Hearing Products & Technology

So you’re not embarrassed to wear glasses on your eyes, and you’re not ashamed to wear veneers on your teeth. Those aren’t considered apocalyptic symbols that you’re getting older. Yet when it comes to your hearing, you’d rather let it slowly deteriorate than see an audiologist. Why? Why do we treat our ears so differently? Why is losing our vision and our teeth understandable but changes in our hearing are embarrassing and mean we’re getting old?

Honestly, we know why. And it’s our fault.

Well, not our fault here at BNA specifically, but our industry’s collective fault. We’ve called them hearing “aids,” as though you’re feeble, helpless and need to be “aided” in some way. We’ve talked about hearing “loss,” as though a visit to the audiologist is like going to a funeral. TV shows and commercials mock and over-dramatize the situation by showing elderly people shouting “What?!” because they can’t even hear the person next to them. And doctors even started talking about how ‘small’ and ‘discreet’ hearing aids were, which just feeds the narrative that you should be ashamed of these things and do all you can to prevent anyone from knowing you’re wearing them.

So really, we can’t blame you. For the last 40 years, all you’ve been told is how embarrassed and humiliated you should be by your hearing “loss” and that you need an “aid” and that it means you’re “old.” So on behalf of our entire industry, we apologize. A lot of people have neglected to address their hearing because it’s been portrayed as a “sign” that you’re way over the hill.

Well that changes now.

Here at Bloomington Normal Audiology, we don’t talk about hearing aids, we talk about hearing technology because that’s what it is. You should stop by and see this new tech. It’s amazing, able to turn mere mortals into superheroes with bionic hearing. Or at the very least, into someone who can hear what your wonderful colleagues are talking about at the other end of the meeting room. We also avoid emphasizing how small and discreet it is, and instead talk about how customizable it is because that matters more anyway. And we don’t talk about your hearing loss because you’re not here to lose something; you’re here to gain something incredible: the ability to keep hearing the most important sounds of your life.

Above all, what sets BNA apart is that we take a genuine interest in you, and in part, that means changing the way we talk about hearing. All four of our audiologists have personal experiences with hearing change, so we know firsthand how much emotional stress can be caused by those gloomy terms and characterizations. Dr. McKee and Dr. Hanley each proudly wear a hearing device because it dramatically improves their quality of life, and neither of them are “old” and need an “aid” to deal with their “loss.” There’s no reason to think of it in such negative terms. So we don’t. And you shouldn’t either.

At BNA, we keep the focus on all you have to gain with this hearing technology. Not because it’s spin, but because it’s true. Take a look at some of the devices we offer below.