UI Audiology is among a small handful of facilities in the Midwest whose team is composed exclusively of doctoral-level audiology professionals. Our team provides high-quality, medical and non-medical advanced patient care across the spectrum of hearing- and balance-related treatment, from newborns/infants to adults and seniors.
Our cochlear implant program , Happy Ears on Taylor Street, connects patients and their families to each other and to a supportive community. We believe in continuity of care: caring for patients as their hearing-related abilities and needs evolve from early childhood into adulthood. Our highly skilled, doctoral-level audiologists have the most thorough training and certifications available, and practice at multiple Chicagoland locations, as well as through tele-health connections that bring the clinic and clinicians to patients via the internet. Our goal is to meet the needs of patients and the diverse demands of a changing healthcare market. We accept all forms of insurance and payment.
Our comprehensive services include:
A hearing evaluation is a thorough assessment of an individual’s hearing by an audiologist. Because a hearing problem can be triggered by a deficiency in any part of this complex system, we use a number of different tests that provide important information about all aspects of the auditory system. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine the nature and degree of the hearing loss and the best treatment options. A hearing evaluation can be performed on infants, children, and adults. The method of testing used depends on the patient’s age and ability to complete the task.
A hearing aid is a small electronic device worn in or behind the ear for individuals who have hearing loss. It is a sophisticated device that can often help to improve your hearing, when it is fit appropriately and with the expertise of a doctor of audiology. For the most part, hearing aids make only certain sounds louder so that a person with hearing loss can listen comfortably, communicate, and participate more fully in daily activities.
Assistive Listening Systems (ALSs) are sometimes called assistive listening systems (ALDs). Essentially, they are amplifiers that bring sound directly into the ear. They separate the sounds, particularly speech, a person wants to hear from background noise that often makes it harder to hear those distinct sounds. They improve what is known as the “speech to noise ratio.”
There are two types of implants – cochlear implants and auditory osseointegrated (or bone-anchored) implants (AOI). Each implant is designed to improve hearing when hearing aids are not enough or when they are not considered medically appropriate, such as for those patients for whom hearing aids or other implants do not provide sufficient hearing, or who cannot wear other types of implants.
Happy Ears on Taylor is UI Audiology’s comprehensive cochlear implant service. We provide a range of services for children (as young as one year old) and adults in the multifaceted, complex journey they face, from the onset and diagnosis of hearing loss through management of the condition.
There are two types of implants – cochlear implants and auditory osseointegrated (or bone-anchored) implants (AOI). Each implant is designed to improve hearing when hearing aids are not enough or when they are not considered medically appropriate, such as for those patients for whom hearing aids or other implants do not provide sufficient hearing, or who cannot wear other types of implants.
UI Health offers Aural (Re)habilitation (AR) therapy provided by a licensed speech language pathologist. AR is frequently used as an integral component in the overall management of individuals with hearing loss. The goal of AR is to reduce the impact hearing loss has on an individual’s quality of life through a combination of auditory training, speech and language assessment and treatment, communication strategies and counseling. At UIH, AR is offered to cochlear implant and hearing aid patients whenever it is appropriate, for both children and adults.
In collaboration with our Division of Otology/Neurotology, UI Audiology provides a range of treatment associated with dizziness and balance conditions, from vertigo (dizziness) to Meniere’s disease, infections, microvascular issues, tumors, and other conditions.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no actual external noise is present, and can occur in one or both ears. While it is commonly referred to as “ringing in the ears,” tinnitus can be reported as many different perceptions of sound, including buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing, and clicking. The duration of tinnitus varies from person to person.
Individuals with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) do not understand what they are hearing as well as they should. They may understand only some of what is said, or go along as if they hear a conversation but are distracted by ambient noise or other conversations going on. CAPD can affect ability to learn and function in school or at work, and can have significant auditory and emotional consequences.