Summer 2014 Olivia’s story: Hearing loss doesn’t stand in her way Olivia Lueck is just like any 10-year-old girl. She likes to go shopping with her mom, listen to music and talk to her friends on the phone. Olivia plays the piano and participates on a competitive gymnastics team. You would never guess that she suffers moderate to severe congenital hearing loss. When Olivia was born at Ridgeview Medical Center in 2003, she failed the newborn hearing screen and was referred to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota for further testing. Olivia was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss. Olivia was fitted with hearing aids as an infant and learned sign language to help her communicate. After five years of driving her daughter to Minnetonka for speech-language pathology, Olivia’s mother, Brooke, was referred to Ridgeview Specialty Clinic–Otolaryngology. At the age of 5, Olivia began seeing Ridgeview audiologist Carrie Meyer, AuD. Dr. Meyer worked closely with Olivia’s teachers at Trinity Lutheran School in Waconia and was constantly researching new technology. Olivia’s first hearing aids made sounds seem more “computerized,” but the continued advancements in hearing aid technology have improved the quality of the sound dramatically. Olivia is able to have normal hearing when aided. Today Olivia wears state-of-the-art sparkly, pink digital hearing aids. The dual-microphone system in each aid automatically adjusts to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. This allows Olivia to clearly hear her teacher’s voice, even in a noisy classroom. The new technology also allows her to connect her hearing aids via Bluetooth, a wireless connection. Olivia wears a small streaming device around her neck that resembles a necklace, and her teacher wears a remote microphone. Together they stream directly to her hearing aids. Olivia can also connect the streamer to the computer or iPad to listen to music or play videos.
Dr. Carrie Meyer and Olivia Lueck There is no obstacle that gets in Olivia’s way when it comes to school. When Olivia’s class began using headphones at computers for instructional learning, Dr. Meyer found a way to connect her wireless device to the school computer. Olivia was able to participate with the rest of the class. “Most people in school don’t even notice my hearing aids,” Olivia says. “Even my friends forget I have them in.” “Hearing loss is not a disability or a handicap that can’t be overcome,” Dr. Meyer says. “It is no different than a person who has poor vision getting glasses to correct it. You can achieve normalcy. Children and adults with hearing loss can do anything their hearing peers can do.” New hearing aids that are currently on the market include ones that are water resistant (for use in the pool or shower) and aids that have GPS technology, which allows them to be tracked—if misplaced—with a phone application. Brooke appreciates the relationship that Dr. Meyer has with her daughter. “She is just wonderful. We are so fortunate to get to work with her.” Olivia agrees. “Dr. Meyer is really nice and really helpful,” she says with her bright, confident smile. Thanks to her audiologist and the technology available, hearing loss will never stand in Olivia’s way.