Hearing self-check

A 10-question screener — not a hearing test

This is not a diagnosis or a hearing test. It uses the HHIE-S (Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly – Screening version), a recognised 10-question screener about how hearing affects everyday life. Your answers are scored on this phone only and are not saved or sent anywhere. Answer for how things are without hearing aids, unless you already wear them.

1. Does a hearing problem cause you to feel embarrassed when you meet new people?

Yes Sometimes No

2. Does a hearing problem cause you to feel frustrated when talking to members of your family?

Yes Sometimes No

3. Do you have difficulty hearing when someone speaks in a whisper?

Yes Sometimes No

4. Do you feel handicapped by a hearing problem?

Yes Sometimes No

5. Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty when visiting friends, relatives or neighbours?

Yes Sometimes No

6. Does a hearing problem cause you to attend religious services less often than you would like?

Yes Sometimes No

7. Does a hearing problem cause you to have arguments with family members?

Yes Sometimes No

8. Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty when listening to TV or radio?

Yes Sometimes No

9. Do you feel that any difficulty with your hearing limits or hampers your personal or social life?

Yes Sometimes No

10. Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty when in a restaurant with relatives or friends?

Yes Sometimes No

Get urgent help

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if you have sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, hearing that has got worse over days or weeks, or hearing loss with earache or discharge.
Call 999 or go to A&E if you have tinnitus or hearing loss after a head injury, or sudden hearing loss with weakness in the face or a spinning sensation (vertigo).
Severe pain, bleeding or significant dizziness should be assessed promptly. Do not assume it is wax.

📞 NHS 111 111 online

Contact the clinic

Ruislip Ear Care · Cleaner Ears (Hayes) · Wembley Ear Clinic

Clinic details 📞 0800 043 1200 📞 01895 677776 WhatsApp Book

Sources

Ventry IM, Weinstein BE. Identification of elderly people with hearing problems. ASHA 1983;25(7):37–42 (HHIE-S)
NHS: Hearing loss
NICE NG98: Hearing loss in adults
Scoring: Yes = 4, Sometimes = 2, No = 0; total 0–40. 0–8 little or no handicap; 10–24 mild to moderate; 26–40 significant (Ventry & Weinstein, 1983).

Checked October 2026. If anything here differs from what your clinician tells you, follow your clinician.