An independent hearing centre in Altrincham has announced expansion plans and will mark its first birthday on The Downs with a special open day.
Altrincham Hearing Centre will hold the open day on Tuesday August 14th and is offering a 10% discount to customers on the day.
Set up by audiologist Pritesh Chauhan last summer, the centre has grown month on month and is in the process of hiring two more staff to cope with the extra demand.
One of the new staff is Pritesh’s wife Bhavika, also a trained audiologist, who is joining the business to lead the opening of a new centre in Lancaster.
Pritesh said: “We’re really pleased with the way it’s gone. We started from scratch in a town with a number of established hearing centres, but after a slow start we have improved month on month and we’re really proud of the five-star reviews we now have on both Google and Facebook.”
The centre offers a range of services including free hearing assessments, earwax removal, tinnitus management, custom hearing protection including swim and sleep plugs, and custom in-ear monitors for musicians.
Bhavika, who trained at the University of Manchester and previously worked at global hearing aid manufacturer Phonak, explained some common reasons for people to visit the centre.
“A build-up of earwax can cause a loss of hearing and can make the ear feel full and blocked,” she said. “Earwax is natural and has a purpose, however when there’s a blockage it can cause a person to feel like their hearing has deteriorated. This is when they will usually know that it needs removing.”
“With a hearing test it’s a bit different. People don’t always know that they have a hearing loss – what they will start to perceive is that people are mumbling when they’re speaking or that the TV’s not clear enough. Because it’s so gradual over time people don’t always know that they have a problem – in fact people can take seven to 10 years on average to actually do something about it.”
Pritesh said many people were unaware just how advanced hearing aid technology now is.
“The technology is fantastic at the moment, they will connect to your smartphone to stream music and calls and can also be rechargeable however many people still have the perception of what hearing aids used to be like,” he said.
Altrincham Hearing Centre, 7 The Downs, Altrincham, WA14 2QD. Book a free hearing test through the website here, or follow Altrincham Hearing Centre on Facebook.
