About

Louis Kanavos - Hearing Instrument Specialist

My experience as a Hearing Instrument Specialist, has been so rewarding, that it has given me a sense of compassion which allows me to give the gift of hearing every single day I step into my office.  Individuals tend to think that hearing aids are a sign of old age, and nobody wants to be seen with them on.

Helen Keller once stated:  “If you lose your sight it’s a nuisance…if you lose your hearing it’s a handicap”.  What does this mean?  Sit back and think about that for a minute.  Losing your hearing is a HANDICAP.

Hearing loss is the most prevalent chronic condition affecting millions of people all over the world.  Nearly 40 million people in North America have a hearing loss.  70% of that 40 million are over the age of 45.  These numbers are rapidly increasing due to the aging baby-boomer population, MP3 players, and environmental noise.  Fortunately 90% of hearing loss can be helped with appropriate hearing aids.  Yet, less than 20% of those individuals who could benefit from a hearing aid actually use one.  This means that over 70% of individuals who could possibly benefit from a hearing aid, are missing the important sounds of life in their everyday environment and are having difficulties in their communication with others.

It’s all about EDUCATION and COUNSELLING.  At Hi-Definition Hearing Clinic, everyone who books an appointment is educated on how hearing and hearing aids work, realistic expectations, precise recommendations, and the experience that they will remember, with the knowledge that I have given them.  I’ve always believed that when a client sits in my office and needs an adjustment to their hearing aids, I am the most important person in the world when it comes to their hearing.  If the client is not happy with the way the hearing instrument sounds, then I am not doing my job as a Hearing Instrument Specialist.  My fine tuning skills have to be precise and exact and patience is a must.  The Hearing Instrument Specialist or Audiologist must never show frustration toward a client and always remain calm.  Just imagine what the client must be feeling like.

At Hi-Definition Hearing Clinic it is our job to improve the quality of your life.  Build a relationship and make sure we are the most important people in your life when it comes to your hearing.  We want to make sure everyone leaves satisfied and excited that I’m going to help them live without a HANDICAP.  Make sure they have freedom, and not feel crippled by the depression of not being able to communicate with loved ones.

Biography

Growing up I was very ambitious and always wanted to do something that would help people improve their quality of life.

My mother was very young when she was diagnosed with otosclerosis and was wearing hearing aids at the age of 33.  It was a very frustrating time in her life.  It was also frustrating for the family to learn how to communicate and cope with the fact my mother was wearing hearing aids as we had to hide it so that my mother wouldn’t be embarrassed.

I was now in my early twenties, I had finished a degree in science at the university and had no real job to speak of and was upset with myself.  I was absolutely miserable and couldn’t seem to find my way.

One day in April 2005, my mother asked me to come along with her to the hearing clinic so that I could see how they treated her and watch what kind of work they did.

Frustrated with the whole office environment and the way the staff was so cold to clients who walked in, I could now see how uncomfortable it had always been for my mother.

Little did I know that that day would change my life forever!  As I sat in the office and saw how the audiologist operated, I knew at that moment that I could do the audiologists’ job, BUT I could do it better!  I had found my calling in life, and it was to give the “GIFT OF HEARING”.

After the appointment, I told my mother that I was going to quit my dead end job at the factory and go back to school to become a Hearing Instrument Specialist.  Suddenly, a million pounds of pressure was lifted from my shoulders and I knew that I had found a career that would allow me to fulfill my dreams of helping people.  I was determined to help frustrated individuals who were getting treated poorly at hearing clinics and I would do my absolute best to try to make their lives more enjoyable by allowing them to hear the simple things in life that they had been missing.

I enrolled at George Brown College in the Hearing Instrument Specialist Program and graduated in April of 2008 at the top of my class, with Honours.  I am a practicing member in good standing with The Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners of Ontario (A.H.I.P.) and registered Authorizer with The Ministry of Health (A.D.P.).  In addition, I am one of the first Hearing Instrument Specialists globally to become certified with Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation (a company solely dedicated to preserving the hearing of Musicians).  Before opening Hi-Definition Hearing Clinic, I gained valuable work experience together with an excellent reputation while practicing at both the Sears Hearing Clinic (Hear For Life) and the WalMart Hearing Clinic (Hear At Last).