Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

+ Do you offer a home visit hearing care service?

Our hearing care service is domiciliary based so we will come to you. You can relax in the comfort of your own home and not worry about travel, parking, the weather or mobility issues. We only provide a home visit and do not have a premises for clients to visit. For further details please visit our home page.

+ What area does your home visit hearing care service cover?

Our home visit hearing care service covers the districts of Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, New Milton, Wimborne Minster, Ferndown and Wareham. Keeping our service area to a minimal distance from our base in Bournemouth ensures that if you have a problem, we can get to you quickly and easily. Please contact us if you live just outside of these areas and we will let you know if we can help.

+ How much do you charge for initial home visit hearing evaluations and consultations?

For new clients we charge £83 for a home visit hearing evaluation and consultation. We value the service we provide and believe this small charge represents superb value for an initial appointment that can last up to 3 hours. If you would benefit from hearing technology, there is absolutely no pressure to proceed with our suggestions. We recommend having a loved one, family member or partner with you at your first appointment for support.

+ What days and time do you visit?

We can schedule your initial home visit appointment between Monday and Thursday. The first available appointment is 9:30 am and the last at approximately 2:00 pm. Initial evaluations and consultations generally take between 1 ½ - 3 hours.

+ Do you provide hearing test for children or babies?

Unfortunately, we do not provide hearing evaluations for those under the age of 18. We would recommend that you ask your GP for a referral to your local NHS Audiology Service. See our ENT page for further details.

+ Will hearing aids solve all my hearing difficulties?

It can be difficult to notice when you are missing out on sounds and voices, so it is important that you have your hearing checked regularly. If the times comes where you will benefit from hearing technology the earlier, you act the easier the rehabilitation process will be. There will be a period of transition as you get accustomed to wearing hearing instruments as your brain adapts and make sense of the sounds you have been missing.

Hearing in noise is the most common challenge but it is important to remember that this is difficult even for those with a very good hearing range. Whilst hearing devices will not restore your hearing to its peak, we can ensure improvement to give you the best possible outcome.

+ With so much choice and a range of pricing how do I know what hearing care provider is right for me?

For many years hearing aids have been marketed as a product so it is understandable that most people don’t understand the service provision included with the purchase of most hearing devices.

If you have been prescribed a hearing aid or have your eyes on a certain model but are only interested in the cheapest product pricing, we may not be the right choice for you.

However, if you are going to invest in hearing aids wouldn’t you want to make sure that you are going to get the best possible outcome for your hearing health?

We often hear from or see clients who have had their heads turned by cheap product pricing. Often fitted by companies they have found on the internet who aren’t local to the area. These clients often have difficulty getting follow-up and aftercare appointments when help is most needed and end up looking to us for help in their rehabilitation.

Other clients who have bought from high street providers are told their hearing aids cannot be repaired and are unnecessarily advised that they need to be replaced with new devices even when they are only a few years old.

At Key to Hearing you can rest assured knowing that we will choose a suitable hearing aid for your requirements. Those hearing aids will be fitted, verified and programmed by an award-winning hearing care professional. Importantly you will have an experienced and compassionate hearing care professional who will prevent issues arising but can always be called upon if any problems occur.

We may not be the cheapest hearing aid provider but by investing in our service you can ensure the best possible outcome from your hearing technology. We will make sure you receive an improvement to your hearing, your health and your life.

Find out more by reading our Why Choose Us page or check out our reviews on Google to see what our clients have to say about our service.

+ How much are your hearing aid and care packages?

At Key to Hearing our hearing aid and care packages start from £1,699 for a single device with fitting, verification, programming, follow-ups and two-years inclusive home visit aftercare and for two devices prices start from £2,199. On average our clients who have two hearing devices pay around £3,299.

+ What can I expect when I choose the services of Key to Hearing?

With Key to Hearing you can be guaranteed that you will receive a home visit hearing care service in the comfort of your own home. You can relax at home and not have to worry about venturing out in bad weather or dealing with traffic problems and parking.

In Keeley Salmon, the owner and Registered Hearing Aid Dispenser of Key to Hearing, you will have an award-winning hearing care professional who takes a compassionate approach to your hearing difficulties. If you would benefit from hearing technology Keeley will work with you to determine the best option and a suitable aftercare package to make sure you are well cared for.

Your hearing aids will be programmed and verified using the latest technology (we provide Real Ear Measurements) to make sure they provide optimal performance.

Please see our Why Choose Us page for further information about our service.

+ How quickly can I be fitted with a hearing aid?

If you have no referable conditions, we should be able to fit you with a non-customised hearing aid/s within two weeks (eg. Receiver-in-the-canal with dome) and a customised hearing aid/s (in-the ear or behind-the-ear with ear mould) within three weeks. Other than demonstration units we do not keep hearing aids in stock. All hearing aids supplied to our clients are ordered directly from the manufacturers.

+ How long do hearing aids last?

Hearing aids can last seven years or longer if well maintained. At this age if repairs are required then obsolete part replacement may prove the biggest difficulty due to technology being superseded and parts no longer being available. Most hearing aid manufacturers release new hearing aids every two years (that supersede previous models) with major platform updates every four years.

+ What is the best hearing aid?

Like cars or TVs there is no definitive best hearing aid. There are six leading manufacturers who design hearing aids that are available in four to five different technology levels. The most advanced technology is designed to help in more challenging listening situations. What hearing aid is best for you may not necessarily be what is best for someone else.

You need a hearing care professional who will fit you with a device that is suitable for your hearing range, dexterity and lifestyle and importantly ensure that it is correctly fitted, verified and programmed. The most advanced hearing technology in the world won’t help you if it has been incorrectly prescribed, fitted and programmed.

+ Are hearing aids ugly?

Forget the beige banana imagery still commonly found in most newspapers and online articles (often for shock value). The latest hearing aids are beautifully designed, compact and often very discreet. Look at some of the imagery on our website for examples.

+ Can you repair my hearing aids?

Where possible we would always recommend that you use your original hearing aid dispenser to have your hearing aids repaired. On occasion your repaired hearing aids may need to be adjusted or reprogrammed which would require a face to face visit with a hearing care professional. Hearing aids can generally be repaired until the parts become obsolete (7-10 years).

If you do want to use a third-party independent repair service, we would recommend the Hearing Aid Repair Shop. For further details please see our Hearing Aid Repair page.

+ Can you help me with my NHS hearing aids?

If you have mobility issues, we provide a retubing and cleaning service for your NHS hearing aids. Please note we cannot reprogram or adjust NHS prescribed hearing aids.

+ Do you provide hearing aid trials?

We have the latest behind-the-ear hearing aids from Phonak and Unitron that are available to trial. You can experience how hearing technology can improve your life without committing to purchase. The trials generally last two weeks and cost £199. This includes a hearing evaluation, selection, fitting and programming of a suitable hearing aid/s and a follow-up review. If you decide to go ahead and purchase hearing device/s from us, we will deduct the cost of the trial from your chosen hearing care package. Please note hearing aid trials are only available for those with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.

+ My Mum or Dad won’t accept they have a hearing problem can you help?

It can be difficult to notice you have a hearing loss or admit you are having problems. Overcoming this first hurdle is a big step in a recovery to better hearing. Please don’t be fooled into thinking that placing a hearing aid on someone, who doesn’t accept that they have a hearing problem or doesn’t want to wear hearing aids, will make them hear perfectly. Wearing hearing aids for the first time is part of a rehabilitation process that will take time and perseverance to achieve better hearing. Please visit our Help for a loved one page for further advice .

+ Do you offer ear wax removal services?

We don’t offer ear wax removal services however please contact us if you would like to have your ear wax removed privately and we will recommend some local providers.

+ Do you take ear impressions?

Unfortunately, since the COVID-19 pandemic we are no longer offering an ear impression service. In the meantime, we would recommend contacting high street hearing care premises or the manufacturer of your chosen ear / hearing product for further information.

+ Do you visit care homes?

Yes, we can visit clients in care homes if there is a quiet room/area for us to work and there is a family member or friend in attendance for support. In the instances where there is power of attorney for the client, we request clear lines of communication with that person and ideally, they can attend the appointments.

+ Can you help me with my tinnitus?

Although there is currently no recognised cure for tinnitus, help is available. Further support is available from Tinnitus UK. Please see our Tinnitus Solutions page for further information.