Peter Maguire (left), proprietor of The Hearing Company, with one of his many clients. Photo: Tony Murphy Photography

The Hearing Company - head and shoulders above others

SINCE opening at Cavendish Lane, Castlebar, Peter McGuire, proprietor of The Hearing Company, is delighted with the response to his new practice, writes Tom Gillespie.

Ballina native Peter is an audiologist (MSc, Aud), with vast clinical experience, and his central Castlebar clinic is located in a purpose-built premises from where he operates five days a week.

Peter has found that people are happy to finally have a dedicated practice in audiology by a practitioner with clinical experience and qualifications that has really set The Hearing Clinic apart from other providers.

Peter told me: “I started in 2007 as an audiological assistant in Nazareth House, Sligo, with the HSE. It was there I learned the basics and grew my passion for audiology.

“For me, audiology is my vocation. I spent several years studying it abroad in the University of Manchester. It was very competitive to get on the course. I needed a first class honours in my undergraduate and I had to do an interview.

“The course itself was gruelling. We had surgeons teach us not only audiology, balance and paediatric audiology but also the full nervous system, the functions of the brain and the eye.

“The University of Manchester is one of the two best universities for audiology in the UK. Some of our lecturers would be the lead researchers in their topics. For example, Kai Uus is one of the world's experts on paediatric audiology. Kevin Munro is one of the most published researchers on audiology in Europe. The course was intense and of the 25 students who started, only six finished.

“I returned to Ireland and gained some clinical experience with the HSE. I worked in paediatric and adult hearing clinics in Ballina, Castlebar and Stranorlar. I really enjoyed the training and learning from the highly experienced audiologists and working with the best equipment.

“While the work was fantastic, I needed a full-time contract and I ventured into the private sector working for one of the national companies.

“It was then I noticed there was a real gap in the market for a proper hearing facility in Co. Mayo. The public sector had highly skilled workers and all the diagnostic equipment a service would need. However, they did not have the latest technology when it came to listening devices.

“There were also large waiting lists. The private sector had people dispensing hearing aids with very little or no audiology education (usually online courses). Also, I was shocked by the lack of diagnostic equipment used in the private sector.

“For example, they did not have equipment to verify (test) the hearing aids they sold. Hearing aid verification is the law in the UK but there is no regulation in Ireland for private hearing aid dispensing. They also rarely had sound proofed test rooms or Tympanometers – again, something that is law in most countries.

“I set out to build Mayo’s first purpose-built hearing centre in the heart of the county. It has all the diagnostic equipment mentioned above, and a soundproof room and a wax removal room.

“Since I started the response has been fantastic. People are delighted with the level of service, the competitive pricing and the assurance their hearing is been looked after by someone who is fully qualified.”

In bringing the first independent audiology hearing centre to Co. Mayo, offering a range of hearing-related services, Peter added: “Hearing care is not just about fitting people with hearing aids, it’s about understanding overall ear health and the impact it can have on everyday life. Ear care is an ongoing service and I am excited to be able to offer this as an independent practitioner.”

The practice has the latest diagnostic equipment to test each stage of the hearing pathway, a fully sound-proofed test room, with a separate wax removal room.

He continued: “I have invested heavily in testing equipment to offer a more accurate bespoke solution for the patient.

“When patients choose me for their hearing care services, be it wax removal, hearing aids or other forms of testing, they can rest assured they are receiving the best possible care and attention.”

Peter feels it’s important that patients shouldn’t compromise between level of service and quality of technology provided. He wants patients to experience the benefits of hearing care when delivered by a fully trained and experienced professional that has access to latest technology and equipment and reasonable prices.

Other hearing services include: home hearing accessories, e.g. TV listening devices, ear protection (noise protection), commercial hearing screening and testing, home visits and specialist ENT support.

Peter continued: “When people come to The Hearing Company they comment on how comprehensive our hearing tests are. There is no such thing as a regular hearing loss - everyone’s circumstances are different. We don’t just use the usual beep test to diagnose, we use several measures to test each part of the hearing system. This enables us to find the root cause of the hearing problem which makes it much easier to treat.

“Hearing care is not always about hearing aids. Sometimes it is just about ongoing monitoring of a person’s hearing, similar to getting an eye test every year.

“At The Hearing Company we take time to carefully choose the right technology for that person based on their lifestyle needs. For example, we found that people love the phone pairing capability, and find it a very useful tool. People can now use their phone to discretely change the settings on their hearing aids, e.g. volume. We also demonstrate using hearing aids with the TV streamer so people can hear the TV at a level they want but without bothering others.

“Because of the great start to our business we would like to offer you a great start for all your hearing needs,” Peter concluded.

 

To find out more, contact The Hearing Company on (094) 9025672 or visit them at Cavendish Lane, Castlebar, and on Wednesdays at Eye World Opticians, Market Lane, Bridge Street, Westport.