GW came to the Crystal River office of Gardner Audiology at the urging of her friends. She was very much in denial about her hearing loss and blamed the people around her for mumbling and looking away when they spoke to her. Her screening revealed a very severe high frequency hearing loss in both ears. Her ability to understand words being said to her was very poor. I showed her the hearing test and explained that because she could not hear the consonants, it made it sound as though people were mumbling. She did not believe me, but agreed to trial a set of hearing aids to shut her friends up!!
GW was fitted with a set of Starkey X110 RIC hearing aids because of her active lifestyle. These aids adapt to the different listening environments better than most and help to pick voices out in the presence of background noise. The day of the fitting, she came in very apprehensive about trying the aids. She was very nervous and upset. I reassured her that this was only a trial and she could return the aids at any time over the next 30 days, just give them a try.
Over the next few weeks we spent time adjusting and counseling. She was finally beginning to accept her hearing loss, now that she heard what she was missing! When she left the office this week, she said she would be purchasing the hearing aids at her next visit. She was thrilled with how much better she was hearing!
