“I’d noticed my hearing wasn’t great, but most of my friends also have hearing loss so we all talk a bit too loud. Everyone’s around lots of noise being tradespeople and farmers. If we’re having a beer together, you’ve got to say something 20 times before all of us get what’s being said.”
Determined to see what options were available for his noise-induced hearing loss, Tom headed to his closest audiology clinic – some 120 kilometres from home – and was shocked at the abruptness of the experience.
“I went to a hearing centre in town and they gave me a quick test, and then asked would I like hearing aids,” said Tom.
“Not only did I balk at the price a fair bit, I was also left confused – you don’t know whether you need them, or if it’s scam, or if they’re even selling you the best product at the best price.”
A chance conversation with a friend who worked at Hear and Say led Tom to book an appointment at the Ashgrove clinic, while on a visit to Brisbane.
Tom said he appreciated that Hear and Say offered independent advice that wasn’t tied to any one manufacturer, meaning he felt comfortable in the recommendations made.
Having now worn his new hearing aids for six months, Tom said he was “over the moon” with the results.
“I remember what initially got me really keen on getting my hearing sorted was meeting one of my friend’s young daughters. We were in the car and she was talking away in the backseat to me – but I couldn’t hear her. I wasn’t responding, so her mum had to say, ‘Oh don’t worry, Tom’s just a little deaf.’ That made me feel horrible, because I couldn’t even hear her. It was a real wakeup call to what I’d been missing all these years, and now we have a great conversation.
“I’m just so thankful to Hear and Say for the opportunity to fix my hearing, otherwise it wouldn’t have been sorted and I’d still be out there, missing out on so much. It’s improved my life 100 per cent.”
