Health
by Maria Canfield
If you were asked to name types of medical specialties, you’d likely be able to come up with a dozen or more that span the alphabet—from anesthesiology to podiatry to urology. Audiology may not be on that list, but Dr. Lynda Wayne would like to change that.
Simply put, an audiologist is a professional who diagnoses and treats hearing problems in people of all ages, from infants to senior citizens. Most, like Dr. Wayne, have received a Doctorate in Audiology (Au.D)—the profession also recognizes those with a Master's or Doctoral degree in audiology from an accredited university graduate program.
The owner and director of Cadence Hearing Services, Dr. Wayne earned her Au.D. in 1999 from Salus University, located in Elkins Park. She was drawn to audiology as an undergrad at Bloomsburg University. “I had a dual major—speech pathology and audiology,” she says. “As part of an honors thesis, I did an internship in audiology. I worked with an amazing local audiologist and found it was really exciting and rewarding to help people with hearing loss. Often, through the use of technology, we could help them hear better right away.”
Nearly 50 million Americans live with some form of hearing loss, making it the country’s third most common health problem. There are a host of factors that can play a role—age, illness, genetics, medications, and ongoing exposure to loud noise. Hearing loss is not considered curable, but treatment can help.
Cadence Hearing Services offers a broad range of audiological services, including hearing aid dispensing, tinnitus (“ringing in the ear”) treatment, and customized noise-filtering plugs, ideal for musicians, concert-goers, and others exposed to loud noise. It all begins with cutting-edge, computerized diagnostics, an approach that eliminates the human error associated with older diagnostic techniques.
Dr. Wayne named her practice Cadence because, as she puts it, the word itself has the meaning of sound within it. (One formal definition of cadence is “the rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language.”) It’s also an homage to her father, who served in the military. In a military context, cadence refers to the rhythmic chants sung by soldiers in marching formation to keep them in step with the march. This ties nicely to one of Dr. Wayne’s mottos, “At Cadence Hearing, you don’t have to miss a beat!”
If hearing aids are recommended, Dr. Wayne has a wide variety of devices to offer. “We do not have a financial obligation to any manufacturer,” she emphasizes. “We recommend the device that is right for the person.” This philosophy is fully consistent with Cadence’s patient-centric, compassionate approach. “We’re not an assembly line,” Dr. Wayne says. “We form long-term relationships with our patients. We give them time to discuss their problem, always asking them to tell us more. We want to know everything, including how their hearing loss affects their quality of life.”
Dr. Wayne uses the Real-Ear Measurement system to ensure that hearing aids, once programmed and correctly fitted, are providing the right amount of sound to the eardrum. A tiny probe is inserted into the ear canal, which sits very close to the eardrum. Measuring the sound level in the ear canal allows Dr. Wayne to make an informed judgement about the effectiveness of the hearing aid.
For those outfitted with hearing aids, “cleans and checks” are included in Cadence’s pricing. “We want our patients to come in regularly so we can make sure that all is working as it should,” Dr. Wayne says. “We get concerned if we haven’t heard from a patient in a while, and will reach out and ask if they are still wearing their hearing aids, and to get them into the office and back on track if needed.”
Dr. Wayne opened Cadence in 2006, and says she is privileged to have been part of many success stories. She spoke of an older man who came in, begrudgingly, only because his wife insisted. “We tested him, and found he definitely needed hearing aids,” Dr. Wayne says. “He was nervous about it, but he agreed to go ahead. When he came back to the office and his hearing aids were fitted, I could tell right away that he could hear much better. His wife whispered ‘I love you’ and he said ‘I love you too.’ He turned to me and said, ‘I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to do this.’”
Some patients are much more eager. Dr. Wayne says, “One woman, who came in with her niece, had wanted to be fitted with hearing aids for a long time. We determined they would help and she was fitted. She later told me she felt like a veil had been lifted from the words other people spoke.”
While audiologists dispense hearing aids as part of their work, their level of education deeply distinguishes them from “hearing aid dispensers,” people who are authorized by the state to measure hearing and to fit and sell hearing aids. Hearing aid dispensers have to pass a test, and often work as an apprentice to a certified dispenser, but they are not required to have a college degree related to hearing loss.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), only 1 in 5 people with hearing loss wear hearing aids. Cost can be an issue, as many insurance companies do not provide coverage for hearing aids, or only provide coverage for hearings aids purchased online. The online purchase of hearing aids is a practice that distresses Dr. Wayne. “Hearing aids are not like contact lenses, which can be safely and accurately dispensed with just a prescription. Hearing aids are fine-tuned instruments that need to be properly programmed and precisely fitted to work as they should,” she says.
Dr. Wayne says hearing aid technology has changed dramatically over the years, with many types of digital devices now available. Digital hearing aids receive sound waves and breaks them into very small units prior to increasing the volume, while the older analog hearing aids simply made the sound wave larger to amplify the sound. With digital hearing aids, the amplifier is basically a really small, really powerful computer which can do much more than just amplify sounds. This design makes it possible for audiologists to create programs that are customized to each individual’s specific needs.
“Today’s digital hearing aids are small and rechargeable,” Dr. Wayne says. “They can connect wirelessly to cell phones, so calls can be heard directly through the hearing aids. Because of this wireless connectivity, TV shows and music can also be heard directly through the hearing aid.”
Not all digital devices are the same. Just like analog devices, they are available with a range of capabilities (and prices). The most sophisticated digital hearing aids have built-in intelligence that allows them to provide an array of features. For instance, some hearing aids are able to log changes the wearer makes to volume settings in certain sound environments. Over time, the hearing aid “learns” and can make the changes automatically when that specific environment is detected.
All of this is far cry from the first device invented to compensate for hearing loss—the 18th century’s ear trumpet. Bulky and cartoonish, the funnel-shaped ear trumpets did not provide amplification; rather they collected sound and channeled it into the ear through a narrow tube.
Although insurance coverage for hearing aids is inconsistent at best, most plans do pay do pay for diagnostic services. That’s good news, as Dr. Wayne recommends that everyone over the age of 50 has a baseline hearing evaluation, conducted by a fully-credentialed audiologist. On a related note, Dr. Wayne is cheered by the fact that younger people are increasingly more aware that hearing loss is a serious health issue. “Many millennials have parents who suffer from hearing loss, and they come in to the office for a baseline evaluation. That’s great, because it allows for early intervention if needed,” she says.
Cadence Hearing Service has two locations: 207 Corporate Drive East (Luxembourg Corporate Center) in Langhorne/Newtown and 101 Progress Drive in Doylestown. Either office can be reached by calling 215-860-3154, and their website is www.cadencehearing.com.
Maria Canfield is a local freelance writer and the co-founder of Your Words Your Story, a memoir-creation service.