Rewarding, gratifying, and thrilling
In preparing for this year’s upcoming National Better Hearing Month events, my staff and I got to talking about our daily roles in regard to helping our patients, and also about how I came to choose audiology and hearing care as my profession.
Our role here is really quite simple: We come to the office every day with the goal of helping our patients by changing their lives — and those of their families and friends — for the better through better hearing.
Why? Because when we are able to help someone in our community reconnect with others in their daily lives, it is the most rewarding, gratifying, and thrilling experience anyone in the health care profession can hope to experience.
My story
This is the feeling I got well over 40 years ago when, as a high school student, I took a job in a convalescent home. I enjoyed the work so much that I stayed in this line of work all the way through junior college.
It was the last resident I was assigned to that introduced me to the world of hearing care. This wonderful woman was 95 years old but sadly didn’t have much to say, as she pretty much just stared out the window all day long. This didn’t seem right to me, because my job there was to make sure that the residents were well-fed, clean, and above all, happy. I doubted that this woman was truly happy, and wondered how I could make an improvement in her life.
Then one day while I was cleaning her room, I found a hearing aid in her drawer. Having no experience with hearing aids, I brought them to a nearby hearing aid dispenser who showed me how to turn it on and put it in her ear. He also cleaned the hearing aid, made sure it was functioning, and gave me a few new batteries.
So I brought it back to the woman, put the aid in her ear, and asked her, “Well, can you hear me?”
She looked at me with a very surprised expression on her face and said, “My, no one’s talked to me in ages!” From then on we really enjoyed our time together. She had so many wonderful stories to tell, and it was obvious she had led a fascinating life.
You guessed it. After that experience, I decided to take up hearing care in college and eventually make it my profession. Now, after more than 30 years as an audiologist, I still get the most wonderful feeling of satisfaction when I help someone reconnect with the world around them.
But in the end, the real joy for me and my staff is that it isn’t about us, but our patients, their family, and friends, because they are only with us at the office for a small amount of time. The rest of their lives are spent not with us, but with others. What matters is that after they leave our care, they can hear and understand. And that is an amazing and wonderful thing that should never be taken for granted. Because hearing truly is a wonderful gift!
May is national better hearing month!
The Month of May is National Better Hearing Month, and once again I will be offering my free annual educational luncheon seminar. This seminar is a comprehensive presentation covering a variety of hearing health care topics such as understanding how our hearing system works, enhancing communication and listening skills, advancements in hearing aid technology, and what to look for in a hearing care professional.
The seminar will be on May 1, 2013, at the Chico Women’s Club, from 11:30am to 1:00pm. A complimentary catered lunch will be served. There is no cost or obligation for attending, but due to limited seating, reservations are required. To reserve your space, call my office toll free at 1.888.844.7024…because hearing is a wonderful gift!
Since 2006, Audigy Group has interviewed over 5,000 of the 18,000 audiologists in the U.S., yet has selected only 250 to be members in this elite association. Dr. Chalmers is the only Audigy Group professional in the entire northeastern part of California. AudigyCertified™ is a trademark of Audigy Group, LLC.
To learn more about Dr. Chalmers, her practice, and Audigy Group, visit online at www.nsaudiology.com or call toll free at 1.888.844.7024.
