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, you catch the sound but miss the word — the problem often isn't the hearing aid. It's how it was set up.
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.
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 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.
Nobody trained the listening, only the ears
Hearing aids deliver sound. Your brain has to relearn what to do with it. Access to sound is not the same as understanding speech, and that part takes practice, not volume.
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're working from what your aids actually do, not what the software assumes.
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 — not after you've made the trip.
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.
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. It isn't a fault with the device — it's 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's a repair rather than an optimization. Walk in during regular office hours for our trained staff to take a look or walk-in on Tuesdays in our Innisfil Office to have our clinician see if it can be repaired in office or whether it needs to be sent into the manufacturer. Manufacturers no longer repair hearing aids over 5 years old however our trained staff may 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.