The name speaks for itself – your hearing is a sound investment. And when you walk through the doors of this award-winning hearing clinic, you’re more than just a client.

Listening to music, participating in a conversation, hearing a child’s laughter – all these things make our lives better. And we don’t think twice about them until, of course, there’s a problem. But studies show that 40 per cent of adults have some form of hearing loss, as well as a correlation between the onset of dementia and hearing loss. “Our hearing is our connection with our world, with family, with friends, with the environment,” says Ida Massarella, one of the owners of Great to Hear (www.greattohear.ca).

The hearing clinic opened seven years ago. It was co-owner Clara Russiello’s dream. “Since my husband has hearing loss, I wanted something different from the regular hearing clinics,” she adds. She wanted a partner, and so she approached Massarella, whom she had known for years and, shortly after that, Kris Romano, a Hearing Instrument Specialist, came into the picture.

So what makes Great to Hear different from other hearing clinics? “I wanted to take away the stigma of hearing loss,” says Russiello. “When you have a problem with your eyesight, you get glasses, and if you have a toothache, you go to the dentist and, with your hearing, you go to a hearing specialist,” she adds.

For Romano, it’s all about the hearing instruments themselves. “We have the most sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment and technology,” he says. He’s not kidding, either. A video otoscope allows clients to look right into their own ear and see their eardrum. One product that’s offered at the clinic: the Starkey Livio. This Bluetooth-connected hearing device allows people to answer calls, stream TV, measure heart rate, and even features language translation. And because Great to Hear is an independent clinic, it isn’t tied up with just one manufacturer, so it can offer a wide range of products depending on audiogram results and lifestyle.

But what really sets the clinic apart is that the staff cares passionately about each client. That’s why they provide consultations, hearing tests, product demos and wax removal – all free of charge. “As part of the hearing test and consultation, I like the client to thoroughly understand the test results, whether it shows normal or hearing loss, so they can maintain a healthy lifestyle,” says Romano.

As for Russiello, she stops at nothing to help people, even filling out forms for government funding, Workers’ Compensation, insurance, Veterans Affairs, Ontario Works and social services, all at no charge.

Great to Hear reaches out to the community, bringing its services via its mobile clinic to 12 retirement homes, including home visits, as well as educating high-school students and people who work in loud environments about hearing loss prevention. And its staff members educate themselves, too, attending global conferences to stay on top of what’s happening. It certainly shows: Great to Hear has won prestigious community and media awards every year that it’s been in business.

The clients at Great to Hear range in ages – “we consider them family,” says Massarella, and the clinic’s multiple 5-star Google reviews would certainly agree that the feeling is mutual.

8787 Weston Rd., Unit 7A, Woodbridge, Ont.
905-850-7997
www.GreatToHear.ca