Clear answers, in plain words.
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CC“Honestly, where do I even start?”
Five first steps, one at a time.
Finding out you have hearing loss can stop you in your tracks. Take a breath. You do not have to do all of this at once, and you are not doing it alone.
These five steps follow the same path as our home page. Every stage has its own page, written by people who have been through it: Noticing · Finding out · Choosing · Living with it · Giving back.
Take a breath. There is help.
The moment you're told, a flood of questions rushes in: What will I do? How much will it cost? Will it get worse? That's normal. You are processing something big, so give yourself a moment. You are not the first person to walk this path.
Talk to your hearing professional.
There is a lot of clinical information online, but the person who matters most is your Hearing Instrument Specialist or Audiologist. Ask what type of loss you have. Ask what can be done about it. They may recommend a hearing instrument that suits you right now, and point you toward funding programs.
Know what a hearing aid can and can't do.
A hearing aid solves only one part of the problem: it makes things louder, but not always clearer. Proven strategies fill the gap. Lip and speechreading classes run online or in person. They teach communication strategies, assistive devices, and how to build a support network. Start with the plain-language basics in Hearing Loss 101 and Living with Hearing Loss.
Ask about money before you buy.
Don't buy a hearing aid until you know what you can afford and what subsidies exist. Ontario's Assistive Devices Program, insurance plans, and other funders can help. See the funding guide below.
You are not alone.
Speaking up for yourself matters. The worst thing you can do is hide your hearing loss. Hard of hearing groups exist for exactly this reason. Join a meeting, connect with others, or ask for a mentor. We are stronger when we share. Find one near you.
Guides for your situation.
Deeper guides, each on its own page: pick the one that sounds like your week.
Paying for hearing aids
What helps with the cost: programs, insurance, and tax credits.
For family and caregivers
How to help someone you love hear you, step by step.
For students and young adults
What you are entitled to on campus, and how to ask for it.
Communication tips
Two minutes of reading that makes every conversation easier.
For professionals
For clinicians and hearing-care partners: how to refer, and where to send people next.
When aids are not enough
What comes next when hearing aids stop being enough: implants, counselling, and technology.
Hard words, explained simply.
If a word here has ever made you nod along without knowing what it meant, you are in good company. The green highlight marks the part worth remembering.
- Audiogram
- The chart from your hearing test. It shows which sounds you hear well and which you miss, like a map of your hearing.
- Hard of hearing
- Having some hearing loss while still using spoken language, usually with help from devices or captions.
- Hearing loop
- A wire around a room that sends sound straight into hearing aids: clear voice, no background noise. Look for the blue ear symbol.
- Speechreading
- Using lips, faces, and context to fill in what your ears miss. Also called lipreading, and it can be learned.
- CART (live captioning)
- A trained captioner types what's said, live, so you can read it on a screen. Our FICS workshops use it.
- Cochlear implant
- A small device placed by surgery that helps when hearing aids are no longer enough. It sends sound to the hearing nerve directly.
- Tinnitus
- Ringing, buzzing, or hissing that only you can hear. Very common alongside hearing loss, and there are ways to manage it.
- VRS (Video Relay Service)
- A free service that connects phone calls through an interpreter on video, so a call works even when hearing on the phone doesn't.
Find a hearing clinic near you.
Audiologists and hearing-aid clinics across Ottawa and the National Capital Region. Open your community below, then call ahead to confirm services and costs.
Ottawa · 16 clinics
HearCANADA - Ottawa (1419 Carling Ave)
HearCANADA - Ottawa (Montreal Rd)
HearCANADA - Ottawa (Smyth Rd - General Campus)
Hearing Solutions - Billings Bridge
Hearing Solutions - Carlingwood
HearingLife - Ottawa (Bank St)
HearingLife - Ottawa (Beechwood Ave)
HearingLife - Ottawa (Centrepointe)
HearingLife - Ottawa (Iris St)
HearingLife - Ottawa (Merivale Rd)
HearingLife - Ottawa (Montreal Rd)
Canadian Hearing Services - Ottawa Regional Office
Alexandria · 2 clinics
Almonte · 1 clinic
Arnprior · 2 clinics
HearingLife - Arnprior
Barrhaven · 1 clinic
Barry's Bay · 1 clinic
Heritage Hearing Care - Barry's Bay
Carleton Place · 2 clinics
Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital - Audiology
HearingLife - Carleton Place
Cornwall · 1 clinic
Embrun · 2 clinics
Hawkesbury · 2 clinics
Kanata · 2 clinics
HearingLife - Kanata (Eagleson Rd)
HearingLife - Kanata (Hazeldean Rd)
Kemptville · 1 clinic
Manotick · 1 clinic
Orléans · 5 clinics
HearingLife - Orléans (St Joseph Blvd)
HearingLife - Orléans (Watters Rd)
Orléans Family Hearing Services
Pembroke · 3 clinics
Davidson Hearing Aid Centres - Pembroke
Heritage Hearing Care - Pembroke
Renfrew · 2 clinics
Davidson Hearing Aid Centres - Renfrew
Stittsville · 1 clinic
HearCANADA - Stittsville
Winchester · 1 clinic
Disclaimer: the clinics listed here are the ones we have found through our own research. This is not a complete list of every hearing clinic in the Ottawa area. We add clinics as we learn about them, and as people send them to us. If you would like a clinic listed, send their contact information to contact@chhancr.ca and we will add it. Thank you.
Accessible places and services, in one spot.
These links lead to accessibility services at organizations across the region. It is not a complete list, and it grows as we hear about new places. Know somewhere that gets it right for people who are hard of hearing? Email contact@chhancr.ca and we will add it.
Ottawa · 25 links
Resources · 6 links
Places of Worship · 2 links
Government of Ontario · 3 links
Government of Canada · 7 links
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