Why Your Follow-Up Appointments Matter Just as Much as the First Visit

The appointment where you’re fitted with your hearing aids may feel like the most important appointment in your hearing journey. While this is often a significant moment for people with hearing loss, particularly if this is your first pair of hearing aids, any follow-up appointments recommended by your hearing care professional are just as crucial. As independent hearing clinics, the Find My Hearing Clinics care about how good a result you get with your hearing aids. The hearing care professionals at our independent clinics want you to hear your best, and your follow-up appointments are a key tool in ensuring that this happens. In this blog, we will explain why attending any follow-up appointments recommended by your independent hearing care professional is important.

Follow-Up Appointments in the Weeks After Your Fitting Appointment

There are several purposes to follow-up appointments in the weeks after your fitting that can help ensure you are getting the most out of your hearing aids, including:

1. An opportunity for your hearing care professional to check that you are managing your hearing aid okay.
This can include inserting, handling, and cleaning the hearing aid well. It also allows you to ask any questions regarding any of these matters.

2. Check that you are hearing well with your hearing aids.
During your initial consultation, your hearing care professional likely identified listening situations that are both challenging and meaningful to you. Your follow-up appointment is a valuable opportunity to assess how well you’re hearing in those situations and to determine whether you’re experiencing the improvements you hoped for. If you’re not quite there yet, this visit allows for adjustments and further support to help you get the most from your hearing aids.

3. Further optimise the hearing aids.
Not everyone can comfortably tolerate the full volume they ultimately need from their hearing aids right away. In many cases, it’s necessary to gradually adjust to the optimal settings over time. This process often involves a series of follow-up appointments to fine-tune your hearing aids and ensure the best possible outcome.

4. Continue on with anything not covered at the fitting appointment.
Sometimes, there is a lot to cover during a fitting appointment, which can feel overwhelming due to the sheer amount of information. This is especially true if someone is new to hearing aids, needs additional programs, has complex hearing loss, or is being fitted with multiple accessories. In these circumstances, the hearing care professional may prioritise helping you get started with the hearing aids during the initial fitting appointment and postpone some aspects of the fitting until your following appointment.

5. Adjust the hearing aids based on your feedback.
While your hearing care professional may set the hearing aids according to your expected settings, your personal preferences are also important. After you have worn the hearing aids for a short time, you may have feedback on what you like and dislike about the sound. Follow-up appointments provide an opportunity to share this information with your hearing care professional so they can make necessary adjustments.

6. Anything else specific to your needs.
Since everyone’s hearing needs are unique, follow-up appointments are tailored to suit your individual goals and challenges.

Follow-Up Appointments in the Months/Years After Your Fitting Appointment

Once you have had your initial sequence of fitting and follow-up appointments, you will still periodically have follow-up or review appointments with your hearing care professional. These appointments also provide an important opportunity to check your hearing and hearing aids, ensure everything is optimised, and help you maintain strong hearing. Your hearing can change over time, as can the function of your hearing aids, so attending these appointments is essential.

How Many Follow-up Appointments will I have?

One advantage of attending an independent hearing clinic is that your hearing care professional will customise your hearing rehabilitation program (including the fitting and number of follow-up appointments for your hearing aids) to meet your needs. Your hearing care professional will identify what you need to hear your best and arrange a schedule that accommodates this. The number of follow-up appointments you need may change throughout the process, as it will be adjusted based on your progress with hearing aids or any changes in your needs.

With our network of independent hearing clinics, you will receive the follow-up care needed to hear your best. If you are ready to start your hearing aid journey, we recommend you contact your local independent hearing care professional and book an appointment at your local independent hearing clinic. You can find your local clinic through the Find My Hearing Clinic – Clinic Locator