Honoring the Private Sector for Small Business Saturday: Private Audiologist vs Big Box Stores
When seeking advice about a health related issue such as the heart or lungs, we tend to look for the professionals with the most knowledge and experience to assist in our decision making process. When the health issue is hearing loss and there is a need for hearing aids, the same care and research should be given when choosing a professional to facilitate that process.
A professional who provides a comprehensive, individualized hearing healthcare package – that may include the prescription and fitting of hearing aids – is best suited to address a hearing issue. Big box stores and retail chains do not necessarily offer a comprehensive hearing healthcare package. Typically, they are in the business of “selling” hearing aids – not in providing hearing solutions that extend beyond what the technology can provide. Oftentimes hearing aids are a part of the solution – but they do not solve the hearing issue alone. Technology becomes a part of a hearing healthcare package and is used in conjunction with aural rehabilitation exercises and compensatory strategies to address a hearing loss. The choice of which technology to use is, in and of itself, very individualized based upon the sound signature of the technology and the audiological profile.
What comprises a comprehensive hearing healthcare package? The treatment plan is designed based on your individual needs – each person is different and requires different sound signatures, programming changes,
and a different set of exercises to help the brain to re-establish a relationship with sound. Because of the highly specialized and individual nature to a hearing healthcare treatment plan, a professional provides personalized care it Is best suited to offer the service necessary to successfully treat a hearing health care issue.
Big Box stores and retail chains simply do not and cannot offer this same type of personalized care. Why? Because their business model measures successful hearing healthcare based on the number of hearing aid sales even though that’s just a fraction of the entire picture. A private audiologist measures their successes based on the number of hearing impaired individuals that can still enjoy what they love to do with the people they love. Our family…our friends…our quality of life. That is the true measure of a successful hearing healthcare program.
You should entrust your hearing healthcare to a professional Audiologist who is experienced and knowledgable enough to provide personalized solutions based on your specific communication needs. Addressing the issue with part of a solution is not enough – a comprehensive hearing healthcare program is the most successful in maximizing communication needs and quality of life.
On Small Business Saturday, consider the comprehensive care that a private, individual professional provides versus a larger, Big Box or retail chain. Like any industry, healthcare solutions are best provided from the smaller, individualized professional who can provide personalized service.
At New York Speech and Hearing, we recognize that individuals with hearing and communication impairments come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Everyone is an individual with different needs. We provide personalized solutions based on those specific needs. After all, isn’t life about embracing our differences and maximizing our potential?
