What is person centred care?

A lot of Hearing aid providers use the term person-centred care when describing their approach to hearing care, but what does it mean and do professionals really centre their care around their patients?

A hearing aid provider who bases their values on person centred care should be providing a service which is tailored to each individual and takes into consideration their needs, wishes, values and even family to make sure every decision made is right for the individual and best suits them.

Many hearing care providers might believe they take a person-centred approach to their care giving but this may not always be true. When an appointment is kept to a strict few minutes there is not enough time for an audiologist to build a relationship with their patient and listen to all their needs. Also, when appointments are with different audiologists each time itmakes it very difficult for a patient to feel like their individual needs arebeing catered to. It seems many big companies centre themselves around sales and how to make the biggest profit rather than putting their patients first.

So what should you expect from a hearing aid provider who really does base their values on person centred care?

• An audiologist who listens and understands not just about a person’s hearing loss but about the person, their background, their family and forming a relationship with them.
• A hearing aid provider who keeps patients with the same audiologist, so the patients feel comfortable and relaxed getting to know their audiologist and building a trusting relationship with them.
• A lifetime of aftercare as the audiologist understands a person’s needs may change over time
• A calm, friendly and understanding approach.

Here at Independent Hearing care we truly believe in the person-centred approach and make sure it is the core value. It’s what we pride ourselves on, and here is why.

• Appointments are made with the patient in mind allowing for extra time if necessary. Isabella, our audiologist, never rushes. She has time for everyone and loves to listen to the stories her patients want to share.
• Isabella is the only audiologist at Independent Hearing Care. She starts her patients on a journey to better hearing and stays with them throughout providing lifetime aftercare.
• Home visits can be arranged for patients unable to visit the clinic.
• We continue to help our patients and are not satisfied until they are 100 percent happy, even if it’s just to sit with them for a chat.
• Isabella encourages family members to be presentat hearing assessments, so she can understand more about who is supporting thepatient day to day.
• Our patients are not numbers, they become our friends and we do all we can for them.