Inherited Passion

My mother, MaryEllen, and grandpa, Howard, were both hard-of-hearing. My Mom underwent ear surgery that left her with a profound hearing loss. My grandpa struggled to hear as long as I remember. I still recall talking into his pocket where he carried his body aid.

I started working with hearing aids in 1999 and I loved it from the beginning. I took all the classes and extra accreditations including Board Certification and designation from the American Conference of Audioprosthology.

Since I was raised in a hard of hearing household, I have firsthand experience with frustrations and misunderstandings. I watched my own father, Ed, get frustrated whenever he had to repeat himself. I watched my Mom, who loved social events, choose to avoid very noise situations due to her hearing.

When Karen married into our family, I saw her get her feelings hurt since she thought my Mom wasn’t listening. It was accurate but not on purpose. Both my Mom and Karen enjoy cooking, but a kitchen is an acoustical nightmare. When they cooked together for our holiday meals, I would have to stand in the middle of the kitchen and translate what Karen was saying to my Mom. It is much easier to hear a deep male voice then Karen’s higher pitched voice. Add in an exhaust fan, a clang of a pot and a clink of a dish and this is not an easy place for conversation.

A few years after I got into this industry, I was able to re-fit my Mom with appropriate technology for her very social lifestyle. I gave insight to Karen about her feelings of being ignored. I gave awareness to my Mom about her frustrations and feelings of isolation.

I thoroughly enjoy being able to share these personal experiences so you can see you aren’t alone. I truly do understand the frustrations. These insights enable me to help you ease the strain that does exist when living with someone with a hearing loss.

I am so very grateful that I get to do what I love doing every day. I get to be of service to other families who struggle with hearing loss and improve their life and connections with their families. If you or a family member struggle to hear well, call for a free consultation.