Hearing Test in Calgary, AB
Do you know what you’re missing?
The reality is, with hearing loss, you often don’t. Once your brain stops registering certain sounds, you may not even realize they’re there. Ever wonder why, in the springtime, you no longer hear the robin outside your window? It’s not that the birds have disappeared — it’s that your ability to hear them has.
From the subtle sounds of nature to conversations with loved ones, hearing loss can gradually take away key moments in life. That’s why it’s worth getting a hearing test to find out what you might be missing. At The Hearing Place in Calgary, AB, our experienced audiologist offer comprehensive hearing tests to help you determine if you want to be tuned in or tuned out.
We proudly serve patients in NW Calgary, NE Calgary, SW Calgary, and SE Calgary. Schedule your hearing test today by calling 403-454-3669 to regain the sounds you’ve been missing.
Why get a hearing test?
The World Health Organization projects that by the year 2050, one in every ten people will have debilitating hearing loss that requires intervention. This is even worse as you get older: One in every 3 people over the age of 65 have hearing loss.
Yet many people are unaware that they have hearing loss. That’s because hearing loss and tinnitus often progresses quite slowly, making any deterioration easy to miss until the damage is irreversible. Hearing tests help track your hearing over time and catch hearing loss early.
After all, hearing loss is a serious issue. If left untreated, it can lead to serious health issues, including cognitive decline. Why risk that when hearing tests are simple and painless?
Hearing tests:
- Catch hearing loss early
- Determine which hearing loss solutions are best for you
- Help you customize and program your hearing aids
How do I know if my hearing is bad, and when should I get tested?
Have you tried this super simple hearing test?
Ask your spouse, your kids, and your friends if they think you should get your hearing tested. Chances are, you don’t even need to ask. They’ve probably been telling you for years to see a professional and get your hearing tested.
Yes, most of us are more stubborn than a mule and have put off acknowledging our hearing loss for years and years. But, whether you’re experiencing symptoms or not, hearing tests are proactive steps you can take to protect your hearing and detect problems early.
The general guidelines for such hearing tests are:
- If you are under 50 and have no signs of hearing loss: You should generally have your hearing tested every 3 years.
- 50 – 65: You should have your hearing tests at least once every two years. One in every four adults who report excellent hearing actually has some hearing loss, so it’s a good idea to get tested even if you aren’t noticing symptoms.
- 65 or older: At this age, more than 30 percent of people have hearing loss. You should get your hearing checked annually.
Experts also recommend that you undergo at least one hearing test after reaching the age of 20 in order to establish a hearing baseline.
The frequency of these hearing tests can and should change if you begin noticing that you’re having hearing problems.
7 telltale signs you need a hearing test
Consider getting a hearing test if you:
- Begin to withdraw from social settings. For example, if you avoid going out with friends or co-workers.
- Have significant fatigue or memory problems, even if you’re getting enough sleep.
- Notice that voices sound muffled or distant when talking to other people.
- Have trouble understanding conversations because it feels as though letters or sounds keep dropping out–especially consonants.
- Need to consistently turn up the volume on your radio, mobile phone, or television.
- Ask others to speak up or repeat themselves frequently.
- Can’t understand speech in a crowd or in noisy situations.
If you suspect you are experiencing the symptoms of hearing loss, it’s important to undergo a hearing test as quickly as possible. The sooner you undergo your hearing test, the faster you will be able to hear better.
How can I test my hearing?
Every day you wake up is a test, and every day your family or friends talk to you is a test too. And it’d be easy to think everything is fine or almost perfect based on what you are hearing. Of course, the big problem is that there is a good chance you’ve already forgotten what you are missing. That happens to the best of us.
Which is why a professional hearing test is so important. You’ll discover what frequencies and types of sounds have gone missing and options for making them part of your life again, including hearing when your spouse or friend asks you to help with the dishes.
It’s easy to get started. Schedule a hearing test with us in Calgary to see if hearing aids will improve your ability to hear.
Our hearing test will check your ability to hear different frequencies. Most people will lose the ability to hear very low or high frequency sounds before there is any noticeable deterioration of the ability to detect mid-frequency noises.
All of this information is then displayed on an easy-to-read graph, called an audiogram. Effectively addressing your hearing loss depends on the ability to amplify the wavelengths you have difficulty hearing, making an audiogram an indispensable first step.
Take Our Online Hearing Screening
Types of hearing tests in Calgary, AB
There are many ways to test your hearing, including:
Pure-tone audiometry
During this test, your hearing professional will instruct you to listen to tones at different frequencies and volumes.
Speech audiometry
Instead of listening to notes, you’ll listen to audible speech in a quiet room, in order to determine your speech reception threshold, or the lowest level you can hear a word and still understand it.
Tympanometry
By gently pushing air into your ear, this test measures how well your eardrum moves and is an important hearing test for your middle ear. The results will show us if your eardrum is too stiff, has fluid behind it, or has a hole in it.
Hearing Screening vs. Comprehensive Hearing Evaluation
What’s the Difference?
Not All Hearing Tests Are Created Equal
If you’ve taken an online hearing check or gone through a quick pass/fail screening, you have a starting point — but not a diagnosis. There is a meaningful difference between a hearing screening and a full audiological evaluation, and that difference matters for your health, your treatment options, and your quality of life.
Here’s how they compare:
A Hearing Screening…
- Checks whether you can detect certain tones at a single volume level
- Has no diagnostic or medical value on its own
- Cannot identify where in the auditory system hearing loss is occurring
- Cannot be used to select or prescribe hearing aids
- Does not explain why hearing loss is happening or how it affects your ability to communicate
- Is roughly equivalent to reading an eye chart at your family doctor’s office
A Comprehensive Hearing Evaluation at The Hearing Place…
- Assesses the entire auditory system — from the outer ear to the brain
- Identifies not just whether hearing loss exists, but the type, degree, and location
- Measures how you hear tones and how well you understand speech, including in background noise
- Checks eardrum function, middle ear pressure, and acoustic reflexes
- Produces an audiogram — your individual hearing “fingerprint” — that can be used to precisely program hearing aids
- Provides results you can share with your doctor, and referrals to medical specialists if warranted
- Is a true diagnostic evaluation, equivalent to a complete eye examination at an optometrist
In short, a screening tells you there might be a problem. A full evaluation tells you exactly what that problem is, why it’s happening, how it’s affecting your daily communication, and what to do about it.
At The Hearing Place in Calgary, every hearing test we perform is a comprehensive evaluation — not a pass/fail screen. You’ll leave with a clear picture of your hearing health, plain-language results, and a confident path forward.
The Hearing Place is registered with the Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (ACSLPA). Our evaluations meet the clinical standards required for hearing aid prescriptions and physician referrals.
Call 403-454-3669 or Schedule Online to Book Your Evaluation
Alberta Funding for Hearing Aids — What Calgary Residents Need to Know
Can the Alberta Government Help Pay for Your Hearing Aids?
One of the most common questions we hear from patients in Calgary is whether hearing aids are covered by insurance or a government program. The answer: for many Albertans, meaningful financial assistance is available — and most people don’t know they qualify until they ask.
Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL)
The AADL program is administered by Alberta Health and provides subsidized funding toward the cost of hearing aids for eligible Alberta residents. If you qualify, the AADL program can cover a significant portion of your hearing aid costs — making devices that would otherwise be out of reach genuinely accessible.
To be eligible, you generally need to:
- Be an Alberta resident with a valid Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) card
- Require hearing assistance due to a long-term disability, chronic illness, or terminal illness
- Have your hearing evaluated by a registered hearing care professional
The first step to accessing AADL funding is getting a comprehensive hearing evaluation — which is exactly what we provide at The Hearing Place. We can help determine whether you’re eligible and assist you with the application process so the paperwork doesn’t get in the way of your hearing care.
Private Insurance and Employee Benefits
Many Calgary residents have partial or full coverage for hearing aids and hearing assessments through extended health benefits and group insurance plans. Coverage varies significantly between policies, so it’s worth checking with your provider before your appointment. We’re happy to provide the documentation you need to submit a claim.
Veterans Affairs Canada and Canadian Armed Forces
Active members of the CAF and RCMP, as well as eligible veterans, may qualify for hearing health coverage through Veterans Affairs Canada or Canadian Armed Forces health benefits. If this applies to you, please let us know when booking your appointment.
Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta (WCB)
If your hearing loss is related to occupational noise exposure — a common situation for workers in construction, oil and gas, manufacturing, or heavy industry — WCB Alberta may cover the cost of hearing testing and hearing aids. We can help you navigate this process.
No Funding? We Can Still Help.
Even if you don’t qualify for a provincial or employer program, hearing aids are available at a range of price points. We’ll work with you to find a solution that fits your hearing needs and your budget — with no pressure and no obligation at your initial appointment.
Not sure what you qualify for? Bring your questions to your appointment. We’ll help you understand your options.
Call 403-454-3669 or Text 403-768-0931 to Book Your Hearing Test
Reviewed by the audiologist at The Hearing Place
Still have questions? Ask one of our audiologist!
