In 1986, Professional Speech and Hearing Specialists became the first audiology practice in Marion County. We began at the request of physicians at Ocala Ear, Nose and Throat who needed diagnostic hearing services for their patients.
We eventually began dispensing hearing aids. This was around the time President Reagan was fit with a completely-in-the-canal hearing aid—an exciting development at the time. The cosmetic appeal popularized hearing aids dramatically. Hearing aid technology then was purely analog, and provided the same amount of amplification for soft, moderate and loud sounds. We advised our patients that the hearing aids would be very helpful in quiet, one-on-one conversational situations, and while they watched TV; however, in a noisy situation such as a large group or restaurant, they would not be particularly helpful and may need to be turned down. This was true at the time, but thankfully hearing aids have advanced significantly since then.
In 1982, the creation of high-speed digital-array processors used in minicomputers opened the door for advances in digital heating aids. By 1996, "all digital" hearing aid technology was widely available. Hearing aid results were steadily improving, but some patients found themselves disappointed in noisy situations.
Then, the fastest sound processors were introduced in 2016. This was a huge improvement as they were 50% faster than the best existing technology. This enabled much enhanced speech vs. noise separation, allowing for greatly improved hearing in noise. New hearing aid users acclimate very well to the natural sound, and the benefits are more immediate than ever. In addition, hearing aids can now be paired wirelessly to smart phones and TVs, transmitting pure, clean sound directly to the wearer's hearing aids. This has delighted and satisfied many patients.
Although hearing aid technology has changed dramatically over the years, our mission and purpose remains the same: to provide excellent care to our patients in all that we do. This is because we care about you.
Whether we are seeing you for hearing diagnostics, hearing aid fittings and repairs, or making you a custom ear piece for your phone, hearing protection, swimming, or sleeping, we strive for clinical excellence, and patient satisfaction.
Our services include, but are not limited to:
... and more!
Please let us know if you have other hearing needs, or if you would like additional information.
We are also proud to be an exclusive EarQ provider, which means we can offer you America’s longest hearing aid warranty. The Secure Warranty protects your hearing aids for four years. This means we are also an exclusive provider for professional sports organizations such as the NFL Players Association and more.
At Professional Speech & Hearing Specialists, we truly believe that better hearing leads to a better life.
"I was one of those individuals that firmly believed I would never wear a hearing aid. It was hard for me to admit my (obvious) hearing loss and the impact of it. In a professional and caring manner, Ms. Taft persuaded me to try a hearing aid. I have been very surprised that it has been such a great benefit. I am very thankful for her care, concern and assistance."
~ Jack T.
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