Many audiologists will tell you how they do what they do, but I want to talk about why I do what I do. I’m not in this because I want to have more patients than anyone else around, I’m in this for my father. My father worked as a printer operating noisy printing presses in the days when upper and lower case meant where you found the lead type pieces that had to be packed together by hand. In addition to losing a part of a finger, my dad had a severe hearing loss as long as I can remember. I still remember how angry my mother would get at him when she had to repeat herself countless times. She thought if he “listened harder” he would hear what she had to say. That just was not true! I also can’t forget how lost he seemed to be when he could not follow the conversations among the rest of the family.
I was able to fit my father with hearing aids later in his life and was able to work with him to reduce his hearing problems. Solving a hearing problem, especially a complicated loss that could be made worse in noisy environments, takes much more than just running a few tests and slapping in the newest or cheapest hearing aid. A hearing aid, you see, is much like a musical instrument. It works if you know how to play it, but without experience, resourcefulness and dedication to the goals of your patient, a hearing aid is just a small yet expensive paperweight. I have treated several thousand patients and I treat each situation as a new and different challenge, to not only help my patient hear better, but to improve their overall communication and the quality of their lives. My father is not with us anymore, but I approach each opportunity to treat a hearing loss as another opportunity to improve someone’s life and keep my father’s memory alive.
If you have difficulty understanding what people are saying, and you would like more info about the new technologies available, contact Patrice Rifkind, Au.D. or Nina Ball, M.S. of Audiology Associates at 661-294-1900 or stop by our new office at 23838 Valencia Blvd Suite 100.