Greg, a Blamey Saunders hears client, recently sent through this heart-warming letter. With his blessing, I’m sharing it with you because it so beautifully sums up what it’s like to rediscover the world in high definition sound.
“I am 68 years of age and have only considered the need for a hearing aid in the last couple of years but I wasn’t prepared for the dramatic change to my hearing experience.
I picked up my new hearing aids from Blamey & Saunders in East Melbourne late this afternoon and had already experienced an obvious expansion in my hearing in the fitting room – the shuffling of paper, the sound of footsteps, the sound of my own voice (I felt I was shouting). But the trip back to my city location to meet friends brought my first significant epiphany when I realised that I was hearing the sounds of birds that I haven’t heard for a while. I was suddenly eavesdropping on conversations in the tram and when I sat down with friends for coffee I could hear every word and didn’t have to lip read, despite significant background noise.
Some sounds were startling and a little uncomfortable – the poker machine when I won a jackpot at Crown casino, the walkie talkie on the hip of the cleaning staff, the clatter as a rubbish bin was being emptied. When I started my car for the trip home I could hear the tappets clatter in those micro seconds before the oil fully circulates and my wife had to turn up the car radio so she could hear the news. I could hear it fine all along.
Then when we arrived home, the crunch of the gravel as I walked up the driveway – the stone stuck in my shoe as I walked on our tiled floor in the kitchen – the shuffling of the newspaper as my wife turned the pages. In recent years I have lost things from my pocket – a coin or two, my comb, my reading glasses. But that is not going to happen anymore. I am so much more aware of what is happening around me that any little sound will catch my attention. I thought I only needed hearing aids so I could hear conversations in noisy meeting rooms but I was missing out on a lot more than that. I have made a mental note to wear these aids during all waking hours. Let’s see if I stick to that.
It is a new day and the discoveries continue. I discover that my neighbour has a budgerigar on her back verandah and the discussion with the staff in my local bakery (busy and noisy) is now two way. I can actually hear what they are saying to me instead of just smiling politely. Everything is so much noisier and I have been tempted to turn my hearing aids down but logic tells me that this is the volume I have been missing for quite some time now so I will just gave it a go before I make any adjustments. 
Noise tells us a lot, but I hadn’t realised how valuable it is when driving. You can actually hear as well as see other vehicles and……… but hang on – this list could go on and on.These hearing aids had me at bird songs and the rest is really a bonus. I am definitely looking forward to living with hearing aids and learning how they can improve my hearing experience.
…….and did I mention the snap of celery and the sizzle of the BBQ.”
Greg Smith , 14/4/2016