Pensioners & Vet Affairs Patients

Hearing Checks

You may have noticed some difficulty hearing conversation or the TV or the phone at times. You may have noticed some ringing in your ears or your ears may feel blocked.

Visit your doctor and request a referral to the clinic for a hearing check. The doctor will check your ears to ensure there’s no wax blocking the canals.

Phone the clinic and ask for an appointment to have your hearing checked. There is no charge for the test if you have an Age Pension Card or DVA Card. The hearing test will take 20 – 30 minutes.

You’ll sit in a soundproof booth but if you’re not comfortable in the booth because you don’t like confined spaces, then we’ll leave the door open or test you outside the booth.

The same applies for those in wheelchairs. Our consulting rooms are quiet places. The Audiologist will check your ears and place headphones on you. You’ll be asked to press a button when you hear the sounds – soft sounds from low to high tones. Easy!

Results explained

We’ll also check your middle ear function with a gentle pressure test – a Tympanogram – as well as your ability to hear conversation – Speech Tests.

At the end of the test, the Audiologist will explain the results to you.
You’ll receive a report either by email or post and a report will also be sent to your doctor.

If you require further tests or your hearing results indicate that hearing aid/s may be of benefit to you, this will be discussed with you. Some patients decide to discuss options with their doctor or family. We respect your decision and you will not be pressured to try hearing aids unless you’re comfortable with that option.

Should you decide to try hearing aids, then the Receptionist will apply to the Commonwealth Govt on your behalf to request your acceptance into the Hearing Services Program (HSP) for free or subsidised hearing aids or a Listening Device (ALD).

You will then be given a further appointment at Westside for a consultation with the Audiologist about the style, size and colour of hearing aids that you’d like to wear and the types of aids that will provide the best amplification for you. Please read the page titled ‘Hearing Services Program’ for an explanation of this program and your entitlements.

If your test results indicate that your hearing loss is not a permanent loss but is due to a middle ear problem like middle ear fluid or a eustachian tube blockage or a perforated eardrum, then you will advised to return to your own GP and perhaps consult an Ear Nose & Throat Specialist