Patti Brooks

Patti Brooks is a Production Director for a busy Marketing Communications agency. When in board meetings or when meeting with her co-workers and clients, she relies on her ability to hear and understand what others are saying 100% of the time.

Patti believes that she has had a hearing loss since birth; however, her loss was not officially confirmed until she was approximately 21 years old. Her initial experience with hearing aids, about 15 years ago, was less than favorable. She felt that they amplified too much in certain situations, yet she still had difficulty hearing other's voices. Patti admits that she did not wear these first hearing aids for more than 48 hours before giving up on them.

Patti Brooks, Binaural Unison 4 CIC wearer

Her decision to wear Unison™ hearing aids took a lot of courage and fortitude. Over the years, she had adapted her lifestyle to her hearing loss, relying on lip reading, body language and her strong intuition, to guide all of her verbal and aural communications. She found that she could disguise her hearing loss through careful insertion of humor or by talking more than listening. Overall, listening to others and trying to hear in everyday situations was draining, requiring a tremendous amount of energy all day long.

"I used to control conversations by talking and joking so I wouldn't have to listen,” she explains. "Talking became another way to disguise my hearing loss."

Now, having worn Unison hearing aids for almost a year, Patti cannot believe the difference they have made at work and at home. During the workday, she no longer has to assess where to sit in a boardroom or restaurant so she can hear the conversation. Her friends and family notice that she can now hear door bells, phones, the TV and voices. In addition, Patti feels that her improved hearing has enhanced her professional image. She can now prove on a daily basis to her clients and co-workers that she is an attentive, responsive Marketing Manager.

“Unison hearing aids have improved so much about my life. I did not realize what I was missing. Now I cannot imagine going back [to the way it was before Unison hearing aids]. They have changed my life in a way that I cannot begin to make others understand."

Patti Brooks' audiogram depicting her moderate low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss.

Patti notes that the counseling she received from Unitron Hearing professionals made an enormous, positive impact on her overall experience.

"They prepared me physically, emotionally and psychologically. This counseling was one of the most important parts of my whole experience. Now I find that it takes far less energy to listen and pay attention to things around me. The amount of energy it took for me before was unbelievable.”