Having trouble with your hearing? Is it hard for you to enjoy conversations with your family, talk to your kids on the phone or catch the punchline of a joke at the dinner table?
If so, call Oak Mountain Hearing Associates, which opened recently in Pelham. Experienced audiologist Dr. Leigh L. Burnett will discover the causes of your hearing loss and offer you comprehensive services using the latest technology.
Dr. Burnett is passionate about helping her patients find personalized solutions to hear better and experience a better quality of life. “I want to be sensitive to their budget, their needs and what they’re trying to achieve,” she says. “We offer patient-centered care. We look at all their needs.”
A hearing-impaired audiologist who’s worn hearing aids since she was four years old, Dr. Burnett understands what it’s like to live with hearing loss. “I don’t necessarily understand everybody’s unique situation, but I have empathy,” she says.
A long-time Pelham resident, Dr. Burnett worked as an audiologist at a clinic in Hoover for 35 years before starting her own practice. Oak Mountain Hearing held its grand opening in August. The practice has a “wonderful” patient care coordinator, Angela Mathews, Dr. Burnett says. “We work as a team.”
As she did in Hoover, Dr. Burnett takes a caring approach to her patients in Pelham. “I get to know them and connect with them,” she says. “I truly love my patients. They come to me because they need something, and I want to help. I love what I do.”
She believes her passion for getting involved in the community and educating people about hearing loss will set Oak Mountain Hearing apart. “I can’t stress it enough – get a hearing test,” she said.
Ignoring hearing loss can have a serious effect on your overall health, and hearing loss has been linked to fatigue, headaches, depression and social isolation. “I preach to my patients, if you think you’re having trouble hearing, don’t assume it’s just a simple hearing loss,” Dr. Burnett says. “Get tested. I’ve had so many people come to me with what they thought was simple hearing loss and it was a medical issue they needed to be seen for.”
Hearing loss even has a negative effect on cognitive functioning and dementia, according to a recent Johns Hopkins University study, Dr. Burnett says.
Oak Mountain Hearing offers numerous services, including earwax removal and the treatment of tinnitus, a malady where people hear a ringing or buzzing in their ears. “Every tinnitus patient is different,” Dr. Burnett says. “It’s a very general symptom, and it can mean a lot of different things. You need a comprehensive hearing test.”
Dr. Burnett finds her work with patients to be very gratifying. “I see the difference it makes in their lives,” she says. “Treating hearing loss allows people to engage with their family and do things that are important to them. That’s big for me.”
Dr. Burnett has a message for her old Hoover patients. “I want them to know where I am, and I’m here if you need me,” she says.
To make an appointment with Oak Mountain Hearing, call 205-728-1690 or go to oakmountainhearing.com.
