I booked my test over the phone and was efficiently and warmly dealt with. I was offered a test that day, but had other commitments, so I went yesterday. Specsavers is in the middle of town in Okehampton, walkable from my home, and newly re-fitted. There was a pleasant welcome. As I was slightly early and the audiologist had a client with him, they kept me up to date with my timing. In fact, I only had about 2 minutes to wait after my appointment time.
Kevin, the audiologist, introduced himself and took me into the room for the test. He enquired what had prompted the visit, and I explained that I had heard through Gransnet about it and had volunteered. I am 71 and have always had very sharp hearing, though lately I have wondered whether one ear was slightly less clear. It is really only when several people are talking, and I can't relate one-to-one, or in the supermarket when I am doing other things while talking to the cashier, that I notice.
Kevin washed his hands thoroughly and explained the process of the test. My ears were examined for health and I was told they were fine. He had a large diagram of the ear on the wall which he used to explain how hearing works. There were two parts to the test, one with large earphones into which sounds were passed, one side at a time, and I had a button to press when I heard anything. We discussed the results on the computer screen, and they were fully explained. It seems my hearing is pretty good for general purposes, a slight loss at the top and bottom of the ranges - violins and foghorns, as Kevin put it. I did have one ear slightly worse than the other - the opposite way round to what I had thought. There was then a confirming test, with slightly different equipment and more sounds.
It was a very interesting experience, and I was reassured that my hearing is fine for my age. I was alerted to take action if one ear suddenly becomes different from the other, or if things deteriorate suddenly. Otherwise, I was recommended to re-visit in about 4-5 years time.
I was glad I had gone for the test. Kevin was curious about Gransnet, though he had heard of Mumsnet. I explained what GN is about and he thought it was good that Specsavers had made the contact as hearing is an issue that can be ignored and yet makes a big difference to people's quality of life at any age.
He pointed out that modern NHS hearing aids are very sophisticated and would be expensive if not on prescription. Perhaps that should encourage some of us to take action if we think we can have a hearing aid (or two) that would be good quality but we wouldn't have to pay a fortune, because they would be on the NHS. I would certainly recommend anyone to go for a test if they are being told by friends/family that they seem to be having problems hearing, or if they feel that 'people all mumble these days'. There are solutions that can bring life back into focus!