Over-60s
Hearing after 60
How to reach us
01632 960500Sandra answers, and works out what to book.
Mon–Fri09:00 to 17:30
Sat09:00 to 13:00
12 Market Place, Kingsmere WX5 1EP
Getting in
- Level entrance from Market Place, no steps anywhere on the ground floor
- Hearing loop at the desk and in both test rooms; we speak clearly and face you
Most of the people who walk through the orange door are over 60, and most of them waited years longer than they needed to. This page is written for them, in large type, without hurry: what changes, why it matters more than it seems, and what a first step looks like.
Hearing tests within a week; wax removal within three days
Free hearing tests this week
7 things worth knowing
Plainly, and slowly
Nothing here is hurried, and every point is one idea. Ring if any of it raises a question.
It creeps up, and the family notices first
The high pitches go first. Speech loses its consonants, so people seem to mumble and the television creeps up. You are not imagining that it is other people; and they are not imagining the television.
Hearing is about staying in the room
Untreated hearing loss is linked to loneliness, low mood and, in the research, faster memory decline. Hearing aids are the single most useful thing a person over 60 can do for their brain that costs less than a car.
The test is free and nobody sells to you
An hour, explained slowly, your results on one sheet in large print. If aids would help, you hear a pair that day. If not, we say so. Half the people we test are told not yet.
Aids have changed
Small, rechargeable, no fiddling with batteries, they stream the phone and the television straight in. You do not need to be good with technology; we set everything up and we write it down.
Bring someone
A familiar voice is the best thing to test with, and two sets of ears remember more of what we said. Sandra will happily talk to a son or daughter on your behalf.
We come to you
If Market Place is hard to get to, Tom brings the test to your kitchen table or your care home, and every follow-up can be at home on Premium care.
The NHS is a good option and we say so
If the NHS would serve you as well, we tell you and write to your GP. If you already have NHS aids in a drawer, the £45 check gets them working or tells you honestly what private would add.
Bring someone with you
Bring a relative or friend into the appointment; we encourage it. A familiar voice is the best thing to test with, and two people remember more than one.
Appointments
Where to start
The appointments that fit, with the whole price on each. Not sure? The two-minute check or a phone call sorts it.
Hearing tests
Full hearing test
A full hour with an audiologist. Free if you are 50 or over, or thinking about hearing aids.
- You leave with:
- Same day, on one sheet
- At home:
- Yes, £95
- Price
- Free
- Free if you are 50 or over, or considering hearing aids. Otherwise £65.
- How long
- 60 minutes
- Seen
- Within a week; same day if your hearing changed suddenly
Hearing aids
Hearing aids, fitted with real-ear measurement
Every maker, four technology levels, fitted to a measurement of your own ear, with four years of aftercare and a 60-day money-back promise.
- You leave with:
- Real-ear measured, every fitting
- At home:
- Yes, fitted at home
- Price
- From £1,495
- A pair at Essential level; single aid about 55% of the pair price
- How long
- 90 minutes to fit; 4 years of care
- Seen
- Fitted about nine days after your test
NHS advice
NHS hearing aid check and honest advice
Not getting on with your NHS aids? We clean them, check them, show you how to use them, and tell you honestly whether private would help.
- You leave with:
- Working aids or an honest answer
- At home:
- Yes, £95
- Price
- From £45
- Taken off the price if you go on to buy aids from us
- How long
- 45 minutes
- Seen
- Within a week
Home visits
Hearing test at home
The full test at your kitchen table or in a care home, within twelve miles, including travel.
- You leave with:
- Same day
- At home:
- This is the home visit
- Price
- From £95
- Includes travel within 12 miles; care homes the same
- How long
- 75 minutes at home
- Seen
- Tuesdays and Thursdays, within two weeks
Wax removal
Ear wax removal by microsuction
Gentle, dry wax removal under a microscope by our ear care nurse or an audiologist, usually within three days.
- You leave with:
- Clear ears on the day
- At home:
- Yes, £125
- Price
- From £75
- Both ears £75, one ear £55; £25 if there is no wax to remove
- How long
- 30 minutes
- Seen
- Within three days, often the same day
Repairs & aftercare
Annual hearing and hearing-aid review
A yearly hearing test, re-tune and deep clean. Free for four years on aids from us.
- You leave with:
- Re-tuned on the day
- At home:
- Yes, on Premium care
- Price
- From £45
- Free for 4 years on aids bought here
- How long
- 45 minutes
- Seen
- Drop in any morning; Tuesday is repairs morning
Cannot get to Market Place?
Tom comes to you. Tuesdays and Thursdays, within two weeks; £95 for a hearing test at home, including travel.
Questions people ask
People ask
Am I too old for hearing aids?
No. Our oldest fitting last year was 97, at home, and she rang to say the birds were back. Age changes the style we choose and how slowly we teach it; it never changes whether it is worth doing.
My husband says he hears fine.
He may be right, and the free test will say so in an hour. If he is not, hearing it from Alan on a results sheet is easier than hearing it from you. Book the test for him and come too.
Free hearing tests this week
Call us.
01632 960500Sandra answers. Ring me if you are not sure. Working out what to book is my job, not yours.
Mon–Fri09:00 to 17:30
Sat09:00 to 13:00
Getting in
12 Market Place, Kingsmere WX5 1EP.
- Level entrance from Market Place, no steps anywhere on the ground floor
- Hearing loop at the desk and in both test rooms; we speak clearly and face you
- Large-print price list and appointment cards; everything we say is also written down for you
The rules on the wall
- Real-ear measurement on every fitting; 91% of pairs kept after the 60-day promise
- The test is free from 50, the prices are on the wall, and nobody here is paid on sales
- Independent since 2009: every maker, four levels, four years of aftercare with the same faces