Giving People Hope

Dr. Laura Brockel amplifi es her patients’ lives

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

As a child, Laura Brockel often visited her great aunt, who fell deaf after a case of the measles. She watched her struggle with amplifi cation devices and doctors.

“She found it diffi cult to fi nd someone who was reputable and had the qualifi cations to handle someone with the profound hearing loss she had,” the North Scottsdale resident says.

“She had had cords running up her dress from a battery pack strapped to her leg. She had a ‘body aid,’ a large box that she wore in her bra, and that led to her hearing aids.”

Witnessing that plight, Brockel studied audiology at Purdue University and AT Still University. She recently opened a mobile practice, Executive Hearing Solutions, that specializes in hearing devices and advanced audiology technology.

“Testing is done in their homes,” she says about her patients. “I have a portable audiometer. If they need hearing aids, all the testing and fi tting can be done in the home. They don’t have to go anywhere.”

Frequently, Brockel works with professionals whose jobs are aff ected by their hearing loss.

“Fortunately, we’ve come a long way with technology,” says Brockel, whose practice is private pay. “I specialize in higher-end technology. I’ve worked with attorneys who are having diffi culties hearing conversations with their clients or in the courtroom.

“A lot of business executives have problems on Zoom calls, in the boardroom and in the courtroom. I mainly help executives maintain their edge in the corporate world and not give way to the younger folks who are coming in.”

The practice comes after 30 years in manufacturing — product manager, technical trainer, audiology support and manufacturing representative. Her knowledge is so vast that she has spoken at a variety of conferences and training sessions in the United States, Hong Kong, Spain and Jamaica.

“I’m a fi rm believer that all audiologists should spend some time working for a hearing aid manufacturer,” Brockel says. “You learn the ins and outs of audiology when you work for a manufacturer, as opposed to working with a private practice or an ENT practice.

“You learn how hearing aids work, how they’re fi tted, the tricks of the trade — things you otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to learn easily.”

A year into Executive Hearing Solutions, Brockel is pleased with the results — and it fi ts her personality well.

“I love meeting people from all walks of life,” she says. “I’m defi nitely a people person. My kids tease me and say, ‘Mom, do you have to talk to everybody?’ It’s easy for me to talk to people. I think it’s fascinating to fi nd out how people fell into their careers. This is the perfect career for me.”

Estate...continued from page 10

One issue that can arise with estate planning in Arizona is owning real estate in a retirement community such as Sun City.

“A lot of times, they will have age restrictions,” Pennington says.

“So, you can’t leave the home to somebody who is not that age, or a fee has to be paid. So, then all of a sudden, the estate pays this fee for no reason. The person still can’t live there, and now they have to sell it.”

Those with wills and trust should update them after signifi cant life changes happen, such as a marriage or divorce.

“An estate plan is a conversation over years. We think of it as one thing, but it’s many many documents that work with a person’s situation to make sure that they are protected and that their estate gets administered smoothly,” Pennington says.

Pennington recommends looking at estate planning documents every year to fi ve years, depending on the age of the person and stage of life. ers of attorney ensure trusted friends or family members can handle fi nancial and health care matters, should anything happen.

“I’m most concerned about what’s most likely to happen,” Pennington sys. “Barring some ongoing medical issue, what is most likely going to happen is an accident that incapacitates us. Or we are going to get older and lose capacity to take care of ourselves.

“Those powers of attorney are super important. If there is an accident, you want to make sure that your client is going to be taken care of and that the hospital knows who to call.”

Other considerations

Estate planning can also involve making arrangements such as pre-planning funerals.

In her estate planning documents, Smith has included provisions or her funeral arrangements and for her dogs. She says that these little details need to be considered.

“You should defi nitely make sure that you advocate for them and have them in your estate plan. They need to be cared for, too,” Smith says.

Dr. Laura Brockel studied audiology at Purdue University and AT Still University. (Submitted photo)