Doctor to donate ‘gift of hearing’ through holiday essay competition
Gathering with loved ones around the holidays can be an isolating and stressful time for anyone who is experiencing hearing loss.
The muffled chatter around the dining table and inability to read lips among the crowd may put a damper on holiday celebrations, according to Lake County audiologist Dr. Kristen Weinbaum.
So through her Clermontbased practice, Precision Hearing, Weinbaum, 33, is sharing the “gift of hearing” by donating a new set of digital hearing aids to a local community member in time for the holidays.
“A lot of people with hearing loss will just kind of shut down in those social situations and that’s just not what Christmas is about,” Weinbaum said. “It’s about coming together and not feeling alone and isolated in the presence of your family.”
To determine eligibility for the free hearing aids, Weinbaum is holding an essay contest for anyone who is experiencing hearing loss and demonstrates financial need. Contestants must be able to drive to the Clermont clinic for a fitting and evaluation if chosen and describe in the essay how the hearing aids would impact their life.
Weinbaum said she was diagnosed at age 5 with hearing loss in her left ear during a school screening. Her degree of hearing loss doesn’t qualify her for a hearing aid, but she knows the challenge of trying to distinguish faint sounds from background noise and asking people if she heard them correctly.
She said she uses other communication strategies like lip reading, suggesting loved ones rephrase their words and sitting with her right ear toward a group.
“Based on my personal experience, hearing loss is not anything to be ashamed of and something that should be checked on annually, just like our eyes or our teeth,” Weinbaum said. “I hope I pass that message on to my patients daily because they often see their hearing loss as a disability or something to try to hide.”
Weinbaum said she held the first contest last year as a way to give back to the community who helped make her practice a success, but decided to keep paying it forward after seeing the impact it had on the winner and his family.
Last year, she received six essays and a panel of judges from the audiology industry chose Sumter County resident James Myles. According to Weinbaum, Myles had experienced hearing loss for 20 years and received his first set of hearing aids when a loved one wrote an essay on his behalf.
Contest entries must be received by Dec.10 and emailed to drweinbaum@precisionhearingfl.com, faxed to 352-708-5199 or mailed to 4331 S. Highway 27, Clermont, Florida 34711.
The winner will be announced on Dec. 14.