Will You Be My Pumpkin? You're So Corny!

Have You Heard?

It is hard to believe we are well into the new year.  I am very excited to see what 2022 brings for hearing healthcare providers with new treatment options, new testing procedures and a better understanding of the ear-to-brain associations between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline.

If you recall, several months ago I told you we had joined an audiology co-op called Entheos (meaning “with enthusiasm”).  So, what is a cooperative and how could it benefit Hearing Solutions of North Carolina, its staff and more importantly their patients?  By definition, a cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise.

We have the honor and pleasure to be associated with 83 like-minded independently owned private practice audiologists who strive to provide the best hearing care for their patients.  We are not influenced by any manufacturer, big-box retailers or someone in the corporate world telling us what is best.  We all follow best practice care while feeling the need to provide hearing devices to patients who can’t afford them through the coop’s initiative titled “Hearing the Call”.  You will learn more about our local efforts in the months to come.

I have been providing audiology services for 35 years and am thrilled to have a network of the best audiologists to learn from and share information with.  As a holiday gift, Entheos sent their members several books.  When they think I have time to read is another story, but to date, I have managed to make it through half of one of the books called The Pumpkin Plan.

The gist of the teaching is that you can’t be everything to everybody.  To grow the giant winning size pumpkin the farmer must select the best seeds, watch the plant grow and remove any growth that will interfere with the maximum growth of the prize pumpkin.

How this relates to Hearing Solutions is, we can’t be everything to everybody.  We need to grow our giant pumpkin with the seeds that understand our mission and support the value of the services we provide.

All businesses must decide if they succeed because of price (Walmart), convenience (McDonald’s) or quality.  If you come to us to find the cheapest way to treat your hearing issues, you are not our pumpkin…that is not who we are.  If you expect our services to be available 24 hours a day at the drop of a hat…that is not who we are.  If you want a group of the most caring professional hearing healthcare providers that follow best practices, make informed recommendations and if needed, use the best products available…then you are our pumpkin.

Sometimes we have had to let people go elsewhere for services because they have expectations we cannot meet.  That is a hard thing as a healthcare provider to do, but at times necessary.  So if you value over 60 years of combined experience and professional services we have to offer, then we would love you to be our pumpkin.

During the month of February, the month of love, I would like to suggest that you consider how your hearing challenges are affecting those around you, those you love.  If you frequently ask to have things repeated, turn up the volume of the TV to a level too loud for your partner, prefer to avoid social situations due to difficulty understanding conversation in a noisy environment or frequently “smile and nod” but are unsure of what is said…it is time to schedule an appointment for Functional Hearing Assessment (FHA). Remember a hearing test (listening to beep-beep tones) measures your ability to detect sound while a Functional Hearing Assessment measures ear-to-brain processing providing more detailed information which guides us to an appropriate recommendation.  For more information on a FHA, visit our website: www.hearingsolutionsofnc.com

Give Jamie or Diane a call at 704-633-0023 and show your loved ones you care.  Jane, Cheryl and I look forward to seeing you soon. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook.