaurants, creating powerful "wow moments" that validate their decision to seek help.
The most effective demonstrations go beyond the technical aspects of hearing technology. They involve familiar voices, realistic background noise, and careful observation of how patients react when communication barriers suddenly diminish. We explore how these demonstrations serve multiple purposes simultaneously, educating patients about their hearing loss, showcasing technology benefits, assessing physical capabilities for device selection, and building unshakable trust in the provider's recommendations.
For hearing healthcare professionals, this episode offers practical guidance on creating meaningful demonstration experiences that lead to better patient outcomes and satisfaction. For those beginning their hearing journey, it provides valuable insight into what to expect and demand from quality providers. No matter where you are in understanding hearing health, you'll gain perspective on how transformative moments in a clinical setting can change lives.
Ready to experience or deliver hearing healthcare that prioritizes education and empowerment over transactions? Listen now and discover why seeing is believing when it comes to better hearing.
Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team
Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast
Twitter: @hearing_mattas
Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - (00:19):
Thank you.
Hearing Matters podcast.
Today's episode is going to begeared towards our fellow
hearing healthcare professionals, but I am in belief that this
episode is also going to helpindividuals who are currently on
their journey to better hearingand maybe they have not visited
a hearing healthcareprofessional just yet and
(00:43):
they're in the discovery phase,looking at different resources,
listening to different resources, and today is going to really
discuss the in-office hearingaid demo.
The hearing aid demo, in myopinion, is so important.
So, if we understand thatpatients will usually wait 7 to
(01:03):
10 years to actually addresstheir hearing loss, this means
that when these patients come inthrough your office doors, we
need to ensure that, for lack ofa better term, us hearing
healthcare professionals are onour A-game.
We need to make sure that thesepatients have the best
experience possible, and one wayto ensure that they have the
(01:26):
best experience possible is toactually conduct the in-office
demo.
So, understanding thesepatients have waited quite some
time to address their hearingloss.
It is up to us to ensure theyhave the best experience
possible, and what we would dois new patients usually are
scheduled for 60 to 90 minutes,and these are patients who have
(01:51):
never worn hearing aids before,and one of the reasons that we
decided to schedule patients for90 minutes an hour and a half
is because we really emphasizethe educational part of the
appointment.
Patients coming to us they knowthat they present with some
type of hearing loss, but wewant to ensure that they know
(02:11):
the type and degree of hearingloss.
Are hearing aids a solution forthem and, if they are, which
ones are going to be best forthem?
So, ensuring that thesepatients are scheduled with the
allotted amount of time toensure that they walk away
confident in number one, theirprovider, in you, but also
(02:32):
confident in their decision tomove forward with hearing aids.
So, your new patient they'vewalked through the door, you've
greeted them at the door,they've handed you the completed
paperwork and now you're goingto conduct that case history,
complete the comprehensiveaudiological evaluation with
speech and noise testing,tympanometry, perhaps
(02:57):
otoacoustic emissions the wholekit and caboodle.
You've conducted thiscomprehensive hearing evaluation
.
Now we're going to review thepatient's audiometric data with
them and to my fellow hearinghealthcare professionals.
I've learned through myexperience it is so important to
keep the audiometric reviewsimple, because most patients
(03:18):
don't understand the differencebetween a moderate, severe and
severe hearing loss.
They don't know the differencebetween conductive and sensory
neural.
But this is an opportunity foryou to educate these patients on
the different parts of the ear,the different types of hearing
loss and degrees of hearing loss, but really keeping it simple.
So, after we would test ourpatients with that comprehensive
(03:39):
audiological evaluation, webring these patients into the
technology suite and we reviewthe hearing test results with
them.
Now we always go what we callbeyond the audiogram.
What do I mean by this?
Well, we always conduct speechand noise testing and one of the
many reasons we conduct speechand noise testing is because
(04:02):
this tells us how well or howpoor a patient performs in
complex listening situationslike a restaurant or a meeting
or a crowd-like setting.
So when we're going beyond theaudiogram and we are telling the
patient, number one, you dopresent with a hearing loss.
Number two, I don't need torefer you to an ear, nose and
(04:26):
throat doctor for furtherinvestigation.
And number three, mr Smith, youare a candidate for hearing
technology.
To my fellow hearing healthcareprofessionals, it is, at this
point in time, you do not wantto for lack of a better term
word vomit on the patient withall of the different pathologies
(04:47):
and the different brands andthis style of hearing aid is
going to be better than theother style, or this brand is
better than the other brand.
This is an opportunity for us,as the hearing healthcare
professional, to continue tolisten.
But now what we want to do isdemonstrate what hearing
technology can do.
Again, we don't want toovercomplicate this.
(05:08):
I would always tell patients MrSmith, you're here today
because you struggle tounderstand speech and noise such
as restaurants, crowds andmeetings.
The goal of a hearing instrumentis to increase speech
understanding and decreaseoverall listening effort, and
what hearing aids are able to dois they make really loud sounds
(05:29):
soft and really soft soundsloud.
And what needs to be at theforefront of what the patient is
hearing, that is,human-connected speech.
We want to ensure that thehearing aids are enhancing human
connected speech and, of course, the non-speech sounds in the
(05:50):
patient's environment.
When we're reviewing thepatient's hearing test results
and letting them know that ahearing aid or hearing aids are
the best treatment solution forthem, we need to ensure that
they are able to try the hearingaid in the office.
Now disclaimer here everyoffice is different.
(06:10):
I totally understand thatEveryone has a different model.
The model that I personallybelieve in is, patients need to
have the opportunity to feel thehearing aids during their
appointment, put the hearingaids on and actually hear them.
So the in-office hearing aiddemo after we've reviewed the
audiometric data, we'veexplained the difference between
(06:31):
speech and quiet and speech andnoise scores, and after we've
educated the patients on whatthe hearing aids intended use is
again to increase speechunderstanding and decrease
listening effort.
This is when I would ask thepatient to bring me through
their typical day.
What is a typical day like foryou, mrs Smith?
(06:52):
As you are getting the hearingtechnology ready for them to
demo, they're telling you whattheir social activity level is
like, what they like to do withtheir family, what they like to
do with their friends, and whatyou're doing is you are
listening twice as much asyou're speaking.
This is allowing you, thehearing healthcare provider, to
(07:13):
make the best and strongestrecommendation for that patient.
So this is how I would set upthe in-office hearing aid demo.
When new patients would comeinto the office, we would always
recommend them bring a familiarvoice.
This could be a spouse, thiscould be a family friend, this
could be just a friend or aco-worker, someone that they
like, trust and respect to bringthem to this really important
(07:39):
appointment.
And here's why, after we'vereviewed the hearing test
results, now what I'm doing is Iam programming the hearing aids
to the patient's audiometricdata.
So the hearing test that wejust conducted, I've programmed
the hearing aids to thataudiometric data.
Now I'm putting the hearingaids on that patient.
The hearing aids are muted.
(08:00):
They're not off, but they aremuted.
What I've done is I haveconnected my Bluetooth speaker
to my iPad and I have restaurantbackground noise playing in the
background, and before I putthe restaurant background noise
on, I have let the patient know.
Number one you're going to hearwhat hearing aids sound like.
(08:23):
So when you start talking to me, your own voice is going to
sound different.
It's Essentially going to soundlike you're in a tunnel, but
over time your brain is going toacclimate or get used to this
new hearing world.
And then I would turn to thespouse or the friend and I would
say right now, you play a veryimportant role during this demo.
Mrs Smith hasn't heard withincreased clarity for many years
(08:45):
, so when I turn those hearingaids on, it's going to be a new
hearing world.
So the familiar voice, whetherthat be the spouse or the friend
is always the first personspeaking to the patient that has
the demo hearing aids on.
So I would put the speakerbehind the patient and the
familiar voice would be aboutfive to six feet away from that
(09:07):
patient.
We would try to simulate thatbeing in a restaurant or a diner
, so the hearing aids are muted,I have the restaurant
background noise playing, thefamiliar voice is talking to the
patient, then I unmute thehearing aids and the patient's
eyes are always the first signof wow the hearing aids are on,
(09:28):
the hearing aids are working andthey sound really clear.
So what we're doing here againis we are reintroducing the
brain to sound and we areletting the patient experience
this new hearing world that theyreported and have reported.
Speech understanding and noisehas always been the most
(09:50):
difficult for them to understandfor many years.
It is during this in-officehearing aid demo that the
patient is truly able tounderstand speech with increased
clarity.
And during my time as a hearinghealthcare provider, the
patients always listen withtheir eyes.
And the importance ofconducting this in-office
(10:12):
hearing aid demo number one thepatient is now able to leave
your office and leave thatappointment understanding what
hearing aids sound like.
There are some hearinghealthcare providers, I'm sure
that are listening right now,that will say, well, you just
best fit the hearing technology.
Or you just best fit thehearing aids.
And to consumers listeningright now, that is true, and
(10:34):
whenever I would put the hearingaids on the patient, I would
say this is close to what yournew hearing world will sound
like.
But it's not going to be exactBecause, while they are close to
your targets for best speechunderstanding and
intelligibility, this is more orless an idea of what it will
sound like, because when we fitpatients with their hearing
(10:56):
technology that they purchase,we always conduct something
called real ear measurement.
Again, the goal here is to allowthe patient to experience what
an increased speechunderstanding situation actually
sounds like.
Because if you just havepatients come to your office and
you review the audiometric datawith them, you tell them that
(11:18):
they have a hearing loss andthen you say your new hearing
technology is going to cost youabout $5,500 for the pair, with
a three-year warranty.
I can get you fit next week.
That's not the best experiencein my professional opinion.
Again, every office isdifferent and I totally
understand that.
But the importance of thein-office demo is this patient
(11:39):
now has a frame of reference.
Now, the additional takeawayswith this in-office demo is
number one we have displayed tothe patient how the hearing aids
actually work in a noisysituation, and it's so important
that we educate our patients onthis is that the hearing aids
are really doing the workthrough what we call sound
(12:00):
adaptive directionality, and oneway that I would let my
patients know what this means isthat the hearing aids are
scanning your environment over ahundred times per second and
they are looking for humanspeech, and when they hear human
speech, they're going to lockon to that speech output.
Now the other pros, if you will, of conducting in-office
(12:22):
hearing aid demos is you arelearning about the patient's
lifestyle, because when thesehearing aids are on the
patient's ears and they'relistening and they're talking to
their loved one, theinteraction that you're seeing
between the patient and theirspouse is absolutely incredible.
I've always loved doing this,so what the patient is going to
(12:45):
do is they're going to tell youthis would be so great in church
or this is going to be sowonderful during the holidays
when I babysit my grandchildren.
They're already sharing withyou, the hearing care provider,
the use cases that they knowthey're going to be able to
utilize hearing aids in.
During this in-office hearingaid demo, we would also review
(13:06):
with the patient how to take thehearing aids out, how to put
the hearing aids back in and yes, I understand this is a long
appointment, but here's thething we want to ensure that
when patients left and whenpatients leave our office,
they're educated and, in theevent they were to go to another
(13:26):
hearing healthcare provider, weknow that we have completely
over-delivered and they've hadthe greatest experience possible
and they know that we supportthem not only with the hearing
technology but also counseling.
So during this in-officehearing a demo, as we're talking
to the patient, they're talkingto their loved.
As we're talking to the patient, they're talking to their loved
(13:47):
ones.
We're learning about theirlifestyle, but also their
dexterity.
So we would have a mirror rightin front of the patient and I
would review with them how toput the hearing aid in and how
to take the hearing aid out.
And this is why we did that tothose tuned in right now is
because, as a hearing healthcareprofessional, I want to learn
about the patient's dexterity.
(14:10):
We would always demo in theoffice receiver in the canal
hearing aids.
However, if a patient hasarthritis or they have decreased
dexterity or they have maculardegeneration or decreased vision
.
Chances are we are not going tofit this particular patient
(14:30):
with a receiver in the canalwith a dome on the end.
There's going to be some sortof customized component, aka an
ear mold attached to that RIChearing aid receiver in the
canal, or we're going fullcustom rechargeable.
This is why these in-officedemos are so valuable, not only
to the patient, but also to theprovider that's going to be
(14:52):
fitting this individual.
With the in-office demo, we alsoreviewed and this is where
speech and noise scores come inwhen you understand a patient's
lifestyle, when they've had theopportunity to hear the increase
in speech, understanding andintelligibility in a noisy
environment, and then when youare actually able to show the
(15:14):
patient you have a severe speechand noise score, but we're
going to retest you with thehearing aids in and they now
show you a normal to near normalspeech and noise score.
With the hearing aids, thatpatient is going to walk away
and say, wow, I am making adata-driven decision.
I'm not just buying somethingthat I'm throwing behind my ear
and hoping that the hearing aidswork.
(15:36):
The in-office demo is a way inwhich, ladies and gentlemen, we
are able to create thatexperience for our patients,
because if they do go to anotheroffice that does conduct these
comprehensive in-office demos,chances are that patient may end
up choosing that providerbecause they took additional
(15:57):
time to show them that it's notjust about the hearing aid, it
is about the counselingcomponent tied to our hearing
healthcare model and I believethat's a really good segue.
Again, another disclaimer hereto some of our consumers is that
not all offices are actuallygoing to conduct in-office
(16:18):
hearing aid demos.
Some offices they'll have trialperiods and that's usually
mandated by the state.
So, for example, pennsylvania30-day trial period that is
granted to the patient.
Some offices do 75-day trialperiods.
Some offices do 90-day trialperiods.
Personally, as a hearinghealthcare professional, I am
(16:39):
part of the camp that if you arewearing the hearing aids 14
hours a day for 30 days, that ifyou are wearing the hearing
aids 14 hours a day for 30 days,research has shown that your
brain has acclimated to that newhearing technology.
Now here is the reverse side ofthat.
If the patient is not wearingthe hearing aids for 14 hours a
day, maybe they're wearing themseven hours a day.
That acclimatization period isgoing to be about 60 days.
(17:01):
But again, for those consumerstuned in right now, not every
office is going to conduct anin-office hearing aid demo or if
they do, every office mighthave their own spin on how they
demo the hearing aids.
But I am going to encourage myfellow hearing healthcare
professionals because more timesthan not the hearing healthcare
(17:22):
professionals that I do talk toin our industry they are
conducting in-office hearing aiddemos because they understand
the value of it.
The ability to program thehearing aids digitally in the
office and the patient havingthe ability to experience what
increased speech understandingin noisy situations is
absolutely incredible.
(17:43):
And I would challenge some of myfellow hearing healthcare
professionals when we wouldconduct in-office hearing aid
demos, it usually wouldn't beduring the in-office demo, but
it would maybe be the patient'ssecond or third follow-up.
What we would do is we wouldconduct speech and noise testing
in the sound field.
So you know, do quick speechand noise testing in the sound
(18:05):
field.
So you know, do quick speechand noise testing in the sound
field and oftentimes ourpatients would score with severe
speech and noise scores.
Then, after you've programmedthe patient's hearing aids to
their type and degree of hearingloss and you've counseled them,
put them back into the booth,run quick speech and noise
testing in the sound field withthe hearing aids.
You can even put it on theirrestaurant program and what we
(18:29):
would see nine times out of 10is that these patients would
present with normal to nearnormal speech and noise scores.
When we showed our patientsthis data, they were so
confident in their decisionmoving forward with hearing aids
.
They were so happy theyreported of you know, yes, I
(18:51):
have noticed.
When I am in a restaurant typesetting, I am understanding
speech with greaterintelligibility speech.
Understanding the in-officehearing aid demo is something
that I absolutely,wholeheartedly believe every
hearing healthcare professionalshould be conducting.
And to the consumers out there,how amazing is it for you, you
(19:12):
know.
First of all, I want to takesome time and just say
congratulations on you takingthis first step towards better
hearing.
You're tuned into this episoderight now.
You've waited years to dosomething about your hearing
loss, to address your hearingloss.
I'm sure you've been to familyfunctions.
You may be feeling anxiousabout talking to family and
(19:35):
friends around the table and Ijust want to say it's okay,
you're making the right decision.
I would highly recommend, inyour area, looking for a trusted
hearing healthcare provider.
Read their Google reviews, callthem up, interview them.
Make sure that, whicheverhearing healthcare provider you
are going to choose as yourhearing home, if you will, you
(19:55):
trust them, you like them and,of course, respect them, because
every hearing healthcareprovider that I've personally
met, they love what they do.
They love helping patients hearlife's story and to our
consumers.
When you do go to that firsthearing evaluation, I would
absolutely ask the audiologistor hearing healthcare
(20:16):
professional what their protocolis for in-office hearing demos
or what their trial period islike.
You know, I'm sure there aresome hearing healthcare
professionals tuned in right nowwho say you know what?
I don't really believe inin-office demos because it
doesn't provide that clearpicture of you know, we haven't
conducted real ear measurementand I get it.
(20:36):
That's okay.
The goal of the in-officehearing aid demo number one is
to introduce that patient'sbrain to what sound is going to
sound like.
They've waited seven to tenyears.
So if they just come to youroffice and you show them a graph
, say they have hearing aids andthey need to invest thousands
(20:57):
of dollars into their hearinghealthcare journey, that's not
the best experience in myprofessional opinion.
So implementing fun officedemos like I've described.
I have personally found thatpatients feel comfortable with
you.
They feel comfortable movingforward with their new hearing
(21:18):
technology and they're going totell their friends and their
family about the amazingexperience that they had,
because it really is apresentation to your patients.
They've waited long enough todo something about their hearing
loss.
Now they're looking to you, thehearing healthcare professional
, to bring them throughout thisjourney.
I hope everyone learned alittle bit about the importance
(21:41):
of in-office hearing aid demos.
I wanted to share my personaland professional experience in
private practice implementingthe hearing aid demo.
On behalf of Hearing MattersPodcast, I'd like to extend our
gratitude and thank you for theconsistent support.
Your support really does meanthe world to us.
Share this episode with someonewho may have just started their
(22:02):
new hearing journey.
You're tuned in to the HearingMatters podcast, the show that
discusses hearing technologybest practices and a growing
national epidemic hearing loss.
Until next time, hear life'sstory.
Thank you.
Hearing Matters podcast.
Today's episode is going to begeared towards our fellow
hearing healthcare professionals, but I am in belief that this
episode is also going to helpindividuals who are currently on
their journey to better hearingand maybe they have not visited
a hearing healthcareprofessional just yet and
(00:43):
they're in the discovery phase,looking at different resources,
listening to different resources, and today is going to really
discuss the in-office hearingaid demo.
The hearing aid demo, in myopinion, is so important.
So, if we understand thatpatients will usually wait 7 to
(01:03):
10 years to actually addresstheir hearing loss, this means
that when these patients come inthrough your office doors, we
need to ensure that, for lack ofa better term, us hearing
healthcare professionals are onour A-game.
We need to make sure that thesepatients have the best
experience possible, and one wayto ensure that they have the
(01:26):
best experience possible is toactually conduct the in-office
demo.
So, understanding thesepatients have waited quite some
time to address their hearingloss.
It is up to us to ensure theyhave the best experience
possible, and what we would dois new patients usually are
scheduled for 60 to 90 minutes,and these are patients who have
(01:51):
never worn hearing aids before,and one of the reasons that we
decided to schedule patients for90 minutes an hour and a half
is because we really emphasizethe educational part of the
appointment.
Patients coming to us they knowthat they present with some
type of hearing loss, but wewant to ensure that they know
(02:11):
the type and degree of hearingloss.
Are hearing aids a solution forthem and, if they are, which
ones are going to be best forthem?
So, ensuring that thesepatients are scheduled with the
allotted amount of time toensure that they walk away
confident in number one, theirprovider, in you, but also
(02:32):
confident in their decision tomove forward with hearing aids.
So, your new patient they'vewalked through the door, you've
greeted them at the door,they've handed you the completed
paperwork and now you're goingto conduct that case history,
complete the comprehensiveaudiological evaluation with
speech and noise testing,tympanometry, perhaps
(02:57):
otoacoustic emissions the wholekit and caboodle.
You've conducted thiscomprehensive hearing evaluation
.
Now we're going to review thepatient's audiometric data with
them and to my fellow hearinghealthcare professionals.
I've learned through myexperience it is so important to
keep the audiometric reviewsimple, because most patients
(03:18):
don't understand the differencebetween a moderate, severe and
severe hearing loss.
They don't know the differencebetween conductive and sensory
neural.
But this is an opportunity foryou to educate these patients on
the different parts of the ear,the different types of hearing
loss and degrees of hearing loss, but really keeping it simple.
So, after we would test ourpatients with that comprehensive
(03:39):
audiological evaluation, webring these patients into the
technology suite and we reviewthe hearing test results with
them.
Now we always go what we callbeyond the audiogram.
What do I mean by this?
Well, we always conduct speechand noise testing and one of the
many reasons we conduct speechand noise testing is because
(04:02):
this tells us how well or howpoor a patient performs in
complex listening situationslike a restaurant or a meeting
or a crowd-like setting.
So when we're going beyond theaudiogram and we are telling the
patient, number one, you dopresent with a hearing loss.
Number two, I don't need torefer you to an ear, nose and
(04:26):
throat doctor for furtherinvestigation.
And number three, mr Smith, youare a candidate for hearing
technology.
To my fellow hearing healthcareprofessionals, it is, at this
point in time, you do not wantto for lack of a better term
word vomit on the patient withall of the different pathologies
(04:47):
and the different brands andthis style of hearing aid is
going to be better than theother style, or this brand is
better than the other brand.
This is an opportunity for us,as the hearing healthcare
professional, to continue tolisten.
But now what we want to do isdemonstrate what hearing
technology can do.
Again, we don't want toovercomplicate this.
(05:08):
I would always tell patients MrSmith, you're here today
because you struggle tounderstand speech and noise such
as restaurants, crowds andmeetings.
The goal of a hearing instrumentis to increase speech
understanding and decreaseoverall listening effort, and
what hearing aids are able to dois they make really loud sounds
(05:29):
soft and really soft soundsloud.
And what needs to be at theforefront of what the patient is
hearing, that is,human-connected speech.
We want to ensure that thehearing aids are enhancing human
connected speech and, of course, the non-speech sounds in the
(05:50):
patient's environment.
When we're reviewing thepatient's hearing test results
and letting them know that ahearing aid or hearing aids are
the best treatment solution forthem, we need to ensure that
they are able to try the hearingaid in the office.
Now disclaimer here everyoffice is different.
(06:10):
I totally understand thatEveryone has a different model.
The model that I personallybelieve in is, patients need to
have the opportunity to feel thehearing aids during their
appointment, put the hearingaids on and actually hear them.
So the in-office hearing aiddemo after we've reviewed the
audiometric data, we'veexplained the difference between
(06:31):
speech and quiet and speech andnoise scores, and after we've
educated the patients on whatthe hearing aids intended use is
again to increase speechunderstanding and decrease
listening effort.
This is when I would ask thepatient to bring me through
their typical day.
What is a typical day like foryou, mrs Smith?
(06:52):
As you are getting the hearingtechnology ready for them to
demo, they're telling you whattheir social activity level is
like, what they like to do withtheir family, what they like to
do with their friends, and whatyou're doing is you are
listening twice as much asyou're speaking.
This is allowing you, thehearing healthcare provider, to
(07:13):
make the best and strongestrecommendation for that patient.
So this is how I would set upthe in-office hearing aid demo.
When new patients would comeinto the office, we would always
recommend them bring a familiarvoice.
This could be a spouse, thiscould be a family friend, this
could be just a friend or aco-worker, someone that they
like, trust and respect to bringthem to this really important
(07:39):
appointment.
And here's why, after we'vereviewed the hearing test
results, now what I'm doing is Iam programming the hearing aids
to the patient's audiometricdata.
So the hearing test that wejust conducted, I've programmed
the hearing aids to thataudiometric data.
Now I'm putting the hearingaids on that patient.
The hearing aids are muted.
(08:00):
They're not off, but they aremuted.
What I've done is I haveconnected my Bluetooth speaker
to my iPad and I have restaurantbackground noise playing in the
background, and before I putthe restaurant background noise
on, I have let the patient know.
Number one you're going to hearwhat hearing aids sound like.
(08:23):
So when you start talking to me, your own voice is going to
sound different.
It's Essentially going to soundlike you're in a tunnel, but
over time your brain is going toacclimate or get used to this
new hearing world.
And then I would turn to thespouse or the friend and I would
say right now, you play a veryimportant role during this demo.
Mrs Smith hasn't heard withincreased clarity for many years
(08:45):
, so when I turn those hearingaids on, it's going to be a new
hearing world.
So the familiar voice, whetherthat be the spouse or the friend
is always the first personspeaking to the patient that has
the demo hearing aids on.
So I would put the speakerbehind the patient and the
familiar voice would be aboutfive to six feet away from that
(09:07):
patient.
We would try to simulate thatbeing in a restaurant or a diner
, so the hearing aids are muted,I have the restaurant
background noise playing, thefamiliar voice is talking to the
patient, then I unmute thehearing aids and the patient's
eyes are always the first signof wow the hearing aids are on,
(09:28):
the hearing aids are working andthey sound really clear.
So what we're doing here againis we are reintroducing the
brain to sound and we areletting the patient experience
this new hearing world that theyreported and have reported.
Speech understanding and noisehas always been the most
(09:50):
difficult for them to understandfor many years.
It is during this in-officehearing aid demo that the
patient is truly able tounderstand speech with increased
clarity.
And during my time as a hearinghealthcare provider, the
patients always listen withtheir eyes.
And the importance ofconducting this in-office
(10:12):
hearing aid demo number one thepatient is now able to leave
your office and leave thatappointment understanding what
hearing aids sound like.
There are some hearinghealthcare providers, I'm sure
that are listening right now,that will say, well, you just
best fit the hearing technology.
Or you just best fit thehearing aids.
And to consumers listeningright now, that is true, and
(10:34):
whenever I would put the hearingaids on the patient, I would
say this is close to what yournew hearing world will sound
like.
But it's not going to be exactBecause, while they are close to
your targets for best speechunderstanding and
intelligibility, this is more orless an idea of what it will
sound like, because when we fitpatients with their hearing
(10:56):
technology that they purchase,we always conduct something
called real ear measurement.
Again, the goal here is to allowthe patient to experience what
an increased speechunderstanding situation actually
sounds like.
Because if you just havepatients come to your office and
you review the audiometric datawith them, you tell them that
(11:18):
they have a hearing loss andthen you say your new hearing
technology is going to cost youabout $5,500 for the pair, with
a three-year warranty.
I can get you fit next week.
That's not the best experiencein my professional opinion.
Again, every office isdifferent and I totally
understand that.
But the importance of thein-office demo is this patient
(11:39):
now has a frame of reference.
Now, the additional takeawayswith this in-office demo is
number one we have displayed tothe patient how the hearing aids
actually work in a noisysituation, and it's so important
that we educate our patients onthis is that the hearing aids
are really doing the workthrough what we call sound
(12:00):
adaptive directionality, and oneway that I would let my
patients know what this means isthat the hearing aids are
scanning your environment over ahundred times per second and
they are looking for humanspeech, and when they hear human
speech, they're going to lockon to that speech output.
Now the other pros, if you will, of conducting in-office
(12:22):
hearing aid demos is you arelearning about the patient's
lifestyle, because when thesehearing aids are on the
patient's ears and they'relistening and they're talking to
their loved one, theinteraction that you're seeing
between the patient and theirspouse is absolutely incredible.
I've always loved doing this,so what the patient is going to
(12:45):
do is they're going to tell youthis would be so great in church
or this is going to be sowonderful during the holidays
when I babysit my grandchildren.
They're already sharing withyou, the hearing care provider,
the use cases that they knowthey're going to be able to
utilize hearing aids in.
During this in-office hearingaid demo, we would also review
(13:06):
with the patient how to take thehearing aids out, how to put
the hearing aids back in and yes, I understand this is a long
appointment, but here's thething we want to ensure that
when patients left and whenpatients leave our office,
they're educated and, in theevent they were to go to another
(13:26):
hearing healthcare provider, weknow that we have completely
over-delivered and they've hadthe greatest experience possible
and they know that we supportthem not only with the hearing
technology but also counseling.
So during this in-officehearing a demo, as we're talking
to the patient, they're talkingto their loved.
As we're talking to the patient, they're talking to their loved
(13:47):
ones.
We're learning about theirlifestyle, but also their
dexterity.
So we would have a mirror rightin front of the patient and I
would review with them how toput the hearing aid in and how
to take the hearing aid out.
And this is why we did that tothose tuned in right now is
because, as a hearing healthcareprofessional, I want to learn
about the patient's dexterity.
(14:10):
We would always demo in theoffice receiver in the canal
hearing aids.
However, if a patient hasarthritis or they have decreased
dexterity or they have maculardegeneration or decreased vision
.
Chances are we are not going tofit this particular patient
(14:30):
with a receiver in the canalwith a dome on the end.
There's going to be some sortof customized component, aka an
ear mold attached to that RIChearing aid receiver in the
canal, or we're going fullcustom rechargeable.
This is why these in-officedemos are so valuable, not only
to the patient, but also to theprovider that's going to be
(14:52):
fitting this individual.
With the in-office demo, we alsoreviewed and this is where
speech and noise scores come inwhen you understand a patient's
lifestyle, when they've had theopportunity to hear the increase
in speech, understanding andintelligibility in a noisy
environment, and then when youare actually able to show the
(15:14):
patient you have a severe speechand noise score, but we're
going to retest you with thehearing aids in and they now
show you a normal to near normalspeech and noise score.
With the hearing aids, thatpatient is going to walk away
and say, wow, I am making adata-driven decision.
I'm not just buying somethingthat I'm throwing behind my ear
and hoping that the hearing aidswork.
(15:36):
The in-office demo is a way inwhich, ladies and gentlemen, we
are able to create thatexperience for our patients,
because if they do go to anotheroffice that does conduct these
comprehensive in-office demos,chances are that patient may end
up choosing that providerbecause they took additional
(15:57):
time to show them that it's notjust about the hearing aid, it
is about the counselingcomponent tied to our hearing
healthcare model and I believethat's a really good segue.
Again, another disclaimer hereto some of our consumers is that
not all offices are actuallygoing to conduct in-office
(16:18):
hearing aid demos.
Some offices they'll have trialperiods and that's usually
mandated by the state.
So, for example, pennsylvania30-day trial period that is
granted to the patient.
Some offices do 75-day trialperiods.
Some offices do 90-day trialperiods.
Personally, as a hearinghealthcare professional, I am
(16:39):
part of the camp that if you arewearing the hearing aids 14
hours a day for 30 days, that ifyou are wearing the hearing
aids 14 hours a day for 30 days,research has shown that your
brain has acclimated to that newhearing technology.
Now here is the reverse side ofthat.
If the patient is not wearingthe hearing aids for 14 hours a
day, maybe they're wearing themseven hours a day.
That acclimatization period isgoing to be about 60 days.
(17:01):
But again, for those consumerstuned in right now, not every
office is going to conduct anin-office hearing aid demo or if
they do, every office mighthave their own spin on how they
demo the hearing aids.
But I am going to encourage myfellow hearing healthcare
professionals because more timesthan not the hearing healthcare
(17:22):
professionals that I do talk toin our industry they are
conducting in-office hearing aiddemos because they understand
the value of it.
The ability to program thehearing aids digitally in the
office and the patient havingthe ability to experience what
increased speech understandingin noisy situations is
absolutely incredible.
(17:43):
And I would challenge some of myfellow hearing healthcare
professionals when we wouldconduct in-office hearing aid
demos, it usually wouldn't beduring the in-office demo, but
it would maybe be the patient'ssecond or third follow-up.
What we would do is we wouldconduct speech and noise testing
in the sound field.
So you know, do quick speechand noise testing in the sound
(18:05):
field.
So you know, do quick speechand noise testing in the sound
field and oftentimes ourpatients would score with severe
speech and noise scores.
Then, after you've programmedthe patient's hearing aids to
their type and degree of hearingloss and you've counseled them,
put them back into the booth,run quick speech and noise
testing in the sound field withthe hearing aids.
You can even put it on theirrestaurant program and what we
(18:29):
would see nine times out of 10is that these patients would
present with normal to nearnormal speech and noise scores.
When we showed our patientsthis data, they were so
confident in their decisionmoving forward with hearing aids
.
They were so happy theyreported of you know, yes, I
(18:51):
have noticed.
When I am in a restaurant typesetting, I am understanding
speech with greaterintelligibility speech.
Understanding the in-officehearing aid demo is something
that I absolutely,wholeheartedly believe every
hearing healthcare professionalshould be conducting.
And to the consumers out there,how amazing is it for you, you
(19:12):
know.
First of all, I want to takesome time and just say
congratulations on you takingthis first step towards better
hearing.
You're tuned into this episoderight now.
You've waited years to dosomething about your hearing
loss, to address your hearingloss.
I'm sure you've been to familyfunctions.
You may be feeling anxiousabout talking to family and
(19:35):
friends around the table and Ijust want to say it's okay,
you're making the right decision.
I would highly recommend, inyour area, looking for a trusted
hearing healthcare provider.
Read their Google reviews, callthem up, interview them.
Make sure that, whicheverhearing healthcare provider you
are going to choose as yourhearing home, if you will, you
(19:55):
trust them, you like them and,of course, respect them, because
every hearing healthcareprovider that I've personally
met, they love what they do.
They love helping patients hearlife's story and to our
consumers.
When you do go to that firsthearing evaluation, I would
absolutely ask the audiologistor hearing healthcare
(20:16):
professional what their protocolis for in-office hearing demos
or what their trial period islike.
You know, I'm sure there aresome hearing healthcare
professionals tuned in right nowwho say you know what?
I don't really believe inin-office demos because it
doesn't provide that clearpicture of you know, we haven't
conducted real ear measurementand I get it.
(20:36):
That's okay.
The goal of the in-officehearing aid demo number one is
to introduce that patient'sbrain to what sound is going to
sound like.
They've waited seven to tenyears.
So if they just come to youroffice and you show them a graph
, say they have hearing aids andthey need to invest thousands
(20:57):
of dollars into their hearinghealthcare journey, that's not
the best experience in myprofessional opinion.
So implementing fun officedemos like I've described.
I have personally found thatpatients feel comfortable with
you.
They feel comfortable movingforward with their new hearing
(21:18):
technology and they're going totell their friends and their
family about the amazingexperience that they had,
because it really is apresentation to your patients.
They've waited long enough todo something about their hearing
loss.
Now they're looking to you, thehearing healthcare professional
, to bring them throughout thisjourney.
I hope everyone learned alittle bit about the importance
(21:41):
of in-office hearing aid demos.
I wanted to share my personaland professional experience in
private practice implementingthe hearing aid demo.
On behalf of Hearing MattersPodcast, I'd like to extend our
gratitude and thank you for theconsistent support.
Your support really does meanthe world to us.
Share this episode with someonewho may have just started their
(22:02):
new hearing journey.
You're tuned in to the HearingMatters podcast, the show that
discusses hearing technologybest practices and a growing
national epidemic hearing loss.
Until next time, hear life'sstory.
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