What to Expect When You Get Your First Hearing Aid
Richard Wagner has been working for Miracle-Ear for 25 years, and has been a franchise owner of hearing centers in the Orange County area of Long Beach, and around Los Angeles, for 12 years. Having had a hearing loss since he was nine years old, Wagner grew sick and tired of the medical community telling him there was no help for his hearing loss; he was never offered the solution of hearing aids until much later in life, which is what led him to the business of helping people hear.
Wagner started his career as a consultant with Miracle-Ear before her became a franchise owner. He makes an effort to get his hearing centers and staff involved in their local community, whether it’s through attending health fairs or hosting open houses, to asking his staff to volunteer at different places within the community. All of his hearing centers are state-of-the-art facilities with some of the most advanced hearing evaluation equipment available to give patients hearing tests.
When a patient comes to one of Wagner’s hearing centers for their initial hearing test, the first person they will see is the hearing center’s front office representative, who Wagner says is the most important person they will speak with. The front office rep will ask the patient to fill out some paperwork before being turned over to a hearing professional who will conduct the hearing test. The patient is given a free comprehensive hearing evaluation, the purpose of which is to establish if a hearing loss is present and determine how great that loss is. Sometimes, the hearing professional might need to refer the patient to a medical professional after examining their ears, because they might have damage that hearing aids cannot help, such as a busted ear drum or an infection. According to Wagner, when it comes to the majority of patients with hearing loss, “The only thing that can help them is the hearing aid.”
Wagner also feels that hearing aids are very important because, “Hearing loss is un-reversible.” The hearing that patient’s lose they will never get back, which is why Wagner recommends patients get hearing tests every year. He also says it is absolutely essential that the patient brings a companion to their initial hearing test, typically a close family member or their spouse. Usually the companion needs to be the patient’s primary communication partner on a daily basis, and they will be very useful during the entire test, especially for verification purposes and to confirm the patient’s hearing loss.