A hearing test for an elderly parent, when you are in another city or abroad

The signs you notice from afar

In phone and video calls, and on visits, some signs stand out in particular:

• Your parent asks you to repeat things, or answers something other than what you asked.
• The TV sounds loud in the background. The NIDCD questionnaire asks exactly about this: a TV or radio at a volume others complain about.
• Your parent avoids family gatherings or events, or says they are "tiring".
• Other family members, neighbours or caregivers say it is hard to talk with them.

No single sign means there is hearing loss. They are a reason to ask, and to check.

How do you do a self-check together, from afar?

The G-Sound self-check works in the browser, on your parent's phone or computer. A few suggestions:

1. One device for the check, another for the call. Your parent takes the check on a phone or computer with headphones, and you accompany them on a video call from another device. If the call and the check are on the same device, your voice will interfere with the check.
2. You explain, your parent answers. You can read the NIDCD questionnaire together. The answers should be theirs, even if you have an opinion.
3. Quiet during the tone step and the digits-in-noise step. It is worth muting your microphone on the call, so your parent hears only the check.
4. If it is too complicated, someone nearby can help. A family member, neighbour or caregiver who is with your parent.

On privacy: the check does not save the answers and does not send them. The summary appears only on your parent's screen. If you want to remember it, you can write it down or talk about it on the call.

On consent: it is your parent's hearing. It is worth doing the check only if they agree, and deciding together what to do afterwards.

What the online test does not do

• It does not determine whether your parent has hearing loss, or its degree.
• It does not replace a test with an audiometer and does not give an audiogram.
• It does not send you the result and does not save it.
• It is not suitable for someone who finds it hard to use headphones or a screen even with help. Then it is better to go straight to a full test.
• It is not suitable for an urgent situation: sudden hearing loss, ear pain or discharge from the ear are reasons to see a doctor the same day.

After the self-check: a full test at your parent's home

We do home hearing tests nationwide by appointment. We come with an audiometer, a computer, equipment for taking impressions and checking ears, hearing aid software and accessories. The test is carried out by a G-Sound technician with an audiogram.

What helps when arranging from afar:

• Who will be at home during the test. Your parent, and if possible, a family member or caregiver who knows them.
• What you have seen. Tell us what you noticed in conversations, and what came up in the self-check.
• Who gets the explanations. Your parent, and if they wish, you too.

Arrangements can be made by phone or on WhatsApp. Details about the home test: Home hearing test. How to talk with your parent about hearing: How to help a parent with hearing loss (in Hebrew).

More on this topic

• To the self-check (in Hebrew)
• Home hearing test
• Home hearing test for seniors
• A hearing aid for an elderly parent
• How to help a parent with hearing loss (in Hebrew)
• What happens in a hearing test

The self-check, and after it the full test. Your parent takes it, you accompany: to the self-check (in Hebrew). For a full test with an audiogram, also at home: call 055-3333338 or WhatsApp.

Sources

• NIDCD, "Do You Need A Hearing Test?" (bookmark, March 2016) · checked 03.11.2026

English version: 4 November 2026 · Written by the G-Sound editorial team. Original version updated 03.11.2026. The information is general and does not replace a check-up or medical advice.

More in English

Hearing testsOnline hearing testWhat happens in a hearing testHome hearing testContact G-Sound