Audiologist a first for Cayman

By Jewel Levy, jewel@cfp.ky

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It means the world to audiology doctor Annette Stephenson to hear some of her older patients say they can hear their grandchildren for the first time.

The newly qualified Caymanian doctor is offering her services to the public which include comprehensive paediatric and adult hearing evaluations; fitting and repair of all major hearing aid brands; providing batteries for all hearing aids; providing assistive listening devices, hearing protection devices and custom–made swim moulds.

This will be the first time Cayman has had the professional services of an audiology doctor and she is Caymanian.

Dr. Annette fully trained with a doctorate degree in audiology, has taken up office in the former Cayman Medical Centre located in Rankin’s Plaza on Eastern Avenue.

A Caymanian by birth and the daughter of Hamlin Stephenson and Darlee Ebanks, Dr. Annette attained her doctorate from Nova Southeastern University of Florida.

She attended Bud Gordon’s Preschool, Cayman Islands Middle and High Schools and graduated from the University College of the Cayman Islands.

After completing a one–year teacher’s aid course at George Town Primary School, Dr. Annette said she left to go to college overseas with the intention of becoming a teacher of the deaf. But, while in University, her career plans would change.

At the beginning of her second year in university an audiology lecture inspired her to pursue it as a career.

“I was more interested in what causes the hearing loss, how to restore the hearing and to help people hear well,” she said. “A lot of the driving force was because of my 76–year–old grandfather who is deaf and who I wanted to help.

“There is nowhere on the island for a person to go and get quality audiology care or to my knowledge has there ever been an audiologist doctor on the island. I want to change that by offering this quality care to all residents.

Dr. Annette said that most people who have received hearing aids on island have gotten them from an ear, nose and throat doctor.

“They are not qualified or trained in the hearing part of the ear and how to properly programme and work with hearing aids,” she said.

“There is a lot more than taking the hearing aid out of the box, putting the batteries in and saying here you go.”

Dr. Annette said there is a lot of fine tuning to do with a new hearing aid and that sometimes takes as long as eight weeks before the fit is comfortable for the patient.

“It’s an ongoing process but once you are fitted after the eight weeks there is no charge for coming back to have your hearing aids fine tuned,” she said.

Most people can be fitted with a devise that is in stock, get it programmed put it on and leave with it the same day, Dr. Annette said.

“For the few people who need something custom made, then I make it up and you get it the next day.”

Sometimes with children it is not always hearing loss but it could be a processing disorder.

“I can help with that also, Dr. Annette said, adding that she would like to work with the schools here if she can get approval from the government.

According to Dr. Annette a lot of people do not want to wear hearing aids because of what people will say. But little do they know people are more aware you are hard of hearing when you keep saying “ah”, “huh”, “wha you say” and tilting your neck.

“To get over that stigma, technology has today made hearing aids virtually invisible.”

Dr. Annette said she is as proud of her accomplishments of becoming an audiology doctor.

“I won’t say it was easy because it was a lot of hard work,” she said. “But when I think about the end results, it is the biggest reward when you can sit across from someone, give those hearing aids and they go home, come back and said they heard their grandchild for the first time and they are so happy they can hear again.

“To me that is the culmination of eight years of stress, blood, tears, sweat and hard work. There is nothing better than that. What is also good is helping a child.”

Cayman Hearing Centre, located in Rankin’s Plaza is open every third week of the month. Monday to Friday 9am–5pm and Saturdays 10am–2pm. Contact numbers are 943–8150, fax 947–2422 and email www.caymanhearingcenter.com