A diagnosis is often an important step in a patient’s care, but some patients may need further assessment, rehabilitation or ongoing audiological support.
Someone with hearing loss may still struggle to follow a group conversation even after being fitted with hearing aids. A patient with tinnitus may continue to find their symptoms difficult to live with following appropriate assessment and care. Other patients may require further investigation, such as an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) assessment, or specialist support for other hearing-related difficulties.
In these situations, specialist audiological care can provide additional support alongside primary and secondary care.
Hearing Therapy works with GPs, Practice Nurses, ENT Consultants and other healthcare professionals, providing a wide range of audiology services across Sheffield, Rotherham, Derbyshire and the surrounding areas.
Hearing difficulties that continue after diagnosis
The impact of hearing loss is highly individual. For some people, the difficulty becomes particularly noticeable in background noise or when several people are speaking. Others need more support adapting to hearing technology or finding practical ways to communicate more effectively.
Hearing Therapy provides diagnostic hearing assessment, hearing aid services and hearing rehabilitation, with care tailored to the individual rather than focused solely on the hearing test result.
Support can include helping patients get the most from their hearing technology and developing practical communication strategies for situations they continue to find difficult. This wider approach can be particularly valuable when hearing difficulties continue to affect communication, confidence or everyday life.
Supporting patients with tinnitus
Some patients cope well with tinnitus day to day. For others, it becomes a persistent problem that has a much greater impact on wellbeing, confidence and quality of life.
In these cases, further assessment and support can be valuable. Hearing Therapy provides tinnitus assessment and management, with individualised support aimed at helping patients understand their symptoms and develop appropriate ways of managing their condition.
Hearing aids are only part of the picture
Being fitted with hearing aids does not necessarily mean that a patient’s hearing difficulties are fully resolved. Patients sometimes need further support to adjust to amplification, use their technology effectively or manage situations where hearing remains difficult.
Hearing Therapy’s approach to hearing rehabilitation looks beyond the device itself. Support is tailored to how hearing loss affects the individual in everyday life, helping patients develop practical ways to communicate more effectively and manage situations they continue to find challenging.
Auditory Processing Disorder: when further assessment may be appropriate
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) affects the brain’s ability to process and interpret auditory information. Patients may have normal peripheral hearing and perform well on standard hearing tests, yet continue to experience listening difficulties, particularly understanding speech in noisy or complex environments, understanding spoken communication or recalling verbal information.
Assessment for APD goes beyond standard hearing tests and may include speech-in-noise testing, auditory discrimination, pitch-pattern recognition and temporal processing. Other potential contributing factors should also be considered as part of the assessment process.
Hearing Therapy provides specialist audiological and APD assessments. Support is tailored to the individual and may include auditory training, communication strategies and practical advice to help manage listening difficulties.
Looking beyond the diagnosis: Referring to Hearing Therapy
For many patients, the question after diagnosis is what happens next.
Patients may require further audiological assessment, treatment, rehabilitation or ongoing support for a range of audiological needs. The appropriate next step will depend on the individual, their symptoms and how these are affecting their everyday life.
Our services are designed to complement primary and secondary care, providing an additional pathway when a patient requires specialist audiological care.
We offer a wide range of audiology services, including hearing and tinnitus care, hearing aid services, earwax removal and Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) assessment.
Hearing Therapy is CQC registered and follows national guidance on onward referral published by the British Academy of Audiology and NICE.
If you have a patient who may benefit from further audiological assessment, treatment, rehabilitation or support, we can help identify the most appropriate next step in their care.
For full details of the services available, referral criteria and how to refer a patient, click here.
Alternatively, contact Hearing Therapy on 0114 395 2039 or email info@hearingtherapy.co.uk