Ruth Ann Lorenz

"Hearing So Natural, It’s Just Like I Remember"

It’s been more than 30 years since Ruth Ann Lorenz could hear the sweet words of her favorite church hymns. “I lost about 50 percent of my hearing in 1964 when I had my first attack of multiple sclerosis,” Ruth Ann explains.

Initially, she had no idea how severe her hearing loss was. “I probably went for a couple of years before getting my first set of hearing aids,” she says. But it was a visit to her mother’s home that prompted her to pay attention to her hearing.

“I was in the kitchen at my mother’s house with my sister when she said, ‘Sister, clean the wax out of your ears. You can’t hear,’” Ruth Ann says. “That’s when I realized she was right. I couldn’t.”

Through the years Ruth Ann and her husband, Jim, have raised a family and maintained active careers, and Ruth Ann’s hearing needs have changed too. “Associated Audiologists has always taken my lifestyle into consideration when recommending hearing aids for me,” Ruth Ann says.

For example, her newest set of hearing aids from Phonak helps Ruth Ann hear high-pitched voices, such as her grandchildren’s, and the voices of the choir at her church.

“Associated Audiologists really look out for my interests and they have always found the right instrument to compensate for my hearing loss,” Ruth Ann says. “They are very reputable and sincerely want to help me.”

Now with an 85 percent hearing loss, Ruth Ann is practically deaf without her hearing aids. With them she is an active wife, mother, grandmother and cook.

“Although I’ve worn hearing aids for years, the new technology these aids use really makes a difference. I have always been able to hear music with my hearing aids, but this is the first time since I lost my hearing that I have been to hear the words the choir is singing. My hearing is so natural, it’s just like I remember.”