Divice Fittings
Device Fittings
Once you have made an informed decision about your hearing solution, we progress to a hearing device fitting.
At Mackay Hearing, we program your hearing aids to achieve optimal speech clarity and to ensure both physical and acoustic comfort. We use Real Ear Measurement (REM) technology (link to Services Device Fittings – Real Ear Measurements page) to accurately program and fine-tune your hearing aids to match your specific hearing prescription, resulting in clearer sound, improved speech understanding and greater overall satisfaction.
The hearing aid fitting process is completed in a 1-hour appointment and the process is completed in 4 easy steps.
Initial Programming
Firstly, we check the physical fit of your hearing device to ensure a comfortable wearing experience. We then initially program your hearing aids using the manufacturer’s software and based on your diagnostic results recorded at your hearing test appointment.
This step allows us to guess how much amplification you require to be able to hear clearly. It is important to note, this is a ‘guess setting’ and before we can guarantee this will provide you with the best sound quality you can achieve out of your devices, we need to verify the settings using REM technology.
Precise Fitting and Programming
We continue to complete REMs while matching the hearing aids response to a prescribed amplification formula based on your hearing loss. Once we have reached the prescribed target, we make additional very fine-tuning adjustments to match your personal listening preference.
Counselling on Aid Acclimatisation and Management
We spend time with you to ensure you feel confident in inserting your devices into your ears and managing the batteries (either changing them or using the charger). We help you set up any pairing to your mobile phone or other devices.
Upon being fitted with hearing aids, we will provide you with advice for acclimatising to and maintaining your devices. Modern hearing aids are designed to be reliable, durable and easy to use, and you will be given tips for preventing problems and getting the most out of them.
We encourage you to attend a follow-up appointment after your hearing aid fitting to check-in on your acclimatisation, troubleshoot any issues and allow for fine-tuning.
Baseline Electroacoustic Analysis
After the fitting appointment, we use advanced diagnostic equipment to perform electroacoustic analysis of your devices and compare them to equipment specifications.
This allows us to both document the hearing aids are in excellent working condition and provide a baseline measurement that we can use in the future for comparison, if you ever feel there is a problem with the function of the devices.
Real Ear Measurements
Real Ear Measurements (REM) are a crucial component of the Best Practice approach to hearing aid fittings.
REM provides objective data about how sound is delivered to your ear. A thin probe microphone is placed within 5mm of the ear drum and a sound stimulus is delivered to the ear via a loudspeaker. This allows us to account for the unique shape and acoustics of your ear canal, ensuring your hearing aids are tailored specifically to you.
REMs allow us to verify and adjust your hearing aids’ performance while they’re in your ears, ensuring you receive the exact amplification prescribed for your unique hearing loss. By using REM, we can optimize your hearing aids for better speech understanding, sound quality and overall satisfaction.
Follow Up
At least one follow-up appointment is booked after a fitting appointment, with additional visits as needed.
The follow up process is completed in a 30-minute appointment and the process is completed in 3 easy steps.
Follow Up
We work closely with you to address any concerns and make necessary adjustments to ensure your satisfaction.
Adjustments may include, but are not limited to, fine-tuning your hearing aid programming, making changes to your earpiece size or shape and further counselling on you on acclimatization and/or aid management. We will validate your hearing aid fitting by way of an aided speech test or aided free field hearing thresholds.
Goal Setting
We review your hearing goals that we made at your initial hearing test appointment to ensure these goals have been achieved and you are satisfied with your outcome.
If the goals haven’t been reached and you are not satisfied, we go back to step 1 – follow up.
Ongoing Maintenance and Support
Once you are satisfied with your hearing aid fitting, you will also be invited to attend annual review appointments to ensure your hearing levels continue to be monitored and that your hearing aids are working well and up to date with any changes to your hearing and device software upgrades. We pride ourselves on our after-care and encourage our clients to contact us whenever a hearing aid issue arises