This review is being written Feb 19, 2021, seven months after my husband was first evaluated and received care for severe hearing loss, by Dr. Cynthia Olsen, AuD, of the Audiology and Hearing Aid Center on N Milwaukee in Boise, ID.
To cut to the chase, both my husband and I very highly recommend Dr. Olsen and the Audiology and Hearing Aid Center in Boise. Dr. Olsen's expertise, and her knowledge, skills and ability far exceed any other audiologist he has ever seen. On a review scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, Dr. Olsen, the clinic and her staff absolutely rate at least a 15. They are outstanding. For the rest of the story, please read on:
My husband is 72. He learned that he had profound, high-frequency hearing loss when he tried to join the military and went in for his physical exam after graduating from HS during the Viet Nam War. He flunked his military physical in the 1960s due to his profound hearing loss. For many years he was told that there was no technology that would improve his high-frequency hearing loss, until digital technology became available some years ago.
Since then, he has been prescribed various generations of digital hearing aids for his high-frequency hearing loss by different audiologists over the past 15+ years and had been wearing them faithfully. However, from 2017-2020, I had noticed that his hearing aids were acting like ear plugs, not hearing aids. Nothing his provider during that time could do to those hearing aids improved the situation. At that point, it impossible for us to communicate with each other, and his profound hearing loss was beginning to impact his neurocognitive functioning.
Fast forward to late July, 2020. We saw one of Dr. Olsen's commercials on TV, and in desperation, I talked to my husband and told him that we were going to get an appointment with Dr. Olsen at the Audiology and Hearing Aid Center as soon as possible, to see if anything could be done. I called Dr. Olsen's office and was able to get my husband into a cancelation the very next day.
Dr. Olsen agreed with me that his then-current digital hearing aids were acting as a barrier to his hearing. After his hearing was evaluated by Dr. Olsen July 29, 2020, we discussed the pros and cons of various high-tech, digital hearing aids. Because of budget, we decided to purchase a very high-quality pair that were not the absolute highest top-of-the-line technology. Dr. Olsen gave us choices in several different price ranges. His new hearing aids were fitted and programmed by Dr. Olsen on August 5, 2020.
Leaving her office that day, for the FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE my husband could hear the blinker in our car when he signaled a turn. Later that same day, I fell outside and due to injuries, I could not get up or even reach my phone in my pocket to call him. He heard me yell "Help!" from inside our fairly sound-proofed home, and came to rescue me. Since then, he has heard many different sounds for the first time in his life.
There is more to our story, but I will end this review here, even though Dr. Olsen's continued follow-up and care does not end. We have a visit with Dr. Olsen as frequently as we need to, and at this point, every three months as part of his ongoing care.
I cannot adequately express my appreciation to Dr. Olsen and her staff. They are there to assist, no matter what is happening with his hearing and his new hearing aids. Our recommendation for Dr. Olsen and her clinic is outstanding. We highly recommend Dr. Cynthia Olsen to anyone who may have difficulty hearing; she will do her utmost to figure out an affordable solution. Thank you, Dr. Olsen and staff! The Hamleys of Caldwell read more