Reconnecting People Through the Gift of Hearing

It only takes a minute of conversation with Ted Blanford to catch his enthusiasm for helping people. Although he is the owner of Summit Hearing Solutions, Fort Wayne’s exclusive provider of award-winning Audibel hearing instruments, he does not want to talk about test procedures or hearing aids. He wants to talk about people. 

Specifically, Blanford wants to talk about reconnecting people. He is passionate about helping his patients understand “what they’re giving to the ones they love with the gift of hearing.” 

“I don’t fit the patient just for the patient,” he says. “I fit the patient for the family.”  

A significant part of the treatment process revolves around counseling, both before and after a patient is fitted with a hearing instrument. This begins with a complimentary audiometric assessment and a video otoscopic exam that lets the patient see exactly what the practitioner sees. An extensive background discussion about health, medications and life events follows to help ensure the effectiveness of the treatment. After the fitting, evaluations and adjustments are made as the brain adjusts and learns to hear again. 

Throughout the entire process, Blanford encourages the participation of family members. In fact, he wants their voices to be used in the evaluation itself. It is only when the patient can reliably hear the voices that are important to him that a treatment can be considered a success.

A hearing aid wearer himself, Blanford is dedicated not only to giving hearing back to his patients, but also to the greater community. Accordingly, a significant part of the Summit Hearing Solutions mission is a commitment to charity and to children. As the business grows, Blanford ultimately wants to be able to use its resources to help children find their potential through hearing. 

“Children can’t find the answers if they can’t hear the questions,” Blanford says.

This passion for helping people and genuinely caring for patients is pervasive throughout the office at Summit Hearing Solutions. Joy Fulk, operations manager, emphasizes the commitment to do whatever it takes to ensure the success of each treatment. Although she certainly appreciates knowing when things go well, what she really wants is to hear what patients don’t like so Summit Hearing Solutions can fix any problems. 

From personalized care to family involvement to house calls, Summit Hearing Solutions offers an authentic commitment to reconnecting its patients to the ones they love. Even when patients feel frustrated and do not believe they will be able to find a solution, Blanford says that he and his team will find a way. 

“Don’t give up,” he says, “ because we won’t give up.”

In the photo: Ted Blanford, SMHI