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Issue date November 2019

Review date: November 2021

Ref: D-111/Audiology/AB/Telephone Follow-ups 1 v4

PDF:  Telephone Follow Up 1 final November 2019 v4.pdf [pdf] 206KB

When is my follow-up call?

Typically this will be 8 – 10 weeks after your new aid(s) were fitted. It may take this time to get used to the new sound from your hearing aid(s) as it will be different from previously.

If you find this time isn’t convenient please ring the Audiology Department and ask for it to be changed

What will happen during my follow-up call?

The Audiologist will first want to check that they are talking to the correct person. They will do this by asking you for your date of birth and address, and checking it agrees with the information they have. The Audiologist will then ask some general questions about how you have been getting along with your hearing aid(s), for example checking that they are comfortable and you know how to switch them on and off.

The Audiologist will then ask you about your hearing aid(s) in a number of different situations. These situations are, the same ones you discussed with the Audiologist before you were fitted with your new hearing aid(s), as follows

• Listening to the television with other family or friends, when the volume is adjusted to suit other people.
• Having a conversation with another person when there is no background noise
• Carrying on a conversation in a busy street or shop
• Having a conversation with several people in a group

They will also ask you about any other situations discussed with your Audiologist, where it is important for you to hear as well as possible.

For each situation they will ask you how much you use your new hearing aid(s), how much difficulty you now have, how much your hearing aid(s) help, and how satisfied you are with them compared to your previous aid(s). It can take time to go through all these questions, but it gives the advisor a good picture of how you are getting along, so is important to complete. To make it easier, you will be asked to select the most appropriate answer for each question from a list. These lists are given opposite.

During your follow-up call, when asked, please select the most appropriate answer from the lists below:

In this situation, what proportion of the time do you wear your NEW hearing aid?

a) Never / not at all

b) About ¼ of the time

c)  About ½ of the time

d) About ¾ of the time

e) All the time

 

In this situation, with your new hearing aid, how much difficulty do you now have?

1. No difficulty
2. Only slight difficulty
3. Moderate difficulty
4. Great difficulty
5. Cannot manage at all

 

In this situation, how much more does your new hearing aid help compared to your previous one?

1. New aid much worse
2. New aid worse
3. New aid the same
4. New aid better
5. New aid much better

 

For this situation, how much more satisfied are you with your new aid than with your previous hearing aid?

1. Much less satisfied
2. Less satisfied
3. Equally satisfied
4. More satisfied
5. Much more satisfied

 

How long will the follow-up call take?

This will vary, but typically it will take about 20 minutes. You may want to have a seat next to the telephone so you can sit down during the call.

Using the telephone

Many people who have a hearing loss have problems hearing on the telephone, but with hearing aid(s) most are able to hear better.

The following tips should help:

1. If you answer the telephone without your hearing aid(s) in ask the caller to wait whilst you put your hearing aid(s) in
2. Hold the telephone receiver slightly higher than normal, so the middle of the speaker lines up with the top of your hearing aid where the microphone is.
3. If you have a telephone with a built in telecoil or telecoil adaptor, switch your hearing aid to the telecoil setting during the call
4. If your hearing aid(s) or telephone has a volume control, adjust these so you can hear comfortably.

 

If you find you still have problems hearing on the telephone when using your hearing aid(s) and are concerned about receiving your follow-up call as you feel you may not hear well enough, you can cancel it and have a follow-up appointment instead.

 

To do this please write to:

 

Audiology Department

Level 7

Derriford Hospital

Plymouth

PL6 8DH

 

Or telephone: 01752 431253/4

 

This can be done by someone else on your behalf, with your permission.