Amy Holland, Au.D., is an audiologist at Hearing Solutions in Ohio. She works in the Fairfield and Harrison offices. She takes pride in fitting people in her community with the latest in hearing aid technology. Recently, she shared a few of her favorite hearing aid fitting stories with me. Below, she describes in her own words why she loves fitting Starkey hearing aids:
Dr. Amy Holland: I'm continually surprised by how my patients manage to reach right in and touch my heart in a way that is almost unnerving. Today, a new patient of mine came in with his wife. They were one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever met. While fitting him with hearing aids, I asked her to talk to him so I could ensure he was hearing her clearly.
I looked down to write in his chart and I didn't hear anything but her softly giggling, not talking. I looked up and saw him gently blowing kisses at her while she giggled and BLUSHED. They have been married for over 57 years. And that man still makes her blush and giggle like he did when they were teenagers and had just started dating. I think everyone, at least once in life, deserves to experience a love like that. Hearing her voice clearly, the one voice that means the most to him, was really magical, a moment I won’t forget.
“I’ve never heard it before!”
Another one of my favorite fittings happened when an audiologist friend of mine, who lives out of state, sent her beloved grandmother to see me because she needed new hearing aids. I was extremely honored that another professional would trust me to treat a member of her own family, and didn’t expect the visit to be anything out of the ordinary. She was a seasoned hearing aid wearer, after all, and I figured new aids would be great for her, but old hat at this point. I fit her with the newest technology and a hearing aid style that I thought would be much better than what she had previously worn.
As I turned her hearing aids on, she innocently took a piece of candy out of her purse. As she opened it, she gasped, then started laughing. She started to tear up while she laughed. Her husband and I looked at her with concern. She said, "Oh my goodness! I can't believe that this candy wrapper makes a sound! I've never heard it before!" As we all started laughing (and crying) she turned to her husband and said, "I have been opening these candies during church services for years. Why in the world didn't you tell me they were so darn loud?!? You just let me sit in church making all this noise just so I could eat a little piece of candy?!”
Seeing the positive effects of better hearing
I absolutely live for these moments like these. It is a great reminder for all of us to appreciate what we have. Something small, like unwrapping candy might annoy some, but the sounds you might find annoying are the same sounds someone else wishes they could hear. I am passionate about my profession, because I get to see how better hearing positively effects my patients every single day.
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