My Story

The easy hearing solution for Dunsborough resident

I noticed something was wrong when I was watching television. I wasn’t sure whether it was just the accents I wasn’t hearing or whether it was hearing loss. I had always said to my husband if I have hearing loss, I want to get something done about it because I want to hear what is going on.  There would be nothing worse than if someone was speaking to you and you didn’t hear them, it could come across very rude.

My Husband had been to Advanced Hearing and was very satisfied with everything therefore, I came to Advanced Hearing.  I have been able to attend both the Dunsborough and Busselton clinics, I don’t have to wait too long to get an appointment and my appointments are always confirmed by the Receptionist, they are so friendly and accommodating.

Since seeing the Audiologist, Kathy, I certainly feel that I can now hear the TV. I didn’t think I had bad hearing loss and I can still hear without the hearing aids but I certainly feel that when I am watching TV, that I can hear very well. When the aids are in, I don’t even know they are there so that is good, they are totally invisible They cause minimal interruption to my life.

Initially they made my voice a bit echoey but Kathy knew exactly what to do to adjust for that, they were sent away for about a week and came back with a larger air hole, I put them back in and my voice had no echo- it worked.

My Husband had been to another Hearing Aid Provider prior to Advanced Hearing and did not find his hearing aids satisfactory at all. I have only ever been to Advanced Hearing and am very happy.

I must say to anyone thinking about getting hearing aids, its really no big deal. Even if you only have a bit of hearing loss as I do, the improvement to your hearing is noticeable. If you speak to the audiologists at Advanced Hearing they will give you good advice, listen to any troubles you may be having, and do something to make it better.

Whether you attend their main office in Busselton or the visiting clinic in Dunsborough you will feel welcome by the staff. They are professional, friendly and caring.

Katherine Lilburne

Better hearing after a lifetime of hearing loss

I come from South America in Argentina. I moved over to Australia when I was about 4 years old. After we immigrated my mother thought there was something wrong and took me to the doctor and when dropped the coins on the table, because I turned my head he thought I had normal hearing.

I started at school in a normal Kindy, the teacher noticed that I couldn’t hear so she recommended Mum take me to the hearing clinic. She took me to the clinic and yes they told me I was born partially deaf.  I finally got my first government hearing aid at seven or eight years old and at that time I could still only speak Spanish.  I had to learn to speak English at that early age with my new hearing aids

My parents decided to then stop talking Spanish at home and that we needed to concentrate on learning to speak English which we all did. I also went to a Partially Hearing School in Cottesloe. I loved it but unfortunately I kind of stopped speaking to the children that couldn’t talk or hear at all. I watched them and learnt sign language by watching them.

My parents took me out of the Cottesloe Hearing School and put me into a normal school so that I would start talking again. It was hard.  As I grew up my mother brought a restaurant. I started working in the café for her, then I couldn’t get into the Army because I was deaf so in the end I became a chef. If it wasn’t for my Mum I wouldn’t know what sort of job I would be doing.

In the last 10 years I’ve had such trouble with my hearing, even though I’ve worn hearing aids the whole time. I have been told I have a difficult hearing loss to fit with hearing aids and what I found is there was just too much noise and echo but I put up with it.  I couldn’t get into conversation with any of my friends, it wasn’t easy. You do feel like you have been left out.  You have to sit back and pretend you did hear what someone said. Its really hard when you’re as young as I am, and you’re trying to fit in and talk with people your ager in restaurants or around noise.

This was all before my beautiful family and friends decided to fundraise to get a better hearing aid. Luckily many of them had heard about Advanced Hearing WA and when we approached Eimear to see how much hearing aids would cost we were so pleasantly surprised that hearing aids from Advanced Hearing were thousands cheaper than what we were quoted in Perth.

Lots of funding was done locally by my circle of friends, we shook a tin at a sausage sizzle in Cowaramup, there was a ‘gofundme’ project on the internet and then my family friends approached the Lions Club in Margaret River who generously contributed. Between all the funding and with the help of Advanced Hearing WA we got one of the best hearing aids ever.

When Eimear gave me these Hearing Aids, as soon as we switched them on the first thing I noticed was that I could hear everyone breathing, it was amazing. Then we walked outside and listened to them on Queen street and I could still hear the conversations even though there was all this traffic. Eimear even went so far to get the hearing aid company to donate a Bluetooth neck loop so now I can hear my mobile phone or my music through the hearing aids, its mind blowing.

It has been amazing wearing them. I hear everything and have had to learn all new sounds. I keep saying “what is that noise?”. I hear it. Even when a balloon pops. When children are playing in the park and there is all that background noise. I am able to talk to everyone and I am able to hear again. I feel like I fit in with people and am not being left out in conversation.  And my children, they always thought I yelled at them but I talked too loud because I couldn’t hear myself.  It has been amazing. I can hear someone knocking on the front door.  I can even hear my child talking in the bedroom whilst I am in the lounge room.  At least I know what they are up to!!

Eimear has done so much for me. She has been amazing. Her work at making me hear better has been fantastic. She never gave up and has been so positive. Its been an amazing New Year with all my new hearing, and I cant thank Advanced Hearing WA enough for all they’ve done. I’m enthusiastic about my future with hearing this well.

Romy Sauli

 

Terry Germain shares his experience

I have been wearing hearing aids for the last 16 years. What prompted me to come and address my issues with my hearing was that when I visited restaurants I couldn’t hear the other people around the table talking to me. I was forever having to lean forward to hear them.

When I was in company, even face to face I always had to turn my head to hear what was being said and always had to excuse myself for missing what was said. I used to cover my ear to make a bigger effort to hear well which only worked for a short time. In a very noisy restaurant one night I couldn’t hear those close to me and even the gentleman beside me. They said to me “you are very quiet tonight” and I replied that “I didn’t have much to say” but it was in fact it was because I couldn’t hear them. The following day I made an appointment to see a Hearing Specialist.

Over that last 16 years of wearing hearing aids I have found them very satisfactory in many ways. The first ones I got were completely in the ear canal and they were so good. I could actually hear my feet as I was stepping on the carpet for the first time in years. Unfortunately when I had a problem, that hearing company was not very good when it came to following up. One day I had a sprinkler spray straight into my ear where one of my hearing aids were and it became a problem from then on. Those aids were very invasive, not comfortable and not doing the job for me properly.  I persevered with them for about 12-18 months and then threw the aids in the bin.

I went to Advanced Hearing WA and decided to give the in the canal hearing aids another go but I found them too invasive and uncomfortable. Eimear suggested an open style fit which is what I am currently wearing.  The sound quality if absolutely perfect. It is as though I am child again and can hear exactly what everyone is saying and doing. A noisy situation is a little bit of a problem but at least I can hear the people around me.

My advice is to go in and get the advice and when you get some aids to try, persevere. Persevering is the most important thing as they are always invasive in the beginning because they are foreign to your body and foreign to the normal feelings in your ears, but if you persevere and continue to wear them even if you have turn them down in the beginning it will only take about a fortnight and you will get used to them being stuck in your ear. Then adjust them to the level you want. I have found that most times I happy with the volume level, but sometimes have to adjust the volume when I am watching television as each channel have a different sound level.

I am very satisfied with the service at Advanced Hearing WA. Eimear and Kathy are better than anyone else I have ever been to and far better than anyone else in the Bunbury/Busselton area. It makes a huge difference when the technician knows what they are doing.  My hearing aids are just perfect. They can be adjusted to suit my ears.  The technology now is phenomenal compared to years gone by.

Terry Germain

Cathy Burton shares her story

My hearing issues started about 15 years ago when I started hearing little voices and strange tones in my right ear. These sensations got progressively worse and more noticeable in quiet times. I later found out that what I experiencing was tinnitus – something that I was aware of but never thought I would have to deal with.

A couple of years after this realisation, I contracted a virus that I am sure I got from my workplace. It was particularly bad. I fought it and fought it and should have gone to the Doctor but didn’t. Throughout the effects of the illness I felt like my head was going to explode and it was a pressure build up that I could feel. About a week after the infection cleared I answered a telephone call and put the phone to my right ear. I couldn’t hear anything. Absolutely nothing.

I put up with this loss of hearing but didn’t realise the impact. I was going dizzy a lot. – it could be while I was walking or even sitting at my desk. At home, there were many times when my girls were next to me on my right hand side and I would ask them questions. They would answer, but I didn’t hear anything and would accuse them of not answering. They would then respond quite loudly with “Mum I have answered you”, “you are going deaf!”.
Clearly things were getting worse so I eventually took myself off to a hearing specialist who suggested that implanting grommets could improve my hearing. I was ready to accept any solution, so I agreed to the operation. The upside of having the grommets meant that I could take flights and not have pressure build up or ear pressure pain. However, the grommets were really hard work. They limited what I could do in terms of outdoor activities and unfortunately did not reduce my hearing loss, reduce the effect the tinnitus or decrease the dizzy spells. But, to better manage working and social life I , found I that explaining up front that I was partially deaf in my right ear worked to my advantage.
Some time later I started a new job and moved into a new residence in a very high bush fire zone. It was nice being around the bush but the bushfire risk during the summer months caused me to become anxious about not hearing any dangers that might exist in my environment. And as I became more anxious my tinnitus got worse.

It got to the point where I just couldn’t handle it anymore so I made my first hearing appointment here in Busselton where I met Eimear for a hearing assessment. One thing led to another and I was fitted with a hearing aid which certainly helped my hearing acuity and reduced the effects of the tinnitus. It also helped to reduce my anxiety. And because I could now hear better, my sense of balance improved and I was coping with things better.
The hearing aid was useful for a couple number of years but after the initial improvement in the tinnitus it again became more intense. That was when I came across some research papers explaining how cochlear implants were being used to treat tinnitus. I consulted again with Eimear and was consequently, was fitted with a cochlear implant. .

Two years on I know I made the right choice and I know that having it has increased my confidence and my ability to converse with people. In fact, it is quite a social talking point. When people see the device attached to my head they want to know more Hearing loss is such a hidden disability and when you don’t have a visible disability people just naturally assume your hearing is fine. And when you look at them with a blank look on your face because you clearly haven’t understood, there is the capacity to for all involved to misinterpret things. Having the implant and the visible external device that makes it all work makes it easy to explain my deafness and to help the disability to become more socially acceptable.
Another thing that is really interesting when you have hearing loss is that you find out you are not alone. There are so many people who suffer from hearing deficiency in some way. Having gone through the experience of receiving the implant, I find I have made new connections with those who have had the same treatment. . I am not saying having tinnitus or hearing loss is a blessing, it is not! But it has enabled me to form new and supportive relationships and share my experiences associated with hearing loss.
What Eimear has given me? Confidence and self esteem, and some rewarding new social connections. Eimear has also given me a sense of “I can do this”. She has helped me learn that there are plenty of hearing solutions and there are always people there to support you. Eimear cares, and is always proactive in addressing anything that I perceive to me an issue or finding a solution to a problem. Eimear always takes time to fully explain matters so that I understand what is happening. People say to me that you can always consult the internet to learn about hearing loss and how to deal with it, but there is no substitute for the personal touch, and personal and caring service is what Eimear provides.

There is everything to gain by having a hearing test. Eimear’s practice has all the facilities needed for a comprehensive assessment and ongoing service. Her practice is the best first step that anyone could make. I would encourage anyone who is concerned about their hearing to simply come in and having a chat. It could be a life changer.

Diana Hull shares her story

The one thing I dreaded the most as I am entering my senior years is to be deaf. This fear came from my Mother who had continual battles with her upmarket hearing aids which she could not manage the result being that we could not communicate in her final years of life.

My journey however started after many years of sinus surgery and ongoing infections which in the end damaged my Eustachian tubes resulting in having many grommets inserted in both ears over the years. Over time I found that I was staring to isolate myself from various communities because I found it difficult to hear I mentioned this to my specialist who immediately sent me to the Lions Hearing Centre in Subiaco.

The test results were not very encouraging I had lost considerable hearing in one ear and moderate loss in the other. Then my relationship with hearing aids started. I had many friends who had paid a fortune for aids that they did not wear so there was no way I was going down that path and opted out for the free aids supplied through my Veteran Affairs Gold Card. I immediately started to wear them all day and by the evening I was exhausted. Overtime and with many more ear infections and sinus operations things deteriorated even more. I could not hear what my grandsons were saying and had to have everything translated by their parents. I became an expert on lip reading and body language even ended up using the captions on the TV. My sons became frustrated with me as I could hardly understand what they were saying on the phone even with the aids.

I retired in Dunsborough and transferred to Advanced Hearing to manage my hearing aids issues. We tired many variations to the ear pieces but the background noise and feedback improved a little and then as my hearing deteriorate further the benefits were lost. By this stage I could no longer use the phone so texting became the norm or the loud speaker on the mobile helped.

Kathy then suggested that I should try some better hearing aids, I thought this over and had a trial run with one aid on my better ear this proved to be better but I was not altogether convinced. However I decided that I should invest in me and improve my quality of hearing so I went to the other extreme and bought the top of the range. I now had microphones in the ear canal not behind the ear. After a month of adjusting the aids and coping with yet another infection things started to improve I could hear the grandchildren and hold a conversation with them on the phone. Having lunch with girls improved I could cut out the background noise and hold a conversation. I am glad I invested in myself and improved my hearing even though my partner often says its no better sometimes. I rang my insurer and insured my aids as Kathy suggested as I could not afford to replace them. I feel so much improved thanks to Kathy at Advanced Hearing that I would happily recommend them to you.

Mike Davis shares his story

From the customer point of view the big thing that I have found is that the after sales service has been so excellent. I have been in customer service most of my life so I am used to noticing when someone is looking after the customer, but I have to say Advanced Hearing WA’s aftercare is impeccable.

And getting back to the hearing aids I was missing a lot of things that I didn’t hear before I got them. People could talk to me from across the room and I just didn’t hear it. Coming to Kathy at Advanced Hearing changed all of that. It’s also their initial approach, you got the feeling they are interested in what your problem was and the challenge was there to solve it. Instead of saying you got to do this, you got to do that. You can see they care about your situation, not just selling the hearing aid.

The sale was secondary to what the problem was and quite honestly the difference they made was HUGE. I couldn’t believe. Yes quote that word. The difference was huge. I used to have the TV up to 37 and now it’s down to 17/18. I didn’t know the difference. I like when you are in a group or rowdy environment it was difficult to hear and you only got half the conversation but having that little button thing to change the program.

The other thing..the way you diary your customers ahead. I have felt that nothing has been too much. Little things I have come in for. I have never been told.. like some businesses say you can’t see someone because they are busy. That’s never on. Even with the administrative staff, when you come in you get fixed up straight away. I have been here since day 1 and there is no way that I would go anywhere else. Yes quote that. There is no way I would leave here.

When I first got my hearing aids…the best bit of advice Advanced Hearing WA gave use was to put the aids on the house insurance. I thought why in the hell would I do that …they said if I get in the shower or drop them you can claim them. Within a couple of months I did that.!! That saved us something like $3000 back then and I did that twice, we often joke about that!
It’s advice like that which you don’t necessarily have to give. I mean some articles you buy everything is rosy and they are trying to sell it to you and once you walk out of the office or yard that’s it you never hear from them again, not at Advanced Hearing WA.

I depend on these aids so much and they help me continue in my employment. I wear them all day every day apart from when I go to bed otherwise I can’t hear properly. I am also of the opinion that why come in here and sit down and waste my time and your time and you pay for these things why come home and not bother. You have to go through it all and get the benefit out of them. They are brilliant.

My first pair 4 years ago were much bigger. This pair are nice and small you can’t see them. You can’t even see the wire that goes into them. They are a no worry thing. Kathy gave us the box you plug in to at night to dry them out to keep them in good working order.

I have no complaints with the aids as long as you follow what they tell you to do.

I told them she was fantastic Eimear. Its other things too. You can come in and get the batteries. I referred a Mr Sutton here. He had purchased online. He said they were cheaper. I said to him I can walk into the clinic. If somethings not right they fix it. I don’t have to wait.

If Kathy has had to send them away over east they are back and you don’t have to ring up, the staff are so onto it they ring you straight away, and then they are all happy when you come by which just makes you feel good, that is some stand out service.

The staff have always been good. I am always happy. It makes you want to continue to come back and get the accessories or recommend someone else. I have never had to bring the aids back a second. The timeframe has been unbelievable. Within a week to ten days I get a call to say that they are back. You get the convenience of a loan set.

As a separate gadget yes I have a remote control. The time that I have come back for a review they have been spot on so I have not needed the remote control. Once it’s fixed you don’t go away and think it’s not very loud.

I should have put something on paper to put my thoughts across. If anyone wants to ring me, they can. The difference in my hearing has been remarkable.

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