A comprehensive hearing test is your first step toward clearer communication and a better quality of life. Whether you’ve noticed changes in your hearing, struggle in noisy environments, or simply want to establish a baseline for your hearing health, our thorough assessment provides the answers you need.

At North Star Hearing, we combine advanced diagnostic technology with compassionate care to evaluate not just how well you hear sounds, but how effectively you understand speech in real-world situations. Our complete hearing evaluation goes beyond basic testing to identify the specific nature of any hearing challenges you may face, helping us create a personalized plan for your unique needs.

The entire process takes about 60-90 minutes and is completely painless. We’ll guide you through each step, explaining what we’re doing and why it matters for your hearing health.

Here is a brief overview of the process & various tests we perform:

Otoscopy – Inspection of your ear canal and ear drum

We’ll use an otoscope to take a quick look inside your ears. This painless process allows us to check for wax buildup, blockages, or signs of infection that might affect your hearing.

What we’re looking for:

Clear ear canals
Healthy eardrum condition
Any signs of infection or blockages

Immittance Testing – Checking middle ear function

This step involves a quick and gentle pressure test that assesses how well your eardrum and middle ear function.

How it works:

We put a small earplug into each ear, and you’ll feel a small amount of pressure, almost like a slight pressure change in an airplane.

Why it’s important:

This allows us to test for fluid, blockages, or stiffness in the eardrum and the tiny bones attached to the eardrum.
It provides information on your middle ear space and whether hearing loss is possible due to mechanical movement in your ear.

Pure-Tone Testing – Measuring your ability to hear sound

Now comes the part most people think of when they hear “hearing test.” You’ll wear comfortable headphones and listen to a series of tones at different volumes and frequencies.

How it works:

You’ll press a button whenever you hear a tone.
We test each ear individually to determine the softest sounds you can hear across different frequencies.

Why it’s important:

This information helps us determine whether your hearing falls within the normal range or if you have mild, moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss.
Hearing loss doesn’t affect all frequencies equally. For many, high-frequency sounds (like children’s voices or birds chirping) are the first to decline. Pure-tone testing helps identify which frequencies are affected, giving us insight into the type and pattern of hearing loss.
Hearing loss can change over time. Establishing a baseline with pure-tone testing allows us to track any changes in your hearing over the years and adjust treatment plans or hearing aid settings as needed.

Bone Conduction Testing – Identifying the type of hearing loss

Bone conduction testing helps us determine whether your hearing loss is caused by a problem in the middle ear or the inner ear. A small device that we place behind your ear sends vibrations directly to your inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear.

How it works:

You’ll have a headband on with a piece on the bone behind the ear. Like the last test, you’ll push the button whenever you hear a tone.
This test helps differentiate between conductive hearing loss (usually caused by blockages, infections, or structural problems) and sensorineural hearing loss (often caused by aging, noise exposure, or genetics.)

Why it’s important:

Understanding the type of hearing loss helps us recommend the most effective treatment.
Conductive hearing loss can sometimes be treated medically; if a referral is needed, we will provide this information to your physician in a detailed report.

Word Recognition – Evaluating speech understanding and clarity

We’ll conduct a word recognition test to see how accurately you can identify words when presented at a comfortable volume. This test helps us determine how much benefit you’ll likely receive from hearing aids.

Key takeaway:

Even with normal hearing, some people may have difficulty processing speech; this test helps identify those challenges.
Differentiating between words and understanding speech is one of the most difficult challenges facing those with hearing loss, and word recognition helps to determine if speech understanding, or volume (or both) are needed to help the brain make sense of sound.

Speech Testing – Understanding how you hear words

In addition to pure-tone testing, we’ll assess how well you understand speech. You’ll listen to and repeat back a series of words at different volumes. This helps us gauge how well your brain processes speech sounds and if there is an alignment with our test results.

Why this matters:

It shows how you can cognitively hear and process conversational speech at different volume levels.

Speech in Noise Testing – Understanding how you hear in crowds

Hearing in quiet settings is one thing, but many people struggle to hear clearly in noisy environments. Our speech-in-noise test evaluates how well you understand speech when there’s background noise, simulating real-world scenarios like restaurants or social gatherings.

How it works:

You’ll listen and repeat back different sentences with an increasing level of background noise.
This will assess how your hearing affects the brain’s ability to understand speech in varying levels of background noise.

Why this is important:

It helps us understand how challenging noisy environments are for you and whether hearing aids with background noise reduction could provide significant improvement.

Review of results & personalized recommendations

After testing, we’ll discuss your results with you in detail.

What we’ll discuss:

The test results and what they may mean for you
If a hearing loss exists, and if it does, the type and severity
Recommendations for next steps
Solution options and a plan individualized for your needs

Exploring solutions – if needed

If hearing aids are recommended, we’ll guide you through the different technology levels, styles, and features that best suit your hearing loss and lifestyle. We always take the time to answer any questions and ensure you feel informed and empowered.

(Did you know that every senior in Alberta over 65 receives full or partial funding for hearing aids?)

Next steps may include:

Information on the types and styles of hearing aids which are appropriate for your hearing loss
What you are hoping to achieve from better hearing, and which features might be most important to you
A hearing aid trial which will help you to experience firsthand if hearing aids are going to enrich your life
Prices and brands of hearing aids available to you, as well as information on funding, insurance coverage, and financing options if needed
We manage funding requirements for Alberta Aids to Daily Living, provincial Workers Compensation Boards (WCB-AB, WCB-MB, WorkSafeBC, WSIB), Non-Insured Health Benefits, Veterans Affairs, RCMP Health Benefits, and more