How to find a hearing care professional you love

Maybe you’re just looking to get a hearing exam. Or maybe your primary care provider (PCP) suspects that you need hearing aids. No matter the reason, it might be time to find a hearing care professional.

But not just anyone. It’s important to find someone you feel comfortable with. Someone you can trust. And someone you can talk to openly.

After all, you may see this person a lot if you get hearing aids, maybe even as often as 4 to 6 times a year, says Rachel Sours. She’s a hearing aid specialist at Willoughby Hearing in North Plains, Oregon. “So, you want to feel good about the dynamic,” she adds.

Learn what type of hearing care professional may be right for you, how to start your search and what signs to look for in a good match.

The 2 types of hearing care professionals

You have several options when it’s time to get your hearing checked.

• Audiologist: These hearing care professionals have specialized degrees to help with hearing and balance issues. They can diagnose, treat and help manage these conditions.
  
  That means they can give you a comprehensive hearing exam and diagnose any hearing loss. And if you need hearing aids, they can fit you with the right device, program it and schedule follow-up visits.^{1, 2} If you belong to AARP®, you can request a no-cost hearing exam and consultation through AARP® Hearing Solutions™ provided by UnitedHealthcare Hearing.

• Hearing instrument specialist: These hearing care professionals are similar to audiologists. They don’t have advanced degrees, but they are licensed by their state. They’re also known as hearing aid specialists or hearing aid dispensers.^{1, 2}
  
  Like audiologists, they can give you a hearing exam, though they can’t diagnose hearing loss. And because they’re covered by most hearing plans, you can go to a hearing instrument specialist instead of an audiologist to get hearing aids.^{1, 2}

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How to start your search

If you know you’re eventually going to need hearing aids, you’ll want a hearing care professional who can educate you on the process, says Sours. “A lot of people get hearing aids and think the world is going to be back to what it used to be before their hearing loss.” Then, she adds, they get discouraged, because they weren’t really educated by that hearing care professional.

To find someone who will walk you through the process:

• Ask your primary care provider for a recommendation. Your PCP may know of someone or keep a list of recommendations. They may also send you to an ear, nose and throat specialist (also known as an ENT) first. An ENT is a medical doctor who diagnoses, treats and manages diseases of the ear, nose, throat, head and neck. These include conditions such as vertigo or Ménière’s disease.
  
  While ENTs can give you a hearing exam, they usually refer you to a hearing care professional to be fitted for hearing aids.^{1, 2}

• Talk to family and friends. Especially those who wear hearing aids. “Ask them, ‘How did that person make you feel?’ and ‘Did you feel taken care of?’” Sours advises.
   
• Do an online search. If you have a hearing care plan, go to the “find a provider” tool on their website. That helps you find someone in your area who may be covered by the plan (also known as in-network).
  
  Reading the online reviews of your in-network picks can be helpful too. Don’t just focus on the ones that said the office was good at scheduling timely appointments, says Sours. “Hearing is very intimate and personal,” she explains. So, also look for reviews by patients who felt they had a teammate throughout the process, she says. “Those are good things to look for.”

Ready to request a hearing exam and consultation? AARP Hearing Solutions has a wide network of hearing care professionals. Find a provider.

Signs of a good hearing care professional

“There is also a lot of stigma and shame surrounding hearing loss,” says Sours. So, you really need a hearing care professional you can talk to and who will listen. Traits to look for:

• They’re supportive. You want to be able to trust your hearing care professional when you open up about your struggles. Do they listen to your concerns about hearing issues? Or problems you might be having with your hearing aids? Those are key qualities to look for.
  
  “Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists have a lot of things they can do to support a patient, but only if the patient feels it’s OK to be vulnerable and share those difficulties,” Sours says.
  
  If you get the feeling they’re not listening to you, that’s a red flag, says Sours.

• They build your confidence. It’s important to feel like you’re in good hands. But it’s equally important to leave the office feeling more prepared than when you walked in, notes Sours.
  
  “My job is to make sure you’re comfortable with the sound and the physical feel of hearing aids,” she says. Another issue to tackle: “Confidence — do you know how to use these hearing aids? Do you know what to do when you’re out in the real world?”

• They answer your questions. A good hearing care professional should explain things in a way that you understand. That’s important because they may need to go through the pros and cons of each type of hearing aid, for example. Or walk you through the ins and outs of using Bluetooth or apps with your hearing aids. If you don’t understand an answer, ask them to explain it another way.³

Getting used to your hearing aids is a process. The right hearing care professional should have your back as you go through it. Think of them as your hearing health partner.

Sources

1. Who can I turn to for help with my hearing loss? National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Last updated July 5, 2022. 
2. Audiologist vs. hearing instrument specialist vs. ENTs American Academy of Audiology. Accessed August 12, 2024.  
3. How to choose a doctor you can talk to National Institute on Aging. Last reviewed February 1, 2020.

Information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of a licensed medical provider. Consult your provider prior to making changes to your lifestyle or health care routine.

AARP Hearing Solutions is available to all AARP members and does not require a health insurance plan from UnitedHealthcare. The AARP hearing program discount cannot be combined with any other discounts, promotions, coupons or hearing aid benefit plans unless noted herein. Products or services that are reimbursable by federal programs including Medicare and Medicaid are not available on a discounted or complimentary basis. AARP commercial member benefits are provided by third parties, not by AARP or its affiliates. Providers pay a royalty fee to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. Some provider offers are subject to change and may have restrictions. Please contact the provider directly for details. UnitedHealthcare Hearing is provided through UnitedHealthcare, offered to existing members of certain products underwritten or provided by UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates to provide specific hearing aid discounts. This is not an insurance nor managed care product, and fees or charges for services in excess of those defined in program materials are the member's responsibility. UnitedHealthcare does not endorse nor guarantee hearing aid products/services available through the hearing program. This program may not be available in all states or for all group sizes. Components subject to change.

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