Our Hearing Aid Fitting Process
Once we have evaluated your hearing and determined you are a candidate for a hearing aid, we will select the appropriate hearing aid for your unique situation. Many factors go into choosing the correct hearing aid, including your type of hearing loss, your lifestyle, manual dexterity, desire for certain hearing aid technology, and your budget.
Bay Area Audiology is an independent office with no ties to any specific hearing aid manufacturers. This means we are not influenced by contracts or sales incentives — we simply recommend the very best hearing aid for you. We also provide same day in-office hearing aid demonstrations that provide you with time to “test drive” your new hearing aids and experience the benefits of cutting-edge digital hearing aid technology.
Hearing Aid Programming
Digital hearing aids have hundreds of parameters that can be adjusted in order to achieve the optimal results. Several adjustments are expected to be made in the initial period when you first get hearing aids, as your brain adjusts to the different sounds or to better accommodate to specific listening environments.
Real Ear Measurements
Fitting a hearing aid is truly a personalized experience that is tailored accordingly to each person’s ear and hearing abilities. Everyone’s ear canals are shaped differently, which impacts the way we program each person’s hearing aids. All hearing aids are programmed using advanced Real Ear Measurement (REM) technology. Real Ear Measurements allow us to measure the amount of sound the hearing aid is producing while in your ear canal. These measurements are considered the “gold standard” of programming hearing aids and are essential in order to obtain an accurately fitting hearing.
Real World Sound Simulations
We are able to recreate real world listening environments in the office with our surround sound system that allow new hearing aid users to perceive the improvement hearing aids can provide in challenging listening situations right in the office. They can also be used to replicate sounds for existing hearing aid users in an attempt to improve the hearing aids programming for specific listening situations.
Hearing Aid Purchase Package
All new hearing aids purchased through Bay Area Audiology include:
- Hearing aid programming using state-of-the-art technology
- 3 Years of no charge office visits for hearing aid checks/programming appointments
- A 60-Day Risk-Free Trial Period
- 3 Year Manufacturer’s Repair Warranty
- 3 Year Manufacturer’s Loss & Damage Warranty
- Membership into our Wholesale Battery Club
- Hearing aid cleaning tools
We want you to be 100% satisfied with your hearing aids! Once you are fit with your hearing aids, we will see you back for a few follow-up appointments to make any adjustments to the devices and to ensure you are satisfied. After your follow-up appointments, if you are not satisfied with your hearing aids, you have 60 days to return them for a guaranteed 100% refund.
Hearing Aid Maintenance
Hearing aids are sophisticated electronics that require routine maintenance. Besides daily cleaning, we recommend routine 6-month hearing aid checks. During these checks, we replace parts, use sophisticated equipment to verify the hearing aids programming, and give the devices a professional cleaning using a vacuum system, special chemicals, and tools. Three years’ worth of hearing aid checks are included with the purchase of new hearing.
Hearing Aid Repairs and Troubleshooting
Hearing aids occasionally need repair. If your hearing aid is still under warranty, we will send it out for repair free-of-charge. If it is out-of-warranty and we are unable to repair it in-the-office, we will send it out for a sensible fee. Out-of-warranty repairs that have to be sent to the manufacturer for repair return with either a 6 or 12-month manufacturer warranty. Repair warranties can be extended for an additional fee if desired.