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Hear Canada vs. Port Credit Audiology | What’s the Difference?

by | Sep 20, 2023 | Patient Resources

We see patients every day who are concerned about their hearing loss and have a lot of questions about treatment. While we are always happy to share our professional opinion, navigating hearing loss can be scary, and it’s often beneficial to speak with someone who is in a similar position to them.

The problem is that not everyone knows someone personally who is experiencing a hearing loss or who wears a hearing aid.

In order to help solve this problem, we’ve collected stories from people who have greatly improved their hearing and quality of life by taking action and choosing to get fitted for hearing aids.

I hope these success stories empower you to take the next step on your journey to better hearing health. If you know someone who may benefit from hearing these stories, please share this article with them.

Hearing Aids vs. Hearing Care

It’s important to understand that there’s a big difference between hearing aids and hearing care.

There unfortunately remains a narrative that the solution to a hearing loss is a hearing aid, yet that’s simply not true. Many people need a combination of great hearing technology and a great hearing care professional to receive long-term results.

Whereas there’s no shortage of places to buy a set of hearing aids, the key thing that you should be looking for, especially if you’ve never worn hearing aids before, is a trusted expert that can help you on your journey to get the best performance from your hearing aids.

This is where there is a significant difference between purchasing devices from stores such as Costco, or companies such as Hear Canada, and partnering with a doctor of audiology at Port Credit Audiology.

To help you understand the key differences, we have developed a comparison chart to outline the benefits of choosing both Hear Canada and Port Credit Audiology.

The above is a comprehensive side-by-side comparison that shares a transparent overview of your options.

As you can see, the differences are vast.

Let’s explore them in more detail.

The first thing that stands out is the difference in hearing assessments.

While Hear Canada offers free hearing tests through their website to “understand the full nature of your current hearing health” – our approach is focused on exploring if you have a hearing loss as well as looking for the root cause to determine long-term treatment.

Through our comprehensive hearing assessment, we review all areas of your hearing health to allow us to pinpoint the exact cause of your hearing loss, ensuring we can pick up any major signs of serious medical conditions.

This includes:

Video Otoscope:

A video otoscope is an advanced diagnostic tool that provides a live, magnified view of the ear canal and eardrum on a screen. This allows us to visualize and better understand your ear health, conditions or obstructions in real-time.

Tympanometry:

Tympanometry is a non-invasive test used to assess your middle ear’s function. By introducing a range of air pressures into your ear canal, this technique measures the movement of the eardrum, aiding in the detection of fluid buildup, eardrum perforations or Eustachian tube dysfunction.

Real Ear Measurement (REM):

Real ear measurement is a sophisticated method used to ensure that hearing aids are accurately programmed for your individual ear anatomy. By placing a microphone near the eardrum, REM assesses how sound is amplified within the ear, ensuring the best possible hearing aid performance and fit for the wearer.

A second big difference is the warranty and support that you receive.

Your warranty gives you peace of mind that if your devices are lost, broken or damaged, you will be covered by the manufacturer to deliver a replacement or repair.

At Port Credit Audiology, we offer up to four years of warranty and loss & damage, and in the situation that you do end up losing or breaking your devices, you are quickly fitted with what we call a “loaner,” which is like having a hire/courtesy car if your car needed repair work.

On the other hand, with Hear Canada, you’re typically covered for three years for Repair Warranty and two years for Loss & Damage Replacement Insurance.

A third big difference is the ongoing service.

Having helped thousands of people to achieve better hearing, we understand that this is a journey, not a destination.  This means that regular appointments, visits, adjustments and support are key to achieving better hearing.

This is why we like to see you at least every six months to continually help you to care for your hearing devices and regularly reassess your hearing to make any required adjustments. We have a strong focus on using audiological, evidence-based best practice guidelines, such as real ear measures.

Hear Canada’s website doesn’t share much information about their ongoing service. It’s predominantly focused on hearing aids and financing plans.

The fourth big difference is the company structure.

Port Credit Audiology is a proudly independent clinic and community focused clinic.

One of the many benefits of this is that we’re able to partner with all hearing aid manufacturers to ensure that we can find a solution for your individual needs, rather than being limited to one manufacturer.

This means that you always remain the priority and we make the right choice of hearing aid for your unique circumstances based on all technology available on the market.

Giving back is core to our DNA, and this clinic is my career and life’s work – I know that I’ll only win if my patients win, and this philosophy is carried through every patient encounter and every person that I help.

Hear Canada has a different approach, as they’re a large company with 87+ locations that is owned by a hearing aid manufacturer. This means that they only have access to the specific manufacturer’s technology. Naturally, it’s a very different business model, and like working with any national company, it has its benefits and its negatives.

It could be compared to buying a car. Whereas some dealers only sell one make of car and try to find a solution for each customer through their limited model options, we choose to put you first, understand your needs and then choose the right hearing aids to meet your exact requirements with all options available to us.

To conclude, whether you decide to start your journey with Port Credit Audiology or Hear Canada, taking the first step toward getting help is the most important part of addressing your hearing challenges.

Hearing loss is complicated and there is a range of factors that contribute toward its severity dependent on person to person. Your individual challenges and requirements are unique to you and only you can know what to do next. We strongly believe that our track record of helping people to achieve better hearing proves that the most effective approach to a hearing challenge is working with a team of hearing care experts, not just buying a set of hearing aids.

Hearing loss is complicated and there is a range of factors that contribute toward its severity dependent on person to person. Your individual challenges and requirements are unique to you and only you can know what to do next. We strongly believe that our track record of helping people to achieve better hearing proves that the most effective approach to a hearing challenge is working with a team of hearing care experts, not just buying a set of hearing aids.

Our hope is this article has help you to understand the key differences and make the best decision for you or a loved one.

Alternatively, you may be reading this having already purchased hearing aids from Hear Canada or another clinic, and you’re now researching further into your decision. If this is the case, then please know that many people often come to us for second opinions, for additional support/help with performance or they’re looking to transfer their ongoing care/services to us – regardless, we’re here to help!

If you have any questions or if we can help in any way, then please know that we are here. You can contact us by clicking here, schedule an appointment here or call us at 905-990-3755

Thank you for your time.

Better hearing with trusted experts

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Dario Coletta

Dario Coletta M.Sc., Au.D., Reg. CASLPO Doctor of Audiology is the head Audiologist of Port Credit Audiology & Hearing Aid Clinic. Dario obtained his Doctor of Audiology from A.T. Still University and Master of Science in Audiology from the University of British Columbia following his Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto. He currently holds lecturer status at the University of Toronto in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Dario continues to work part-time at the Toronto General Hospital and has knowledge in advanced diagnostics, bespoke hearing aid fittings, and cerumen management. Dario also has a special interest in managing and counselling patients with tinnitus. He brings knowledge and efficiency in prescribing and fitting the newest hearing aid technology, and is committed to helping patients find an individualized solution for their hearing healthcare concerns.

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