Hearing Beyond
HEARING LOSS Photos by Caitlin Elizabeth
who notice it first. On the intake form, I ask why the patient is here today, and a lot of times ‘wife’ is simply written,” she quips. “Most of the time, the person with the hearing loss isn’t aware of it, because they don’t know what they are missing.”
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id you know: hearing loss not only affects older folks; you can experience it at any point in your life. Suspect you might have hearing loss? One of the first signs is difficulty hearing with background noise, like at a restaurant. Maybe you experience tinnitus, or ringing, in your ears. Perhaps it sounds like the people around you are mumbling. With today’s
technology and the expertise of someone like Dr. Kelly Heyman, audiologist at Eldorado Audiology and Hearing Center, you can soon hear the chatter of life around you again. Dr. Heyman has been practicing audiology for 16 years, 10 of those in Santa Fe. “I always wanted to do something in a field that helps people,” she recounts. She received her undergraduate degree
in speech pathology and audiology, and realized audiology was what she had a passion for. She has since earned both her masters and doctorate in audiology. In order to assess hearing loss, Dr. Heyman measures pure tone testing and speech recognition. Hearing can change over time the way eyesight can change, so she recommends getting tested regularly. “Often it’s other people
“Hearing aids today are really intelligent. They’re all digital, so your level of hearing loss is actually programmed into the hearing aids,” Dr. Heyman describes. “They don’t just amplify sound; they are geared to find the speech signal and lessen the background noise. Some of them can analyze your environment and adjust accordingly. And there’s a price point for just about everybody.” In fact, Dr. Heyman takes pride in dealing with seven different manufacturers, so
she can offer any variety of product. And because she owns her own practice and isn’t beholden to any one manufacturer, she can offer a set of hearing aids for much less than her competitors around town. She works with most insurance, offers financing options, and tries to find a solution that fits both the hearing needs and budget of each of her patients. The technology in today’s hearing aids is very advanced; some connect to the internet and can be programmed to let you know when you have an email, for instance, or read driving directions to you. And almost all have Bluetooth capabilities so you can stream calls. Some even have GPS tracking in the event you lose a hearing aid.
Henry at the front desk has worked with Dr. Heyman for two years. “Working at a private practice allows for a one-on-one relationship with each patient,” he says. Henry has even been known to hand deliver patients their hearing aids when necessary. “I’ve had many a person cry when I turn their hearing aids on. It’s very rewarding to see people’s faces light up because they can hear music or their grandkids again,” Dr. Heyman describes. “I’ve seen people’s entire personalities change because they can hear.” Eldorado Audiology and Hearing Center 5 Caliente Rd. #5A Santa Fe, NM 87508 505.466.7526 www.eldoaudiology.com