Clinic offers cutting-edge technology and a wide range of services
Local resident Rob Hamilton lives with high-frequency hearing loss. He was fit with his first pair of hearing devices in 2016. He is also the owner of Hearing Well Matters!, a new independent hearing clinic located in central Burlington, where he works as a clinician.
He understands first-hand what his hard-of-hearing patients are experiencing.
“I think I have a feeling for what patients go through when adapting to wearing hearing devices and getting the benefits and value from them,” he says. “I understand how treating hearing loss can help patients improve their quality of life.”
Hamilton brings a wealth of experience to the role. For over 30 years, he worked in Canadian healthcare. Recently, he served as the Canadian general manager at Starkey Hearing Technologies, a leading global hearing aid manufacturer.
“In that role, I had the opportunity to participate in several philanthropic hearing missions to Peru and the Philippines. We fit disadvantaged people with donated hearing devices,” says Hamilton. “That ignited a passion in me for treating patients living with hearing loss. I thought it would be an interesting career switch to treat patients, so I went back to school to get qualified as a hearing healthcare clinician.”
He opened up his clinic in January of 2020. It offers individualized, patient-centred hearing care services for all lifestyles and budgets.
The following hearing health services are available:
Comprehensive in-clinic hearing evaluations
Innovative hearing instrument technology
Hearing instrument fitting verification
Hearing instrument repair and service
Customized earmolds and earplugs
Musician ear monitors
Hunters’ and shooting ear protection
Tinnitus evaluation and treatment
Ear wax removal
One of the most innovative and convenient services they offer Burlington residents is mobile hearing screening. Thanks to the latest developments in computer technology, you can have your hearing preliminarily assessed at home, in seniors’ residences or in the hospital.
“There are other aspects of hearing that our clinic also does, such as hearing protection. We make custom ear plugs, whether it’s for people who go hunting or to the shooting range, swimmers or people who work in occupational settings,” says Hamilton.
The clinic has over 270 five-star patient reviews on Google. “That number speaks for itself,” he says. “Both myself and my colleagues, Meredith Joaquim and Jess Phillips, have a passion for assessing and treating hearing loss in patients.”
Hamilton is concerned that people may not fully realize the risks associated with hearing loss. “It turns out that hearing loss is the primary cause of cognitive decline, of dementia, so for patients entering their 70s, 80s and 90s, hearing well is incredibly important,” he says. “That’s really what Hearing Well Matters means—there’s a lot more to it than just our day-to-day communication, it’s also about how well we age.”
There are a number of helpful resources available on the clinic’s website. You can take a hearing survey, peruse their free hearing aid guide and even screen your hearing online.
Community involvement
The clinic also does a tremendous amount of community outreach. In fact, it’s fair to say that community involvement is at the core of Hamilton’s mission.
“When we started up the clinic in 2020, we ran smack into COVID-19,” he explains. “The first couple of years were tough due to lockdowns and a lot of uncertainty. And that was not just in our clinic, that was also the case with many Burlington community organizations.”
“Once COVID ended, we really accelerated our outreach because we think it’s important to be engaged with our neighbourhood, with Burlington and the Halton region. I think this outreach, sponsorship and partnership helps to support these organizations as their members continue to recover from COVID.”
Hearing Well Matters sponsors several local recreational sports leagues. They are devoted to helping seniors’ organizations, such as the Burlington Seniors Centre—“a very active community hub for seniors in Burlington,” says Hamilton—which is also home to the Canadian Association of Retired People (CARP) Halton’s monthly meetings.
The clinic is proud to sponsor a number of important community and cultural events, including a wide variety of programming and seasonal favourites that bring people of all ages together. These range from art exhibits to speakers series, concerts and tents at music and food festivals.
Staff have held hearing clinic days at a number of retirement and long-term care communities in and around Burlington. “Patients who are in long-term care are often not mobile so we strive to provide remote services for them,” he explains.
Just as when Hamilton received his first pair of hearing aids, he recommends patients make sure to get their hearing tested regularly and, if necessary, to have hearing loss treated.
“Hearing well really does matter,” says Hamilton.
For more information, visit Hearing Well Matters or call 647-247-2704. You can also follow the clinic on Facebook.
573 Maple Avenue Unit #4
