Perth Audiology & Dizziness

I really love supporting my clients to have a good quality of life, and you'll see this reflected in the time, energy and evidence I educate you with during your consultation. A heartfelt thank you to Chelsea for taking the time out of your busy schedule to write this piece. My reflections and comments are at the end.

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Quick Stats (piece by Chelsea):
Chelsea
Female, 34yo
Audiology results: Mild Hearing Loss!
Job: Primary School Special Needs Education Teacher
Likes: My husband, my sons, cats, pearls & the colour yellow.
Dislikes: Staying up past 9pm.
Pets: 3 cats, 5 hermit crabs and a lot of freshwater fish (like, a lot).

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I met Kat for a routine check-up and discovered I had hearing loss, likely from viral meningitis since I was born with normal hearing. At 34, I didn’t think I needed hearing aids but eventually decided to try the latest Starkey ones Kat recommended. The difference was immediate — sounds were so clear they startled me at first, and my brain felt overloaded.

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What convinced me to buy hearing aids was a moment at my regular café. I’d always thought the friendly waiter mumbled or had a foreign accent because I could never hear him properly. My friends who came with me always insisted he didn’t have an accent and that they could hear him perfectly fine, but I just couldn’t understand him. I used to rely on his exaggerated hand gestures and the register display to check my order. Just smile and nod.

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During my hearing aid trial, I forgot I was wearing them and ordered as usual—then realised I could understand every word he said, in a clear Aussie accent! I couldn’t stop smiling. I could finally hear this waiter I’d known for years! I was so excited I ran back to my friends and practically shouted, “I HAVE TO TELL YOU WHAT JUST HAPPENED!” I was on top of the world.

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My Starkey Edge 24 AI mric RC hearing aids have changed my life. I can hear clearly and enjoy socialising again without getting overwhelmed. When I told Kat this story, she said, “You’ve made my day.” I replied, “Thanks—you’ve made my every day.”

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My professional dialogue:

At first, Chelsea was not convinced she'd need hearing aids, however during her initial consultation, though her audiogram results "weren't terrible", her complaints and issues listening in her real life really worried me. At any age the struggles to listen and exert listening effort were high for Chelsea, and this means that her brain was working harder to process speech, especially speech in background noise.

 

I often see this in many individuals with (mild) hearing loss. Headaches at the end of the day or a brain fog, struggling to follow conversations, missing nuances of conversations (like the punch line or mis-hearing words), feeling embarrased or withdrawn, assuming the other person mumbles, to name a few. However, what I admired and valued about Chelsea was her curiosity and desire to get answers to this additional effort she was exerting. Practicing audiology in this day and age is truly exciting!

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I remember her informing me of her hearing health history and saying "Oh, is this hearing loss hearing aid territory?" I simply said to her, give the hearing aids a trial and see how you go in your real world settings. Sometimes with hearing aid use, testing and wearing them will give you the answers you need. And they did. Sometimes the benefits are not immediate, and sometimes they are. Hearing loss rehabilitation isn't quite as straight forward as putting on a set of glasses - mind you I know this isn't the case either with optometry (though we get compared to that alot).

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These are the important take aways I like to educate and discuss with my clients:

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1. For optimial benefits with hearing aid use, my expectation is you wear them all day when you are awake. My expectation is 8-10 hours or more per day or hearing aid wear time.

2. This allows your auditory pathways of the brain the best chance for neural reorganisation, especially if you've had a long standing hearing loss (long standing meaning the number of years you have deprived your brain of sound / audition). The longer you wait to manage your hearing loss with hearing aids (or implants), usually, the longer it may take for your brain to rewire. Imagine, thats years of asking for repeats and frustrations between you and who you are talking with.

3. Learn to listen. Demonstrate good communication behaiours.

 

In summary, leaving your hearing loss untreated (doing nothing about it) reorganises your neural pathways, usually to visual or tactile ones, mean you are relying more on lip reading and touch to comprehend or understand speech. The word mild is such a deceptive word in healthcare, and with hearing loss, as it is an invisible change in a functional ability, having a mild hearing loss or one that isn't evident on a hearing test, can leave client's feeling disheartend or lost. A mild hearing loss can have big consequences.

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I wish Chelsea all the best with her hearing rehabilitation journey. Getting updates when I talk to my clients has been great, and I am really proud of everyones progress.