If you ever find yourself constantly turning up the TV or asking someone to repeat something they said multiple times, it may be time to see a hearing loss expert. May happens to be the perfect time to schedule the appointment. It’s recognized as Better Speech and Hearing Month to raise awareness of hearing loss.
Dr. Gina Angley and her team at Nashville’s Hearing & Communication Center are standing by ready to help you get the most out of your hearing.
“Hearing better is more than just hearing; people don’t just want to hear better, they want to communicate better,” Angley says.
The Center is an adult, full-service audiology practice that provides everything related to hearing loss, including testing, rehabilitation, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). For patients who may not be able to make it to the clinic, the center also offers concierge services.
The center’s founder, Dr. Angley, has had a love for speech, hearing, and audiology since college. Originally from New Jersey and upstate New York, she moved to Nashville in 2006 to attend Vanderbilt. When she’s not working at the center, she and her husband are likely spending time together with their two dogs. They enjoy traveling, camping and using their side-by-side during nice weather to enjoy Tennessee’s beauty. They live in Kingston Springs but spend a lot of time in the Bellevue area.
“It’s been so fun to see Bellevue grow over time,” she says. “I love that there are more people to help.”
She opened the practice in 2022 after spending 10 years conducting clinical research and serving as associate director for an adult hearing aid program at Vanderbilt. She wants patients who come to her center to know they are in experienced hands.
“I want people to know that I trained, worked and led a team at Vandy, and yes, you’re coming to a community clinic, but the quality of care and what I’m doing here is what I was doing while I was there,” Angley says.
Hearing loss typically emerges during a person’s 30s and 40s and comes on gradually. However, it can happen suddenly. Multiple factors can cause an increased risk for hearing loss, such as noise exposure throughout life, health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, chemotherapy treatment, as well as aging. While most of the patients at her clinic are over the age of 65, she does have patients in their 30s and 40s.
It’s never too early to have your hearing checked at a baseline level and continuing checks every five years if it’s normal. If a person does have hearing loss or already has hearing aids, Dr. Angley recommends follow-up exams every two years to adjust to changes.
She says it’s hard to describe the feeling she gets when a patient tells her their life has changed for the better.
“Internally, it’s just pure joy, it just puts a smile on my face and makes me know I’m in the right place doing God’s work, and I’m doing what I was intended to do,” Angley says.
"People don’t just want to hear better, they want to communicate better."
