What is the difference between getting hearing aid(s) from a warehouse store or a local independent office? (Part one of three parts.)

Hold onto your seat - this will be one of my longer articles. Setting the record straight will have to be divided into three parts.

Some hearing aid offices are price-driven, and others are performance- or service-driven. Some clinics have Hearing Specialists while others have Audiologists. An Audiologist either has a master's degree or a doctorate degree in Audiology. I have a doctorate - that means eight years of college education plus certification of clinical competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. I am one of very few Doctors of Audiology that owns my own practice, to give the best care possible to the hearing impaired in the area.

Hearing Instrument specialists or dispensers in North Idaho are not required to have any college education, only a high school diploma, and they must pass a state examination. Warehouse stores do not typically have Audiologists on staff: they tend to hire mostly dispensers. Some Hearing Specialists are experienced and are good at fitting hearing aids. Realize that these are employees that often come and go. You may like the person that sold you an aid and a year later when you need help reprogramming or repairing it, you may be seeing someone different.

Recently there has been a shift from "hurry and buy" to finding out who is best at providing more personalized services. This is where independent offices beat the warehouse stores hands down. I have a full-sized office with a waiting area, testing booth, and room to move. Patients can drive right up to my front door, which is convenient for those with walkers and wheelchairs. Warehouse stores have huge parking lots that are acres from the front door. It can be very difficult to transport someone with a walker or wheelchair through the snow. I cannot express how easy it is to get into my office.

At warehouse stores, you often have to wait in line at the little kiosk at the side or back of the store, which is full of people. I wouldn't want something as important and personal as my health care to be taken care of in the same warehouse that I can buy dog food and toilet paper.

Elderly patients need more time and attention. They don't need to be rushed through a test. A test needs to be thorough for the aid to be programmed correctly, so they can hear the best they can.

Dr. Tia Flynn is a certified audiologist and has been in business for over 13 years. Every Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, Dr. Flynn provides free hearing screenings at 1601 Third St. in Coeur d'Alene, (208) 664-2767. Visit www.affordablehearinginc.com for a free copy of the consumers guide to hearing aids and watch helpful videos.