Help someone hear

For the team at Sounds of Life Hearing Center, giving back to the community has always been at the heart of what it does. The team believes that hearing health care should be both equitable and accessible to everyone, not just those who can pay for it. Dr. Sarah Curtis, audiologist and owner of Sounds of Life, founded Hearing the Call: Northeast Ohio. With the help of donations, Sounds of Life provides hearing aids and services at a reduced rate for those who need them but cannot access them financially, either because they do not have insurance or are not covered for hearing aids.

“That cost barrier alone is such a huge component to access of care. Why is it that somebody deserves to have their hearing needs met over another just because they make more money?” asks Cara Donovan Au.D., the director of pediatrics and implantable technologies at Sounds of Life Hearing Center. “That’s not how hearing health care should work. Your need shouldn’t be based on the ability to afford a device. That has always been the driving force behind this.” 

To qualify, individuals must have an annual household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, based on family size. Sounds of Life offers some flexibility, understanding the pitfalls of family challenges like a single parent on a single income. Their tax forms say they made money, but they just lost their job or are on disability. These are the types of nuanced situations they consider.

Alongside Hearing the Call is a pay-it-forward program called The Giving Circle, built around a simple cycle of generosity: Community donations help Sounds of Life provide affordable hearing care, and in return, participants give back by completing 10 hours of community service. That shared giving helps extend the program’s impact and allows the circle of support to continue. 

“What we’re trying to do is bridge that gap, so individuals don’t have to worry about the financial component,” explains Dr. Donovan. “All they must worry about is if they need support and that those services are available to them. That’s the part that makes this program so important.’

Declining care due to affordability has a profound impact on someone experiencing hearing loss.

They struggle to find work or feel disconnected from their loved ones. It can leave them isolated and fearful of the expense of hearing aids, which can cost up to thousands of dollars, not including the time and expertise of an audiologist to fit it. Those who are un/underinsured have little to no support, leaving them vulnerable and often hopeless. But with donations funding the cause, Sounds of Life can help those affected with life changing care and get them back on track to a better quality of life they never thought possible. 

Also eligible, and arguably the most important candidates for the program, are children. Receiving the right care impacts their speech and language development, how they perform in school and how they learn to grow in the world with their peers. 

Ultimately, there is no limit to the good Sounds of Life Hearing Center can do. Donations are what make this all possible. Only $20 a month can help offset the cost for professional services to fit one patient with hearing aids. For someone who has experienced hard times or a child who is struggling in school, that donation is a gift not only to the individual but to the community as well. 

Those interested in helping to make a difference can donate in person at Sounds of Life Hearing Center or via the website, SoundsOfLifeHC.com/community/hearing-the-call or HearingTheCall.org/us/neohio/. 

Sounds of Life Hearing Center

8003 Auburn Road, Suite# 4, Painesville

440-579-4085

SoundsOfLifeHC.com