My Doctor Recommended A Hearing Aid: What Should I Do?

Once you decide to use a hearing aid, we at Pendik Ses İşitme will recommend devices that suit your lifestyle and budget.

Related pages: Free hearing test, Hearing aids with SGK (Turkey's Social Security Institution).

Next steps after a hearing aid recommendation

If your ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor has recommended a hearing aid, the first step is a detailed measurement of your hearing. If you have the results of an earlier hearing test or a doctor's report, bring them with you when you come to our centre. If not, a free hearing test is carried out at Pendik Ses İşitme. The test is painless: you simply respond to different sounds you hear through headphones.

How is a device chosen?

The hearing specialist looks at your test results, the shape of your ear and your daily life, and explains the types of device that may suit you. When choosing between behind-the-ear, in-the-ear and in-the-canal models, you talk about the degree of your hearing loss, how easily you can use your hands, if you often talk on the phone and if you would like a rechargeable or a battery-powered device. Your budget is a natural part of this conversation too.

SGK and documents

To benefit from the SGK (Turkey's Social Security Institution) contribution, you need a doctor's report and a prescription. Bringing your ID card also makes the paperwork easier. We check with you which documents are missing.

Preparing for the first appointment

Before your appointment, it helps to write down the situations you find difficult: phone calls, the television, busy places or meetings, for example. These notes help the hearing specialist set the device's programs to suit your life. If you have tinnitus, dizziness or discharge from the ear, be sure to mention these too.

Trial and adjustment period

The hearing specialist fits the device to your ear and programs it according to your hearing test. Before you decide, you can try the device in your daily life. In the first weeks, your own voice and sounds you have not heard for a long time, such as a ticking clock or the fridge, may seem loud. The brain usually takes a few weeks to get used to these sounds. During this time, the settings are adjusted again at follow-up appointments, based on what you tell us.

Wearing the device every day, all day, makes it easier to get used to it. It also helps if a family member comes with you to the first appointments. If you would like an appointment to ask your questions, you can contact us.