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Following the medical evaluation, the physician will give you a written statement that states that your
hearing loss has been medically evaluated and that you may be considered a candidate for a hearing
aid. The physician will refer you to an audiologist or a hearing care professional, as appropriate, for a
hearing aid evaluation. The audiologist or hearing care professional will conduct a hearing aid evalua-
tion to assess your ability to hear with and without a hearing aid. The hearing aid evaluation will enable
the audiologist or hearing care professional to select and fit a hearing aid to your individual needs.
If you have reservations about your ability to adapt to amplification, you should inquire about the
availability of a trial-rental or purchase-option programme. Many hearing care professionals now offer
programmes that permit you to wear a hearing aid for a period of time for a nominal fee after which
you may decide if you want to purchase the hearing aid.
Federal law restricts the sale of hearing aids to those individuals who have obtained a medical evalu-
ation from a licensed physician. Federal law permits a fully informed adult to sign a waiver statement
declining the medical evaluation for religious or personal beliefs that preclude consultation with a phy-
sician. The exercise of such a waiver is not in your best health interest and its use is strongly discour-
aged.
23 i Children with hearing loss (US Only)
In addition to seeing a physician for a medical evaluation, a child with a hearing loss should be directed
to an audiologist for evaluation and rehabilitation since hearing loss may cause problems in language
development and the educational and social growth of a child. An audiologist is qualified by training
and experience to assist in the evaluation and rehabilitation of a child with a hearing loss.
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