Hearing involves not only information going from the ears to the brain but information going from the brain to your ears as well.
Hearing is intrinsically tied to cognition: next time you hear a noise and know what it is, that’s your functional hearing at work! A functional hearing assessment will give you a strong understanding of how your hearing works for you in spaces where it could struggle, like loud events with background noise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Functional Hearing Assessments
Q. What is a functional hearing assessment?
Strong hearing health and good cognition are key components to healthy aging. Our functional hearing assessments are more comprehensive evaluations of your hearing health, focusing on how your hearing works in the real world.
From background noise to speech recognition, you’ll get a clear picture of how your hearing works alongside your busy, active lifestyle, allowing your audiologist to recommend the best course of treatment for you.
Q. How is a functional hearing assessment different from a diagnostic hearing assessment?
A diagnostic hearing test will find out if you’re struggling with hearing loss; a functional hearing test will see how your hearing works in the real world, outside of our clinic.
It’s important to see how your hearing functions in background noise and how well you can understand speech so you can take steps to help your hearing, whether it be through hearing protection or hearing aids.
The FHA will give us (and you) a clearer picture of your hearing health and allow us to recommend a course of treatment with you at the forefront, even if that treatment is more hearing preservation than hearing amplification.
Q. What if I already wear hearing aids and want to know how well my hearing functions?
If you are already wearing hearing aids, we will incorporate portions of the functional hearing assessment in future appointments.
Q. I’d like a functional hearing test but not a diagnostic test. Can I get the functional hearing test instead?
Q. What if my functional hearing assessment determines I need hearing aids?
Q. What Happens During a Functional Hearing Assessment?
Our functional hearing assessments are very similar to our diagnostic hearing tests in that we start with a conversation about you to learn more about your busy lifestyle, places you frequent, and what kinds of medical history could have led to your struggles in hearing.
After a quick examination of your ears, we’ll then move forward onto the test itself: you’ll find out your current level of ease of listening, as well as how well you can decipher speech in noisier environments, which is something that many people, even with good levels of hearing, struggle with.
Q. What are some of the tests used to diagnose hearing loss?
A. A series of tests may or may not be used during a hearing test, such as:
- Tympanometry, which measures the reaction of the eardrum to a subtle pressure change in the ear canal. It helps identify fluid behind the eardrum, a ruptured eardrum, or other middle ear issues.
- Pure Tone Audiometry is used to determine the type and severity of your hearing loss by establishing your hearing threshold, which is the lowest level that you can hear pure tones between 250 Hz and 8000 Hz that are transmitted through headphones.
- Speech Audiometry testing involves two tests: your speech reception threshold (SRT), which includes spoken words transmitted at varying levels and frequencies, and speech discrimination, which records the number of phonetically-balanced words you can repeat correctly at a comfortable listening level.
- Bone Conduction Tests are conducted by transmitting sound signals directly to the inner ear through the surrounding bones by using a special type of headband. When compared with pure tone test results, it can help us distinguish between sensorineural or conductive type hearing loss.
- Additional Tests can include otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) tests or auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests that may be used for certain cases.
What Happens During a Functional Hearing Assessment?
Our functional hearing assessments are very similar to our diagnostic hearing tests in that we start with a conversation about you to learn more about your busy lifestyle, places you frequent, and what kinds of medical history could have led to your struggles in hearing.
After a quick examination of your ears, we’ll then move forward onto the test itself: you’ll find out your current level of ease of listening, as well as how well you can decipher speech in noisier environments, which is something that many people, even with good levels of hearing, struggle with.
You’ll receive your results on the same day as the test, and our team will walk you through any next steps that need to be taken, whether that be with custom hearing protection or advanced prescription hearing aids.
With the help of a functional hearing assessment, you can get a handle on how your hearing truly functions in your active and busy lifestyle, and ensure that it continues to work as best as it can for you for a long time.
Schedule a Functional Hearing Evaluation
Curious to find out how well your hearing functions in real-world applications? We’re open to new appointments for our functional hearing assessments!
Please fill out the form, and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we can to arrange a mutually beneficial appointment time.
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