Coolidge Hearing Care 鈥� located on 101-Third Avenue East in Assiniboia 鈥� is a valuable service in town with affordable rates. Coolidge Hearing Care celebrated their grand opening on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
The clinic is open from Monday to Friday from 9-5 by appointment only, to guarantee the safety of their clients during the pandemic. At this time, masks are required before entering the office located across from Fields on Third Avenue. Curbside appointments are available for repair, pick-up, drop offs or battery and accessory purchases. 聽
Coolidge Hearing Care is unique for offering hearings services tailored to fit their clients, along with competitive pricing in comparison to the options available in larger centres such as Moose Jaw or Regina.
鈥淧eople in small towns want services, but they aren鈥檛 afraid to drive out and get what they can get elsewhere,鈥� owner and manager Geri Ruzicka explained.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to find out their lifestyles, wants, needs 鈥� what they hear today 鈥� how they used to hear and what they want to hear,鈥� Ruzicka added. 鈥淭his is the one place where clients can come in for that understanding and the assistance they require.鈥�
Hearing aid manufacturers create systems operating differently from their competitors in several ways. As a hearing specialist, Ruzicka endeavours to select the best products for her customers in an effort to meet their individualized requirements.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to make a personal connection with the person you are fitting 鈥� the more you know, the more you can help them, Ruzicka said. 鈥淲e assist people on a one-on-one friendly basis and offer state-of-the art equipment.鈥澛犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅�
Ruzicka, formerly of Lashburn in West Central Saskatchewan, moved to Assiniboia in May 2020. She ran Coolidge Hearing in Lloydminster prior to relocating to the 麻豆传媒AV Country. She currently lives near the Assiniboia Regional Golf Course with her husband.
Ruzicka underwent extensive training as a hearing specialist. She graduated from the Hearing Aid Practitioners Program at Grant MacEwan University in the spring of 1999 then finished her Audiometric Technicians course during the same year. A year later, Ruzicka finished her BC-HIS designation from the National Board of Hearing Instrument Sciences in the spring of 2000.
Ruzicka is also a Registrar Member (RHAP) of CHAPA (the College of Hearing Aid Practitioners of Alberta).聽
Ruzicka moved to St. Catharines Ontario, where she was employed as a hearing specialist until 2007. She returned to Saskatchewan after missing her home province.
鈥淚鈥檓 a prairie girl at heart,鈥� Ruzicka confirmed.
Ruzicka is passionate about assisting people with their hearing difficulties, because she had problems with hearing since childhood.
She received her first hearing aids at eight years of age 鈥� Ruzicka described her first hearing aids as big, brown and ugly.
In the 21st century, hearing aids are near invisible and cosmetically pleasing. Also, digital hearing aids are more effective and are able to receive signals offering clearer audio and improvements on variations in sound.聽
鈥淜ids would scream into my ears 鈥� they thought it was funny,鈥� she said, when talking about her classmates鈥� reactions after seeing her wearing hearing aids at school. Aside from enduring rounds of teasing from her classmates, Ruzicka faced suspicion and criticism from her teachers.
鈥淒uring that time, it wasn鈥檛 really well known that children could have hearing problems,鈥� Ruzicka informed. 鈥淭he teachers would get frustrated that children could have a hearing loss.鈥�
However, Ruzicka鈥檚 hearing issues were first made apparent in the classroom. Whenever she sat at the front of the class, she was able to concentrate on her lessons. She received better marks as a result, as opposed to sitting at the back of the classroom and being unable to comprehend what the teachers were saying.
Her early struggles in hearing loss as a child influenced Ruzicka鈥檚 career choice in adulthood 鈥� she wanted to help people regain their hearing by whatever means possible.
鈥淚t made me realized I could take my biggest insecurity and make it my biggest asset,鈥� Ruzicka recounted. 鈥淪o much of what I do isn鈥檛 about hearing aids 鈥� it鈥檚 about teaching people how to cope, as well as how to hear.鈥�
To book an appointment at Coolidge Hearing Care, call 1-833-842-4242 or 306-642-4242.聽
