Leaves crushing, waves crashing, babies crying, choirs singing—all these things are enjoyed through hearing, one of the most invigorating human senses. In fact, humans develop this sense very early on. By about the 18th week of fetal development, a baby’s ears start to hear things like the mother’s heartbeat. By week 29, they start to hear things outside of their mother’s body such as voices, and by the time they are full-term, they have the capability of hearing at the same level as an adult. We all come to love (and loathe) different sounds as we grow into adulthood. Aside from speech and hearing to help us communicate,
our sense of sound gives us comfort. We can be easily soothed through a favorite song or the various melodies of the natural world. To help nurture and care for our hearing so we can fully enjoy this wonderful human sense, there are businesses like Saline Audiology. The ability to hear and understand to the best of one’s ability is what the clinic strives to give all patients so they can experience the sounds of life. Founded in 1997, Saline Audiology has two offices: one in Benton and one in Hot Springs Village. They offer a wide range of hearing health care including:
30 • Saline County Lifestyles • Sharpening the Senses
The clinic also provides hearing aid cleanings and repair, and custom hearing protection such as musician plugs, including inear monitors, and swim molds. “Our clinic’s main purpose is to provide quality professional hearing health care for all ages, pediatric to geriatric, that is close to home,” says Audiologist Lisa Richey, who founded the clinic with Audiologist Credonna Miller. Richey, Miller, and the rest of the staff are all from Saline County. “We love our patients and know most of them,” Richey adds. “We want to provide a wide range of hearing
