HEARING AID OPTIMIZATION — INNISFIL, ANGUS & THORNTON
Louder isn't the same as clearer.
If you already wear hearing aids and conversations still take effort — restaurants are a write-off, voices blur together, words slip past — there’s a good chance your hearing aids simply need to be set up properly for you.
Wherever you bought them, we can check, verify and reprogram select* hearing aids to your own prescription.
Tell us the make and model and we'll say straight away whether we can help.
Why hearing aids underperform
Two people can buy identical devices and have completely different results. When someone brings us aids that aren't working, it's usually one of these.
They were never verified in your ear
Fitting software predicts what a hearing aid does inside your ear canal. Real-ear measurement — a soft probe that measures the actual sound at your eardrum — shows what it truly delivers. The two are often a long way apart.
They were turned down and left there
Full prescription is too loud on day one, so it gets reduced — sensibly. But if nobody builds it back up as you adapt, you spend years under-amplified and wondering why speech still isn't clear.
Your hearing has changed since the fitting
Hearing shifts over time. Aids programmed to a test from four years ago are working from the wrong target.
They were never set up for the places you struggle
Most fittings are checked in a quiet room. Restaurants, family dinners and the car are where people notice the trouble. We test how well you follow speech with noise around you, then set up your hearing aids for the places that matter in your week.
What happens at your appointment
1
We test your hearing properly
A full assessment, including how well you understand speech when there's noise around you — because that's where the difficulty actually is.
2
We service the aids
Clean, check and replace what's worn — tubing, domes, wax guards, receivers. Sometimes that alone is the whole problem.
3
We measure what's reaching your eardrum
Real-ear measurement on our Audioscan Verifit, so we can see exactly what your hearing aids are delivering in your ear.
4
We reprogram to your prescription
Adjusted to your current hearing and built up at a pace you can adapt to, with a follow-up to fine-tune.
Allow about 75 minutes. Bring your hearing aids, their charger or spare batteries, and a recent hearing test if you have one. Hearing Aid Optimization is $400.
Which hearing aids we can work with*
Usually yes
Signia, Widex, Phonak, Unitron, GN ReSound, Oticon, Bernafon and Starkey, generally less than five years old.
It doesn't matter where you bought them, or that you've never been a patient here.
Call us first
Costco's own brands — Rexton, Jabra Enhance Pro, Philips HearLink and Sennheiser — are built by manufacturers we already work with, but each needs that brand's own fitting software. Tell us the model and we'll check.
Anything older than about five years is worth a call too.
Sorry, no
Hearing aids locked to a single chain or franchise: Beltone, Miracle-Ear, Audibel, NuEar, Micro-Tech, Audigy AGX, Lucid from Sam's Club, and other store house brands.
Over-the-counter and online devices such as Eargo, Lexie, Audien and MDHearing, and the hearing features built into earbuds, are adjusted only through their own app.
* Some hearing aids are "locked": the manufacturer supplies the programming software only to its own stores or franchised clinics, so no independent clinic can adjust them. Older devices can fall out of support too, as manufacturers retire the fitting software and stop supplying parts. Call us with the make, model and rough age and we’ll tell you before you book.
What if your hearing aids can't be helped?
Sometimes the honest answer is that a device is locked, too old, too worn, or was never right for your hearing in the first place. We'll tell you that plainly, and we won't charge you to hear it twice. You'll leave knowing exactly where you stand and what your options cost — including the option of doing nothing for now.
If new hearing aids do make sense, you can try a pair for a week in your own life before you decide anything. No charge, no deposit, no obligation.
AFTERWARDS
Keep the care going: the Adoption Plan
Ongoing care for hearing aids you bought somewhere else — cleanings, checks, adjustments and support, so you're not on your own between appointments. Your first optimization is included when you join. From $500.
TESTIMONIAL
"I have to tell you, my experience with Leila is the best I have ever had."
"I have had hearing aids for around 10 years. Never before has anyone shown me how to change the wire myself, much given me a couple for just in case! She even showed me the second filter behind the visible one. Amazing service and a caring attitude.
The receptionist is also terrific and always managed to fit me in when I had a problem. I paid an adoption fee to them to take over my case when I moved to Innisfil. It was the best money I ever spent. I have learned so much and am now able to solve my own problems. I got one hearing aid apart this morning to get it thoroughly cleaned and afterward I was even able to turn down the volume!
Terrific team work there. Thank you so much. You may publish this note if you wish. I have moved back to the far north, but I will continue to use your clinic when ever needed. Thank you so much for your great care."
-Alice Ann F.
Common Questions:
Not sure whether this is what you need? Call us on 705-424-0001 and describe what's happening. We'll tell you what's likely and what it would take to sort out.
Can you adjust hearing aids I bought somewhere else?
Usually, yes — for the brands listed above. Some hearing aids are locked to the chain that sold them, and very old ones may no longer be supported. Call us with the make and model and we'll tell you before you come in. You don't need to have been a patient here.
What does "locked" mean?
Some chains sell hearing aids under their own name and keep the programming software to themselves, so only their own clinics can adjust them. The device itself is usually fine. The lock is a business decision by the company that sold it.
Do I need a doctor's referral?
No. Book directly with us.
Will I have to buy new hearing aids?
No. The point of this appointment is to get the most out of what you already own. If they can't be helped, we'll say so and explain your choices — the decision stays yours.
My hearing aid has stopped working altogether.
That sounds like a repair. Drop in during office hours and our staff will take a look, or come to Tuesday walk-ins (12 to 2) at our Innisfil clinic, where our clinician can check whether it can be repaired here or needs to go to the manufacturer. Manufacturers generally don’t repair hearing aids over five years old, but we may still be able to help.
Is it covered by insurance?
Many extended health plans reimburse hearing services. We don't bill insurers directly, but you'll get an itemized receipt to submit.