Early hearing assessment provides faster access to hearing aids.
Hearing loss is one of the most overlooked health challenges among older adults and adults in Norway.
Early identification and treatment can improve quality of life, reduce the risk of dementia and social isolation, and help patients remain living at home for longer.
Hearing and cognitive health
Studies show that untreated hearing loss can lead to:
Increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline
Social isolation and depression
Reduced ability to participate in working life and social activities Hearing assessment – an important service missing from primary healthcare
Due to long healthcare waiting lists, healthcare authorities now want hearing assessments to be carried out in primary care before any referral regarding the need for an ENT examination and hearing aid fitting is submitted to regional health authorities or private ENT specialists under agreement. The aim is to better identify those who actually need an ENT examination and hearing aid fitting.
Unfortunately, not many GPs or health centres have the expertise, equipment, or time resources needed to perform hearing assessments for adults. Although having a hearing test should be just as natural as having your blood pressure measured locally where you live, this type of service is not currently well established within primary healthcare in Norway.
There are no authorised audiologists working in local municipalities who are specifically trained and available to provide this type of service, and there are no dedicated Helfo agreements for authorised audiologists who wish to establish their own local clinics outside the specialist healthcare system.
The lack of hearing assessment and clarification of whether someone has hearing loss therefore contributes to longer healthcare waiting lists and delays necessary hearing aid fitting for adults who need hearing aids to hear well.
AudioPlus Norge AS – a supplement to the public healthcare system
We can therefore offer, among other things, the following services to help ensure faster access to good hearing healthcare:
Hearing assessments performed by authorised audiologists for further documentation and referral to a public hearing centre or an ENT specialist under agreement.
Hearing aid rental while waiting for a NAV decision or during long waiting periods, as well as when hearing aids occasionally need to be sent to the manufacturer for repair.
Tailored fitting and follow-up of hearing and hearing aids – regardless of where you obtained your hearing aids, or if you wish to purchase hearing aids privately from AudioPlus Norge AS.
Clinics in Støren, Trondheim, Kyrksæterøra, Malvik, Oppdal, Vinstra, Eidsvoll and Tønsberg.
Pop-up clinics and courses for healthcare professionals at nursing homes and in municipalities.
This gives adults the opportunity to start treatment sooner and receive help managing everyday life with hearing loss more quickly, particularly while waiting to have hearing aids covered through NAV.
Would you like to book an appointment for a hearing assessment or rent hearing aids for a short period?
Please contact us, and we will gladly help you with a solution.
Comments