Audiology and Hearing Services

Gail Bolton, AuD., a member of our audiology and ENT clinic staff, now sees patients in both Sioux Center and Orange City. As a doctor of audiology, Gail has experience working with a wide range of hearing loss issues, in people of all ages. Our sound booth and testing technology means you will receive the best diagnosis for your hearing loss.

As a doctor of technology, Gail is trained in the medical, diagnostic, and rehabilitative aspects of hearing loss and hearing aids. She offers hearing assessments, education, and counseling, as well as using state-of-the-art equipment to help determine the best solutions for each individual’s hearing loss. Gail fits, evaluates, and dispenses several types of digital hearing aids and related devices to suit all types of hearing loss and lifestyles.

If you have a hearing problem, your family doctor can refer you to Dr. Bolton for evaluation. Depending on the problem, your doctor may also recommend consultation with Dr. Korver. These services are typically covered by your insurance.

Did you know...

• Life is enriched by the experiences we have through our five senses. Hearing is especially vital. It enables us to communicate our wants, needs, and emotions.
• In the early stages of hearing impairment the high frequencies are typically lost first, making it difficult to hear or understand high-pitched voices of women and children. It may sound like people are “mumbling.”
• A new study links dementia to hearing loss. Hearing loss and incident dementia, Arch Neurol, 2011:68(2):214-220.
• Normal hearing loss with aging affects both ears approximately the same. If one ear is worse than the other or even “completely deaf,” there are new surgical procedures that may help.
• Hearing loss results from a variety of causes such as stiff hearing bones(otosclerosis), plaques on the ear drum, a hole in the ear drum, and erosion of hearing bones from ear infections as a child. Dr. Bolton and ENT Dr. Korver work together to identify hearing loss that can be restored with a same-day surgical procedure.
• Many people suffering from hearing loss are either unaware or ashamed of their condition, and therefore do not utilize the advanced technology available to improve the quality of their hearing.
• Audiologists, unlike hearing aid dealers, receive extensive training and education in the assessment of hearing, diagnosis of hearing loss, dispensing, fitting, repair, and adjustment of several makes and models of hearing aids, and follow-up care and counseling. These additional years of formal education and training often lead to a positive experience and outcome.