Services
At Country Roads Audiology & Hearing Aid Center, we want to help you with all aspects of your hearing healthcare. Whether you need your first hearing evaluation or are an experienced hearing aid user, we are here to help.
Hearing Tests
A diagnostic hearing evaluation (or hearing test) is an essential part of your hearing healthcare as well as your overall well-being. A diagnostic evaluation is an in-depth hearing evaluation that will determine whether a hearing loss is present and, if so, the type and severity of the loss. A diagnostic evaluation is not the same as a hearing screening, which only provides a glimpse of your hearing ability. A hearing screening does not provide enough information to diagnose a hearing loss or determine treatment options. A diagnostic hearing evaluation is vital to the diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss.
Your diagnostic evaluation will include a detailed discussion of your medical and hearing health history as well as how your symptoms are impacting your daily life. A physical examination of your ears will allow us to determine the health of the ear canal and eardrum or if there is a blockage in your ear contributing to the difficulties you are experiencing.
We will use a series of audiometric tests to determine the nature, severity and configuration of your hearing loss. Some of these tests will involve listening for a series of beeps while others will involve the repetition of words. These tests provide important information concerning your hearing ability, treatment options that may be available to you as well as how hearing aids may help in your daily life.
Our findings will be discussed with you so that you have a clear understanding of your hearing loss and treatment options.
Hearing Aid Fittings
At Country Roads Audiology & Hearing Aid Center, we know that hearing is a personal experience. The type and severity of hearing loss, the brain’s ability to process sound and the daily needs of each person can be very different. Therefore, it is very important that the hearing aid fitting is personal as well. We take the time to ensure that your hearing devices are delivering sound in an appropriate and pleasing way to you. This attention to detail is why we have such a high rate of success with hearing aids in our office.
Once you have selected your hearing aids, after a thorough diagnostic evaluation and hearing aid evaluation, your audiologist will program them, based on a prescription, to meet your specific hearing needs. The audiologist will show you how to use the hearing aids, how to care for them and how to change the batteries or use the charger if they are rechargeable. Please feel free to bring a family member with you!
Your fitting is not finished once you leave our office with your new hearing aids. Over the next few appointments, you may need additional customization to ensure that you are adjusting well to all of the new sounds you are hearing. We are here every step of the way to help you on your road to better hearing.
Pediatric Hearing Services
Audiological services for children can look much different than those for adults. We are happy to test your child aged 6 months or older (gestational/corrected age) using Visual Reinforcement Audiometry and/or Conditioned Play Audiometry. Other tests, such as Tympanometry, which measures the movement of the eardrum and evaluates the health of the middle ear system, and Otoacoustic Emissions, which measures the function of the outer hair cells in the cochlea, may also be performed.
Industrial Hearing Screening
Many places of employment are required to monitor their employees’ hearing yearly. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) and the DOT (Department of Transportation) are a few of the regulatory agencies that require monitoring of hearing ability for people in certain occupations and work environments. These screenings are quick yearly assessments of hearing that are compared to an employee's baseline screening in order to watch for progression or changes in hearing levels that may be a result of noise exposure in the workplace.
Hearing Aid Repair
What happens when your hearing aid is not working properly?
Hearing aids are amazing devices, but, even with proper care, things do happen that cause a hearing aid not to perform properly. We understand that can be frustrating and stressful, but we are here to help.
We are happy to evaluate your hearing aid (whether you purchased it here or not) and determine the cause of the problem. Some repairs can be done in the office the same day. At times though, a hearing aid will need to be sent directly to the manufacturer for a more complicated repair. We understand it can be difficult to be without your hearing aid while it is being repaired so we may have loaner hearing aids for you to use during this time.
Call us if your hearing aid is not functioning properly so we can help you get back to hearing life.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus (from the Latin word tinnire, meaning to ring) is the perception of noise within the ear when the noise is absent externally. An estimated 50 million Americans experience tinnitus with 90% of those also having hearing loss. While typically not dangerous, tinnitus can be quite frustrating and may lead to difficulty sleeping or concentrating, anxiety, depression and irritability. If you are experiencing tinnitus, it is important to see a hearing healthcare provider for an evaluation.
While tinnitus may sound differently to some people, it is most typically characterized as:
- Ringing
- Hissing
- Roaring
- Buzzing
- Chirping
Many factors can cause tinnitus including:
- Hearing loss
- Exposure to noise/loud sounds
- Medication
- Vascular issues
- Excessive earwax
- Trauma
There are options available to help you find some relief from your tinnitus. The severity and cause of your tinnitus will help determine which option may be the best for you.
- Attend to the problem: If tinnitus is a result of excessive ear wax, ear infection or medication, taking care of the problem will often help.
- Hearing Aids: Hearing aids are often equipped with tinnitus masking features. Whether a hearing loss is present or not, tinnitus masking options in hearing aids may help to offer some relief.
- White noise/sound machines: White noise/sound machines may help to mask tinnitus, particularly at night.
- Therapy: Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and Behavioral Therapy may help those who have more severe difficulties managing their tinnitus.
Custom Hearing Protection and Earmolds
Whether on the job or during recreational activities, your daily activities could be putting your hearing at risk. It takes just one instance of being exposed to a loud sound to experience permanent damage to your hearing. More than 15% of Americans, children and adults alike, have hearing loss as a result of exposure to loud sounds. There are ways to help prevent this damage from occurring. Protecting your hearing from noise is easy and comfortable with custom hearing protection solutions.
Custom earmolds are available in a variety of options. We offer options for musicians, swimmers, hearing aid wearers and those who just need a good night’s sleep. So whether you are a professional musician or a member of a high school band, a swim team member or the parent of a child with ear tubes, we have a solution for you. Contact us at Country Roads Audiology to explore your custom earmold options.
Assistive Listening Devices and Accessories
Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) and accessories can help enhance the benefit you are receiving from your hearing aids or may be used independently of hearing aids depending on the device and the situation. We can help you find solutions if you are experiencing challenges hearing the television or on the telephone. We can offer options for smoke alarms, alarm clocks and other specialized needs.
Veterans and First Responders Program
Veterans and First Responders are vital members of our community. They give of themselves to protect us and help us in our worst times. The sacrifices they (and their families) make are immense. As our way of saying thank you to these men and women of our community, we are proud to offer a discount through our Veterans and First Responders Program. If you are a Veteran or First Responder (Fire, Volunteer Fire, Police, EMS, Dispatch), please ask us about your discount at your appointment. We appreciate you!