Remember those traditional hearing tests where you’d sit in a booth, pressing a button every time you heard a beep? While these tests served their purpose, today’s hearing technology has evolved dramatically to provide a more natural and meaningful experience. At Evear Hearing, we’re excited to offer one of the most advanced fitting methods available: live speech mapping.
Instead of relying solely on artificial sounds, live speech mapping uses real-world voices and conversations to help us program your hearing aids. This innovative approach means your hearing solution will be customised to the sounds that matter most in your daily life – making the entire process more comfortable and relevant for you.
The best part? This modern technique typically helps our patients find their ideal hearing aid settings more quickly and accurately than traditional methods. You’ll leave our office confident that your hearing aids are perfectly programmed to help you engage in the conversations and activities that matter most in your life.
What Is Live Speech Mapping?
Hearing aids are sent from the manufacturer with default settings; typically requiring more extensive programming to suit your individual needs. You need a hearing specialist to adjust the settings until the device is set up for you specifically.
Live speech mapping is a method for finding your ideal hearing aid settings faster. It helps us get to the right settings on the first try, so you don’t have to come back in for a follow-up appointment so soon.
This is also a better testing experience for patients. Live speech mapping is easier to follow along with, so you can enjoy hearing improvements in real-time. You’re likely to leave the appointment feeling better about your hearing aid settings and more capable of engaging with the world.
Some important benefits of live speech mapping for patients include:
- Emphasises human speech in the hearing aid fitting process
- Proven to increase successful outcomes of fittings
- Increases confidence and clarity while using your new hearing aids
- Reduces the number of return visits you have to make
- Provides more immediate and tangible results
Your Live Speech Mapping Appointment
Live speech mapping appointments are very similar to traditional hearing aid fittings. You’ll come into our office, answer a few general health questions and then sit down with your hearing aid specialist for testing.
The main difference comes from the type of testing you do. Instead of listening for beeps and noises across different frequencies, you’ll listen to actual speech. Your hearing specialist will ask you to identify the words and phrases that you hear. Then, they’ll adjust your hearing aid settings based on the answers you provide.
After the fitting process ends, you’ll have the chance to talk with your hearing specialist about the changes. This is a good opportunity to ask questions; you may want to bring a family member or friend along to support you.