I’m Dr. Darlene Ballou from Audiology and Hearing Care of Southwest Florida here in Bonita Springs. My name is Bill Ballou. I’m a hearing instrument specialist. I’m certified, licensed by the state of Florida. Hearing loss, it happens over the, over a long period of time. You know, the industry says it takes seven to ten years for someone, after they’ve been told that they need hearing aids to get hearing aids.
Well, nobody wants to get a hearing aid. And they think that if they can hear some or somebody can just talk loud or they can turn the volume up they’re okay. That’s a really hard battle that we fight because we get people in here all the time that have been waiting for seven to ten years and they’re sitting here in our chair and they say well I’m doing fine I hear everything I want to hear.
Once we get them on them and they go out into their world they realize oh my lord I can’t believe how much I’ve been missing. And then that makes it a little bit easier to transition them into getting the help that they need. And there’s different kinds of hearing loss, some sensorineural or nerve type hearing loss that there’s no medicine surgery to change, at least at this point.
Um, there’s conductive hearing loss that could be wax in your ears. It could be a hole in your eardrum that could be medically or surgically correctable. We do a hearing test. So we’re testing at different volume levels at different pitches. And then we find, that’s for your audiogram. That just gives us some pure tone information.
You usually As we get older, we usually lose hearing loss in the high pitches, but everybody’s different. I mean, we see lots of different kind of hearing losses. It’s not like hearing loss is hearing loss is hearing loss. Everybody’s different. Technology’s changing so fast. Hearing aids are not even close.
They’re nothing like they were in 2014 when we started. The technology has grown so much more since then. You know, when you start looking at it, it’s amazing that we can do what we do. I’ve had people forget that they hear footsteps, just other everyday things that we hear. Clocks ticking, um, microwaves going off that people May lose the ability to hear and then they get that information back and they’re like, well, it’s they have to relearn how to use everything.
That’s why we usually if there’s a hearing loss and we recommend hearing aids, we recommend you don’t wait. Because usually if they don’t proceed immediately, then they may wait years before they come back. The longer they wait, it may be harder to get used to. Rehearing sounds that you’ve forgot you heard.
You know, I had one woman, I just put a lyric the other day. The next day I called her to check on her and see how she was doing. And she says, Oh my God, I can hear everything. So that’s good. And she said, yeah, it is. She says, and this morning I woke up, I went in the kitchen and I asked my husband, what is that sound?
I said, well, it’s the clock that’s been sitting there for the last 20 years. That’s what brings us satisfaction. That’s what brings us happiness. My experience here has been. overwhelmingly positive and I can say to anyone that’s out there that’s questioning a loved one’s hearing or their own hearing, just go in, go in, have a test.
They’ll talk to you. They’ll show you all the data and how it looks and what’s going on. And there’s a ton of options that they have here. And you’d be surprised. I know that they would have a solution for anyone. There’s nothing to be afraid of. And I’m telling you now. It will really help with your mental capacity.
It’ll keep your mind sharp. Your hearing is just an extension of your mind and you really need to keep that part of your brain. I was fortunate enough to find Darlene and Bill and they’re lovely people and very friendly and helpful and compassionate and I’m happy. We’re a team and we work together and we know with each other.
You know, what we what we’re doing and projects we’re working on and we collaborate, um. All the time, so if somebody is better at 1 thing, um. That person steps up, but, you know, we seek help from each other when we need it. And just. work together. I love this office because Bill and Darlene are so personable and they take time really to get to know you.
And I don’t feel like it’s just another doctor’s visit. I truly have come to feel like family here and I love how they take their time with you. I mean, even from my very first visit when I got my free hearing evaluation, I didn’t feel rushed. I didn’t feel pressured into anything. It all took the time.
To walk me through what this would feel like, what it would be like, and, um, not only what the cost would be over time, but what type of appointments I would be needing to expect what the anticipation was for the maintenance of this system. Um, We know our people, and we care, you know, a great deal, and uh, you’re going to be treated like gold when you come here.
I mean, they’re greeted by Barb, and she’s friendly, and everybody loves Barb, and then Bill makes them laugh, and then they see me, and then I listen to what their issues are. Bill does too, but I mean, he, they’re usually, he’s looking in their ears, and he has them laughing. Go, see Bill, see Darlene, find what you need, take care of your issues.
To be able to have the option to go back and not feel like you’re a nuisance to somebody is really, really special. To feel like they’re constantly welcoming, welcoming me in, and they’re here for me anytime I have a question or a concern. It’s nice to feel like I’m welcomed and not like I’m You know, just kind of an annoyance and in a way, they are just down to earth people they help you.
They’re there for you, and they, you know, go into some other places and they just put them in get out. go but they are there for you. What we see too much of is people that that that lose hearing over time and then they wait that seven to ten years too long from the time that they were told they need hearing aids and then they start having issues with memory and you know the whole kinds of all kinds of cognitive issues going on.
That’s what we’re we’re trying to stop. If there’s somebody out there that’s thinking about getting their hearing checked or wondering if they have any hearing. problem, I’d invite them to just call and schedule an appointment, and we’ll get you in. We’ll take a look in your ears, check your hearing, check the whole hearing situation and noise, and go from there, and see how we can help you out.
If you’re seeing this video and you’re watching us and you’re getting to this point, I would say just to satisfy your own curiosity, to find out what your hearing is, come in, get a baseline. We’re fun. Uh, we laugh, we joke, we have a good time. We don’t hard sell anybody. We’re going to treat you like gold.
You’re going to know exactly what your hearing is, what, what your requirements are, but at least you’ll know where you’re at. So all I can tell people is get your hair checked and if there’s something that you can do about it, do it sooner than later. And that’s what I want people to know. They don’t have to be afraid and there’s nothing to be afraid of.
We’re good folks. We’ll take good care of you.