Patient and Community Hearing Education
Free Hearing Health Classes at Salem Audiology
Get The Tools To Make The Best Informed Decisions
Your journey to improve your hearing didn’t begin with coming to our office, rather it started with your desire to learn more about your situation and to improve it. There are many questions that our patients ask when first considering hearing aids, and sometimes the information provided can be pretty overwhelming.
Our company philosophy, however, is to empower our patients with knowledge to ensure they receive the best results. Hearing aids by themselves are not a complete solution for improving your communication situation, but they are a great place to start.
This is why we offer free Patient and Community Hearing Education classes to our patients, their families & loved ones, and anyone who may be interested in learning more about hearing health.
Weekend Academy
Our Weekend Academy Class at Salem Audiology Clinic. Is a Free class, where we discuss almost everything there is to know about hearing loss to take you beyond just wearing hearing aids, topics include, understanding hearing loss, how to get the most out of your hearing aids, communication strategies to enhance performance, care and maintenance of hearing aids, and hearing loss advocacy. You will also have the opportunity to learn from others since this is a class-based system where everyone participating can share their knowledge
This is a one-day, four-part series class comprised of the following sections:
Introduction to Hearing Loss
This section focuses on the physical aspects of how we hear, the two different types of hearing loss, how to tell the difference between the two, possible treatments for each, and some of the reasons why we develop hearing loss. We go over the different styles of hearing aids available, and patients learn how to read an audiogram. We will discuss a few common questions regarding hearing aids, and give a basic overview of the initial adjustment period after buying a hearing aid.
Communication Stratiges
Friends and family are welcome and encouraged to attend along with our patients. We discuss not only how hearing aids are supposed to help you in difficult listening situations, but also what you can do to help yourself. We will go over strategies for seating in restaurants, tips for their family and friends, and a brief exercise in speech reading.
How to Care for Your Hearing Aids
We will review the different styles of hearing aids, and how to care for each style at home. Topics discussed will include how to clean your hearing aid at home, what parts can come off or be replaced on a hearing aid, how to prevent or remove moisture from your hearing aids, and steps you can take at home to troubleshoot common issues.
Good Hearing Ambassador Program
Directed to our patients who have bought hearing aids from our clinic.
We cover why people with hearing loss resist hearing aids, why social media is so important, and what our clinic has done and what you can do to help family and friends who may be in need of hearing help. We will discuss a few of our referral rewards programs, research study opportunities, and our testimonial programs.
Upon completion of Weekend Academy, you will also receive a few gift certificates to our clinic, one for you, and one to hand out to a family member or friend.
While we particularly recommend Weekend Academy to patients who are new to using hearing aids, we also recommend it for our experienced users who may need a refresher course too, and anyone who might be willing to help mentor the novices during the class by sharing their personal wisdom and experiences. Due to the length of the class, lunch is provided.
Click the button below to learn more about the Good Hearing Ambassador Program
Additional Classes
In addition to our Weekend Academy Class, we offer several different classes that discuss an array of topics in regards to health and hearing.
How to Buy a Hearing Aid
We review what you should know prior to purchasing a hearing aid and lay out an objective plan for achieving success. We address consumer rights information, medical considerations, technological questions, and expectations for you should have for hearing healthcare providers in an unbiased manner so that you can make an informed decision, regardless of where you choose to go.
Coping with Tinnitus
Tinnitus is one of the most debilitating hearing-related disorders affecting Americans today. It is estimated that nearly 50 million Americans suffer from this problem and yet, when we ask our physicians what we can do about it, the answer is often “learn to live with it.” Although they do not tell us how to do that. Understand the potential causes of the problem, its effects, and recommendations for ways you can learn to live with it.
Diabetes and Hearing Loss
Diabetics are four times more likely to have hearing loss as compared to non-diabetics. They also require special considerations when it comes to hearing amplification.
We explore the connections between diabetes and hearing loss and answers questions about the best solutions for diabetics to consider when choosing hearing aids.
Balance Disorders
While everyone knows that the ear is important for hearing, fewer know about its value in maintaining balance. Audiologists, as a result, are versed in the assessment of balance disorders as well as hearing loss. This class reviews balance disorders in general and how our ears are vital to equilibrium.
Class Location
All of our classes are held at our South Salem location and are completely free, but they do require registration. Please call us or send us an email if you are interested in attending a class.