Katherine Chartrand

Katherine Chartrand has worn hearing aids for over 28 years, and is familiar with many of the challenges that accompany hearing loss. She would often miss sounds going on around and behind her. Conversations were difficult to follow in rooms with a lot of background noise. She often felt frustrated that she had to ask others to repeat themselves constantly.

Katherine Chartrand, age 50, binaural Element 16 Power BTE wearer

When Katherine first tried her Element™ hearing instruments, she immediately noticed a difference. She wore them in grocery stores, malls, and at home and church. She describes her listening experiences while wearing Element hearing aids as “amazing!”  Katherine could hear her daughter speaking to her when she was down the aisle in a grocery store. She could also hear her over the sound of the crowd and radio in a shopping mall, something she found incredible since it was a grand opening day with large crowds of people.

“The clarity is phenomenal,” Katherine says. “When at church I can hear everything. The music is beautiful. I can hear what is said. Background noises are lowered so it feels like no one is behind me. I can hear the words being spoken perfectly.”

When at home, Katherine was pleasantly taken aback when she discovered she could hear her daughter speaking from another room. Her family told her that they “cannot even whisper because you can now hear everything.” She can hear the television without having to resort to her FM system and t-coil. She loves that she can now hear words spoken on TV and in songs. Her family has even asked her to increase the volume on the television.

“Before I had to look up the words to songs on the Internet to help me discriminate the sounds I was hearing and so I would know what the song was about,” she explains. With the Element hearing aids, she is able to hear the lyrics and music, even when her son is playing music softly in the background.

Katherine’s audiogram showing her moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss bilaterally.

Katherine can hear conversations in the car better, even when passengers are in the backseat and the sun roof is open. Smaller sounds, like the sound of her key in the car ignition, are daily delights that she appreciates.

Katherine’s daughter notices that she is happier, and her niece could not believe how much Katherine was hearing on a recent trip to an amusement park.

“On a scale from 1-10, I would rate the sound quality as 10,” explains Katherine. “I feel like I can hear everything, sounds are crisp and clear, and I can discriminate among consonants that I used to find challenging like s, b, p, m, n, and v. I am also more aware of sounds going on around me in general.”

“I wish I had these hearing aids when I was 22. To be able to hear like this is amazing. If I could give advice to anyone who has a hearing loss or who thinks they may have a hearing loss, I would tell them, don’t hide from it or run from it.”

"Admitting you have a hearing loss opens a lot of doors to getting the help that you need. If you challenge yourself, don’t let your hearing loss stop you, and do whatever it takes to get the help you need, you can overcome it and become a stronger person. Do whatever it takes. I am a strong believer that if you say you can do it, you will."