Change

by Jacki Keenan

We’ve all heard it said, “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. While that may be the case in many instances, embracing change has helped me to grow in every aspect of my life, especially as a hearing healthcare provider. Those who share in our profession remember days of old where feedback was prevalent, grinders with buffers were a must, and a telecoil was the best form of “streaming” phone calls. In fact, early in my career, I came very close to choosing another profession. I thrived on helping the hearing impaired, believing this profession was my path. However, I remember a time when I was completely frustrated and struggled with patients being disappointed time and again. At that point I remember thinking, if I heard another patient say “I sound like I’m talking in a barrel” I would explode. I mean really, how does anyone know what it sounds like to talk into a barrel? And feedback…yes FEEEEEEEEEEEdback! That annoying squealing sound that so many of the hearing aids elicited without a means to effectively alleviate it. These were but a few struggles we as hearing healthcare professionals faced yet worked so diligently to try and cure. Thankfully for the consumer’s sake, manufacturers were vested in developing ways to combat many of the issues that prevented many of those in need from seeking out hearing aids.

All of this coupled with being a “twenty- something” who thought I could conquer the world; yes, this too was another layer which led to several rude awakenings. I have said it many times… my day of my reckoning was the day that I realized that I didn’t know it! Life has a way of reminding us that we need to remain humble while always continuing to grow and learn. Ahh yes, but then there is that “change” concept. Change in technology, change in approach, techniques and attitudes just to name a few. Thankfully, I believe in the power of change.