Following the hearing assessment, we will review your results, discuss current hearing technology, and provide recommendations to help you achieve your communication goals. You may take that information home to think it over or decide at the appointment if you want to initiate a trial period with hearing aids. The trial period is a 60-day extendable period during which we will check in with follow-up appointments and take care of any concerns that arise during your adaptation period. If needed, we will also take earmold impressions of your ears at this appointment.
Hearing sensitivity can change over time. The hearing aids may need to be re-tuned to accommodate hearing changes. This is covered under the three-year warranty and includes Real Ear Measurement verification, re-programming of the hearing aids, cleaning, and repair if needed. This type of appointment is also for individuals who acquired hearing aids elsewhere but want a second opinion on their current set of hearing aids.
Follow-up appointments during trial periods are necessary following a new hearing aid evaluation to ensure proper use, care, and future success! We follow up more closely during the trial period timeline to ensure satisfaction.
Depending on your progress and personal experience, we will schedule reminders during the year to come back for maintenance and follow-up. Hearing aids, hearing loss (and people!) change over time, so please come back to see us! We are here to help!
Hearing loss can be difficult to understand for our family and friends who have normal hearing. We encourage you to bring your partner, family member, or friend to appointments to be an extra set of ears and support. Due to pandemic concerns, please limit to one companion per visit. Thank you for understanding
Please contact your family doctor if your ear(s) hurt. There should be no pain in your ears so this could be a sign of a medical issue and should be addressed immediately.
Many factors are involved in success with hearing aids.
How well you hear with your hearing aids depends in part on the degree and configuration of your hearing loss. A person with a mild hearing loss will usually perform better with hearing aids than a person with a severe to profound hearing loss.
• The ability to hear words clearly, especially in noise, is quite variable between individuals.
• Will determine what type of hearing aids we recommend as there are different levels of maintenance requirements
• We always promote independence in the care and maintenance of hearing aids, but we will include a family member or caregiver to help with the process when necessary.
• Will shape your hearing journey. We will strive to communicate realistic expectations: what is possible, what is not possible, what we can offer and how we will do it.
• Can be shaped by other people’s positive or negative experiences. Try to remember that we are all unique and our experiences are unique.
• Getting a new device is only part of your hearing journey; we will guide you through ways to improve your overall communication abilities.
• The desire to hear better and solve your communication challenges.
• Acceptance of your hearing loss and of the help you need to hear better.
• The willingness to share and advocate with others about your hearing loss.
• The understanding that getting new hearing devices is part of a process and that the adaptation process can take time.
We provide comprehensive, premium hearing health care delivery for the three-year warranty (repair and loss and damage inclusive) of your hearing aid(s). This service package is included when you purchase a new set of hearing aid(s) with us.
Contact UsThere are many internal and external benefits to improving your hearing capacity, including the reduction of listening effort and social isolation. Hearing aids often help improve other areas of life such as personal relationships, workplace productivity, and academic studies. There is also extensive research on the correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline. According to leading researchers on memory and cognition at John Hopkins University, the treatment of hearing loss is now considered the single most modifiable risk factor for preventing cognitive decline. The ability to hear is an essential human function that elevates all our worldly and personal experiences! We are here to help!
• Maximize and Optimize! The ultimate goal of our hearing aid services is to maximize your hearing abilities/competence and to optimize the hearing aid performance. We want to elevate your hearing abilities and expectations. However, because each person’s hearing loss and communication challenges are unique, maximum and optimal benefit look different for each person. We work with each client to customize their hearing aid solution to their individual needs.
• It takes time and expertise for the audiologist to adjust and fine-tune a hearing aid and most people require additional appointments to fine-tune the hearing aids after they have used it in regular life. We also spend time talking about realistic expectations, how to adapt to new hearing aids, and how to use and care for the hearing aids.
• Hearing aids have tiny, sophisticated electronic components that are controlled by a miniaturized computer. These small devices are situated in the ear canal which is humid, potentially also with dead skin and ear wax, which are problematic for electronic devices. Regular, expert maintenance is required to ensure your hearing aids continue to work optimally.
• Proceeding with hearing aid is just the first step towards better communication. We at Elevate Hearing will support you throughout your hearing loss journey, provide education on better ways to communicate and also direct you to useful resources to help you improve your own
• Hearing aids are indeed “aids”, and not a cure. They can be extremely helpful and life-changing for many people, but they cannot restore your hearing to be equal to someone with normal hearing.
• How well you hear with your hearing aids depends in part on the degree of damage in your ears. A person with a mild hearing loss will usually perform better with hearing aids than a person with a severe to profound hearing loss.
• When hearing aids are not enough, we have other solutions that can be part of a treatment plan, including assistive listening devices (e.g., Roger system), and aural rehabilitation techniques. Our audiologists can discuss the options with you.
• Hearing aids are sophisticated marvels of technology that incorporate powerful, miniaturized computers, as well as components of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The development of this technology takes extensive research and development.
• Fitting hearing aids requires a trained professional to select, prescribe, evaluate and adjust the hearing aids. Each hearing aid must be customized to each person’s hearing and needs.
• When you choose to proceed with hearing aids, you are purchasing not only the hearing aids themselves, but a service and follow-up package to ensure your hearing aids are properly adjusted and maintained. The cost of the hearing aids includes a service and follow-up component, which is bundled together with the cost of the devices. In essence, you are paying up-front for all the appointments needed to adjust and maintain your hearing aids over the 3-year warranty period.
In British Columbia, there is no coverage for hearing aids through MSP. Funding is available for people covered by third-party funders, such as WorkSafeBC, Veterans Affairs Canada, and First Nations Health. People who need hearing aids in order to work may be eligible for WorkBC Assistive Technology Services funding, depending on their income level. Some people who are on BC’s permanent disability program may have coverage – we can help you verify eligibility if that applies to you.
On-line sales of hearing aids is prohibited by the College of Speech and Hearing Professional of BC because there can be significant risks of harm with an improperly fit hearing aid. These hearing aids are often “gray-market”, older technology with minimal or no warranty. We recommend against purchasing cheaper hearing aids that do not include follow-up services from an Audiologist who can ensure that your hearing aids are fit safely, appropriately, and provide measurable benefit.
Hearing aid squealing is known as feedback and can occur for a variety of reasons. We work very hard to make sure that you do not experience feedback. If there is feedback, it could be due to buildup of earwax in the ear, a cracked or damaged hearing aid/mold, or an incompletely inserted hearing aid. We are here to help if you experience feedback issues – this is part of our follow-up service.
If you have any problems, please call for an appointment at 604-707-7145.
• Miniaturization of electronic and computer components has made so-called Invisible-In-the-Canal (IIC) hearing aids possible. That said, hearing aids must be large enough to include all the components necessary to make them function, therefore how small a hearing aid can be made is a function of the size of the ear canal it needs to fit in. If you have larger ear canal it is more likely that a nearly invisible hearing aid can be made for you, versus someone with very small ear canals.
• Another innovative option for people who want hearing that is invisible is the Phonak Lyric, an extended wear device. This device stays in the ear full-time and is replaced every two to three months. Please visit the Hearing Aids section of our website for more information on the Phonak Lyric.
• A proper recommendation of one vs two hearing aids requires a complete hearing assessment of your hearing sensitivity and hearing health.
• Hearing from both ears is required to maximize benefit. For example: localizing the source of sounds in space as well as hearing in noisy, challenging environments is much easier with two ears.
• Most people who have hearing loss have it in both ears, or bilaterally. For bilateral hearing loss, two hearing aids are recommended to maximize benefit.
• Some people have hearing loss in one ear, requiring one hearing aid only. Each person’s situation is different, and we will discuss all your options so that you can make an informed decision. All hearing aids come with a 60-day trial period to give you time to evaluate benefit.
• For more information, please visit the Hearing Aids section to read about hearing aid expectations and successes.
Roger DM systems are an effective solution to partner with your hearing aid to enhance your ability to hear in noisy situations, hear from a distance (beyond 6 feet/2 metres), or hear in a room with poor acoustics.
Roger DM systems are very helpful and beneficial for people:
There are different options depending on your needs – see the Phonak website for more detailed information: https://www.phonak.com/com/en/hearing-aids/accessories/roger.html
We offer a significant discount to clients who purchased their hearing aids at Elevate Hearing and are later interested in adding a Roger system. There is a 60-day trial period with these devices.
Elevate Hearing is a Certified Lyric Provider. Phonak Lyric is a truly invisible hearing loss solution. It is an extended-wear device that is inserted near the eardrum and stays in the ear canal for up to two months before being removed and replaced.
More information here: https://www.phonak.com/ca/en/hearing-aids/lyric-invisible-hearing-aids.html
At Elevate Hearing we are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date and innovative technology available. We may be a new clinic, but we are far from new in the hearing aid industry and have worked with all of the largest international hearing aid manufacturers for over 45 years. We are an independent clinic – not owned by a hearing aid manufacturer – which allows us to be client-centred and select the hearing devices with the most appropriate and beneficial features for you. Rest assured that you will have time to decide if the recommended hearing solution is right for you, during the 60-day trial period.
To meet our clients’ hearing needs, we select and recommend from the following manufacturers:
We can help renew your hearing clarity and get you there. You can feel like yourself again, and experience connections like you remember.