Monica Brace Van Houten, Au.D., Doctor of Audiology

“Since receiving hearing aids from Racker Audiology Clinic, I can interact with ease and I am able to participate much more in my community. I find myself asking others around me to lower their voice because I no longer need them to project so loudly; now one-on-one communication is so much easier! When I am outside, I am hearing birds that I haven’t heard in years! I hear chickadees and blue jays, my awareness is so much greater. My ears are happy, it’s a world of difference!”

~ Sarah O.

“I am now hearing things that I haven't heard in a long time! I recently went to a concert at Hangar Theatre and could hear every word and nuance of the music. It has been an excellent experience in every way!”

~ Bettsie Park, Co-Owner, 15 Steps

“I have been wearing hearing aids for two and half months and my ability to hear is substantially improved. The two things I like best are how well I can now hear indoor conversations, the radio, or the TV at normal sound levels. Also, I now hear bird songs outdoors so well. When I hear many birds singing so loudly and clearly, I realize how much of this I had been missing previously. There was a transition period of getting used to the devices, but for some time now I have been wearing them so comfortably and easily that I forget they are there.  For me, they have been terrific.”

~ Peter M.

“The first time I tried my new hearing aids, I had an 'ah ha' moment, prompting the question: ‘Why didn’t I do this before?’

The Racker Center’s first priority is making sure you get a hearing device that serves your needs and fits your budget. I recommend them without reservation.”

~ Anne T.

“Having a pretty severe and unusual hearing loss, I’ve been helped tremendously by my Oticon Alta Pro instruments with which Dr. Monica Brace, Au.D., fitted me. She patiently tried various ear pieces to minimize feedback and background noise while optimizing sound transmission.

However, as time passed, I found my hearing loss was getting worse, so Dr. Brace recommended using the ConnectLine system which Oticon has developed to provide additional hearing assistance. Using this system has made a wonderful improvement for me. I now have a microphone which my wife or a guest can wear at dinner in a noisy restaurant or a teacher can wear in a class I’m attending. By my turning off the hearing aid microphones and listening to the speech of the person using the microphone, I can actually hear and converse very well with the person in a poor sound environment. Their speech is clear and intelligible. It’s the same with the TV device; I can turn off the background sound coming from the TV and clearly listen to the audio that’s streamed into my hearing aids.

Finally, with my iPhone®, I can now speak with people and understand them without difficulty. The ConnectLine system enables my hearing aids to work better than ever. I feel very fortunate to have had Dr. Brace and Oticon assisting me to get the most benefit from my Oticon hearing aids and dramatically improve my quality of life.”

~ Michael M. - Ithaca, NY

“I just wanted to tell you how happy I am with these Oticon More 1 mini RITE R hearing aids. I love the various features that set them apart from my former models. First, the quality of the sound is the first thing I noticed. Speech is clearer and crisper. Second, I love the plug in recharger. It is so convenient and I don’t have to carry around the extra batteries in my wallet anymore. I also love the ability to use Bluetooth to listen to my cell phone (I love to listen to audiobooks.) and not disturb anyone. It also facilitates listening to my phone in a noisy area. Best of all, I love the TV adaptor that allows me to hear our TV through my hearing aids as well. Thank you to the staff at The Audiology Center at Racker for all of your help and guidance!”

~ David L.

“I have been a professional musician, among other things, most of my life. Probably due to my music, my hearing started to deteriorate markedly in my late 50s. By my mid-60s, I couldn't understand conversations unless I was looking directly at the person I was talking to. My favorite word turned out to be, ‘What...?’ since I had trouble understanding anything the first time. My music seemed to be going okay, but I noticed I was having some pitch problems with my singing, sax tone, etc.

Communication with my wife had become increasingly frustrating and difficult. I couldn't understand most of what my grandchildren were saying much of the time. The day I left the audiology clinic at Racker, I rejoined the human race. One of the first things I heard was a dreadful clicking in my car as I started for home with my brand new hearing aids. I thought something was terribly wrong until I realized I was hearing a turn signal for the first time in years. When I got home, the real fun started. I could hear the tea kettle; I could hear my wife talk; I could hear the dog bark—all at the same time! It was absolutely intoxicating. Soon, I found my music improving because I didn't have to sing so loud just to hear myself, and people started asking me if I had been taking singing lessons. My sax tone improved because all of a sudden I could hear overtones and harmonics that just didn't exist for me before.”

~ Ken Z.