JHB Audiology

JHB Audiology We offer professional and efficient Audiology and Speech Therapy services, based at Life Fourways Hospital and Netcare Olivedale Hospital in Johannesburg

We believe that we offer our patients a personal and professional service that subscribes to the highest in medical ethics and care. We believe that we are able to assure our patients – who range in age from newborn babies to the elderly – excellence and efficiency at all times. Our team, supported by caring and competent administrators – is also networked to an effective multi-disciplinary team o

f professionals. This enables you to access the services of knowledgeable and experienced medical professionals, including GPs (general practitioners) and specialists, such as ENTs (ear, nose and throat specialists) and paediatricians – along with other auxiliary health care professionals such as speech therapists, occupational therapists and teachers. As an audiology team, we bring a combined 41 years of experience in the field of audiology. Over and above this, we keep abreast of cutting-edge research and remain up to date with the latest trends in hearing aid technology. As such, we supply state-of-the-art hearing aids to patients within South Africa and beyond. These, from a number of reputable, international hearing aid companies, whose products we source to match to individual patient needs, taking into account medical requirements as well as budget constraints.

14/05/2026

Could Your Child Be Missing Sounds? | Part 3

Frequent ear infections aren’t always ‘just part of childhood.’

Middle ear infections and fluid build-up behind the eardrum are very common in children, but when they occur frequently or persist for long periods, they can temporarily affect hearing.

Many parents are surprised to learn that middle ear fluid can cause a child to hear speech as though sounds are muffled, unclear, or far away. Even temporary hearing difficulties during important developmental years can impact speech, language development, listening skills, learning, attention, and classroom participation.

Some children may:
• Misunderstand instructions
• Seem inattentive or distracted
• Ask for repetition more often
• Speak louder than usual
• Struggle in noisy environments
• Experience fluctuations in hearing

Because these hearing changes are often temporary and can come and go, they are sometimes overlooked.

As audiologists, we assess hearing and middle ear function to determine whether ear infections or fluid may be affecting hearing clarity. This may include tests such as tympanometry and age-appropriate hearing assessments.

When necessary, we work closely with ENT specialists to ensure that middle ear problems are appropriately treated and that hearing returns to normal once the infection or fluid has resolved.

Early identification and management can make a meaningful difference to a child’s communication, confidence, and overall development.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

12/05/2026

Could Your Child Be Missing Sounds? | Part 2

“Turning the volume up more and more?” 🔊

Whether it’s the TV, tablet, phone, headphones, or another device, consistently increasing the volume can sometimes be a sign that a child is struggling to hear speech and sound clearly.

Children with hearing difficulties may find it harder to hear softer speech sounds or follow dialogue clearly, especially when background noise, music, or multiple sounds compete for attention.

You may notice:
• Devices are played louder than others prefer
• Your child sits very close to screens
• They frequently ask others to repeat things
• They miss parts of conversations, movies, or videos
• They rely heavily on subtitles to follow along

As audiologists, we also recommend limiting screen time and keeping headphone and earphone use to a minimum, with volumes kept at safe listening levels to help protect developing ears.

Hearing difficulties in children are not always obvious and can sometimes fluctuate, particularly when middle ear problems are involved.

When sound is unclear, children may miss important speech information that supports communication, learning, and everyday interaction.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

08/05/2026

Did you know? 👂

Tympanometric testing is a quick and painless test that helps assess how well the middle ear system is functioning. By measuring how the eardrum moves in response to changes in air pressure, it can help identify fluid behind the eardrum, pressure changes, or middle ear infections.

This is especially important in children with recurrent ear infections, as fluid in the middle ear can temporarily reduce hearing, even when there is no pain or obvious symptoms. Reduced hearing during key developmental years may impact speech, language, learning, and concentration.

Tympanometry gives valuable information about middle ear health and helps guide the next steps in management and monitoring.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

ChildHearing HearingHealth AudiologyAwareness

When you have a cold or flu, the inflammation and congestion don’t only affect your nose and throat. They also impact th...
30/04/2026

When you have a cold or flu, the inflammation and congestion don’t only affect your nose and throat. They also impact the delicate system that connects your nose to your middle ear, called the Eustachian tube.

When this tube becomes swollen or blocked, it cannot equalise pressure properly. This leads to that familiar feeling of fullness, blockage, or muffled hearing in the ears.

In some cases, fluid can build up behind the eardrum, which may cause a temporary reduction in hearing. This is especially common in children, but adults can experience it too.

The good news is that in most cases this type of hearing change is temporary and improves as the infection clears and pressure normalises.

However, if the feeling of blockage, muffled hearing, or ear discomfort continues after your cold has resolved, it is important to have your hearing and middle ear function checked.

Your ears are often telling the story before you even realise it.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750
📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

winterhealth

Every day, your ears are working quietly in the background to help you make safe decisions without even thinking about i...
29/04/2026

Every day, your ears are working quietly in the background to help you make safe decisions without even thinking about it.

• Localisation – knowing where a sound is coming from, like a car approaching from behind or a cyclist passing on your left
• Distance awareness – judging how far away something is, and how quickly it’s getting closer
• Environmental awareness – picking up subtle cues like footsteps, a gate opening, or a dog approaching
• Speech detection – hearing someone call your name or warn you, even if they’re not right next to you
• Sound discrimination – telling the difference between everyday noise and something that needs your attention, like a ho**er vs background traffic

It’s not just about hearing louder… it’s about hearing clearly and accurately so your brain can respond in time.

When hearing is reduced, these small but critical cues can be missed, and that can impact safety more than we realise.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

Earphones are part of daily life for many. Music, gaming, workouts, videos… but how they’re used can quietly shape long-...
27/04/2026

Earphones are part of daily life for many. Music, gaming, workouts, videos… but how they’re used can quietly shape long-term hearing health.

The concern isn’t earphones themselves, it’s volume + duration + repetition. Over time, this combination can place stress on the delicate structures of the inner ear. The result is usually gradual: difficulty hearing in noisy places, reduced clarity of speech, and sometimes ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Because it builds slowly, it often goes unnoticed until it starts affecting everyday communication.

Different scenarios, different risks:

Music & streaming:
It’s easy to increase volume to “feel” the music or block out background noise. The higher the volume, the less time the ear can safely tolerate exposure.

Gaming:
Long sessions, often with intense sound effects and headphones on for extended periods, can lead to fatigue of the auditory system without breaks.

Exercise & gym use:
Music is often turned up to stay motivated or drown out gym noise. Add movement and sweat, and listening sessions tend to get longer and louder without awareness.

Social media & videos:
Constant short bursts of sound throughout the day can add up, especially when earphones stay in for hours at a time.

Healthy habits that make a difference:
Keep volume at a level where you can still hear someone speaking near you.
Build in listening breaks during long sessions.
Use noise-isolating or noise-cancelling settings instead of increasing volume.
Be mindful of total daily exposure, not just single moments.
Watch for early signs like ringing, muffled hearing, or needing higher volume than others.

Hearing health is built on small daily choices, and once damage occurs, it is often permanent, but entirely preventable.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital


Hearing plays a powerful role in how a child connects with the world, and those needs shift as they grow. That’s why hea...
24/04/2026

Hearing plays a powerful role in how a child connects with the world, and those needs shift as they grow. That’s why hearing care isn’t a once-off check, it’s something we follow through every stage of development.

In newborns, hearing is already laying the foundation for bonding and early brain development. Babies start recognizing familiar voices within days, and consistent sound input helps build the pathways needed for speech and language.

By 6 to 12 months, babies are turning toward sounds, responding to their name, and beginning to babble. This is where hearing and communication start working together. Even a mild hearing difficulty at this stage can quietly impact how these skills develop.

Toddlers and preschoolers rely heavily on hearing to build vocabulary, follow instructions, and engage socially. Frequent ear infections, which are common at this age, can cause temporary hearing changes that affect speech clarity and learning if not monitored.

In school-aged children, hearing supports attention, reading, and classroom participation. If a child is missing parts of speech, they may seem distracted or fall behind academically when the root cause is actually auditory.

At every age, hearing influences more than just sound. It shapes confidence, communication, learning, and connection. Regular, age-appropriate hearing checks help ensure that nothing is missed during these critical milestones.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

Crosswords, puzzles, and brain games are great tools for mental stimulation, but they are only one piece of the bigger p...
23/04/2026

Crosswords, puzzles, and brain games are great tools for mental stimulation, but they are only one piece of the bigger picture.

Your brain relies heavily on sound to stay active. Every conversation, every subtle environmental cue, and every moment of listening keeps important neural pathways engaged. When hearing becomes less clear, the brain has to work harder to interpret sound, often diverting energy away from memory, focus, and comprehension.

Over time, this increased listening effort can lead to mental fatigue, reduced engagement in conversations, and even social withdrawal. These changes are not just lifestyle shifts, they can have a real impact on cognitive health.

Supporting your hearing means supporting your brain in a way that puzzles alone cannot. Clear, effortless listening allows your mind to stay sharp, responsive, and connected to the world around you.

If you have noticed that listening feels more tiring or that you are missing parts of conversations, it may be worth checking your hearing. Early support can make a meaningful difference.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

Before it reaches you, it’s been carefully checked, documented and prepared.Hearing aids are not just devices, they are ...
22/04/2026

Before it reaches you, it’s been carefully checked, documented and prepared.

Hearing aids are not just devices, they are part of a personalised clinical journey. The real value lies in the process that surrounds them, not just the technology itself.

Every device that comes through our practice is prepared with attention to detail, ensuring it is ready to be fine-tuned, adjusted and fitted to your unique hearing needs once you are in the room with us. It is a collaborative process, where hearing and understanding are shaped together, not something simply handed over.

While it may seem simple to obtain hearing devices, true hearing care only happens when there is professional guidance, ongoing adjustment and real-time fine-tuning based on your experience and feedback.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

qualitycare

Communication is more than just hearing words. It’s tone, timing, facial expression, context, and connection. When heari...
20/04/2026

Communication is more than just hearing words. It’s tone, timing, facial expression, context, and connection. When hearing is compromised, it’s often these subtle layers that are lost first. Conversations can start to feel tiring, misunderstandings become more frequent, and many people find themselves withdrawing, not because they want to, but because it’s simply exhausting to keep up.

Hearing loss doesn’t just affect what you hear, it affects how you engage. From missing the softness in a loved one’s voice, to struggling in group settings, or finding it harder to follow fast-paced discussions, the impact is both social and emotional.

The good news is that with the right support, communication can feel natural and effortless again. Early assessment and personalised care make all the difference, helping you stay connected to the people and moments that matter most.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

17/04/2026

No two ears, and no two lives, are the same. That’s why audiology should never be one-size-fits-all.

At our practice, every assessment and recommendation is shaped around the individual in front of us. Not just their hearing levels, but their age, lifestyle, daily environments, and even the small details that often get overlooked.

A toddler’s needs, for example, go far beyond a simple hearing screening. We consider speech and language milestones, attention span during testing, sensory sensitivities, and how to make the experience feel safe and even enjoyable. For school-aged children, the focus often shifts to classroom listening, concentration, and how hearing impacts learning, confidence, and social interaction.

Teenagers bring a completely different set of priorities. From headphone use and noise exposure to the social impact of hearing devices, care at this stage is as much about guidance and prevention as it is about diagnosis.

For adults, hearing is deeply tied to work demands, communication styles, and listening fatigue. A teacher, a business professional, and a parent in a busy household will all experience hearing challenges differently, even with the same test results.

And for older adults, it’s not just about hearing clearly, it’s about staying connected. We take into account cognitive load, ease of use of devices, dexterity, and the emotional side of hearing changes, ensuring solutions feel supportive, not overwhelming.

Personalisation also means adapting to things like sound sensitivity, tinnitus, lifestyle habits, and even personality, because the best outcomes happen when care feels relevant and realistic to the person living it.

We don’t just treat hearing. We tailor care to people.

www.jhbaudiology.co.za | (011)875-1750 | 📍Fourways Life Hospital | 📍Netcare Olivedale Hospital

Address

1. C33 Life Fourways Hospital, Fourways, 2. Ground Floor, Netcare Olivedale Hospital
Johannesburg
2055

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 17:00

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