Audiologist Helps Clients Hear the Ocean

Santa Monica Canyon resident Tom Ballantyne knew he had a hearing problem since his 20s. It was triggered by an incident when he was a sergeant in the Army. He observed a gunnery practice for his division’s tanks in Grafenw’hr, Germany, in the ’60s. There was supposed to be a ceasefire and he was standing without his earplugs right next to a tank when its cannon went off. The problem started with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and led to a high-frequency hearing loss in his left ear, which progressed over time. ”’About two or three years ago, it was creating problems because I wasn’t hearing my wife,’ says Ballantyne, 61. ‘She was tired of me asking ‘What did you say?” After having some mixed results at a hearing aid store, Ballantyne’s doctor referred him to audiologist Stephen Kirsch at Ocean Hearing Care in Santa Monica. He underwent diagnostic testing and was fitted with an appropriate hearing aid and today, although his hearing is not perfect, he says it’s much improved. Kirsch says his motivation is largely to educate people about hearing loss and what can be done about it,’ says Kirsch. ‘When hearing aid fittings are successful, I can see the improvement in the lives of the people wearing hearing aids and the improvement in the lives of spouses and kids.’ In addition to in-depth diagnostic testing, Kirsch spends a lot of his time getting to know his patients so the hearing aid can fit their individual needs and counseling them so they can have appropriate expectations from a hearing aid. For example, some people are more concerned with cosmetic issues and want an inconspicuous hearing aid. Tiny in-the-ear hearing aids are available, although not everyone is a good candidate for them. Also, lifestyle dictates the type of hearing aid, such as how often someone is in a noisy environment and other variables. ‘People are very resistant to coming here,’ Kirsch says. ‘They don’t want the stigma that’s attached to a hearing aid. A lot of times it’s the spouse who is tired of repeating themselves, or the person’s occupation requires it.’ Reasons for hearing loss vary and include noise exposure, genetic predisposition and aging. Those with an inner-ear hearing loss are usually good candidates for hearing aids. ”The price range for one hearing aid is from $800 to $3,000, with an average cost of $1,500, Kirsch says. Although certain insurance plans offer some coverage, most don’t, and clients usually pay privately. A substantial part of the price is for the expertise of the audiologist in fitting the hearing aid, which comes with a three-year warranty on service (cleaning, fine-tuning, counseling), manufacturer’s repairs and loss. When it comes to hearing aids, one size doesn’t fit all. Clients are allowed two-month trials to evaluate their new hearing aids, and are able to exchange or return them if they’re not satisfactory, Kirsch says. Also, it can take time to adjust to a hearing aid; they often have to be fine-tuned several times at first. The more sophisticated hearing aids can be adjusted for different noise environments’such as noisy restaurants or talking on the phone. Ballantyne tried a tiny hearing aid that caused some problems, including a feeling of congestion in his ear, and exchanged it for one which has several settings to block various amounts of background noise. He was impressed with Kirsch’s patience and professionalism. ‘He’s a nice person; he really likes what he’s doing and he really cares,’ Ballantyne says. Music is an inspiration for Kirsch, who also works with musicians, fitting them with special earplugs that suppress sound evenly across pitch, thereby maintaining sound quality. Ocean Hearing Care was opened in 1999 by the ear, nose and throat doctors of Southern California Head and Neck Surgery Center in Santa Monica, to help their patients in need of hearing instruments. Kirsch, a certified audiologist, received his master of communication disorders at the LSU Medical Center in New Orleans (home of the Kresge Institute of Hearing) in 2000. He has been at Ocean Hearing Care, located at 7th and Wilshire, since November 2002 and has been growing the practice since then. Services include comprehensive diagnostic hearing exams, hearing instrument consultations, hearing aid fittings, musician earplug fittings, programming of digital hearing aids and repairs. ‘I’m very content with being here, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I have,’ says Kirsch. ‘The quality of the clientele is excellent. I take seriously meeting their needs and trying to improve their lives.’ Contact: 899-6229