New hearing centre opens in Charleswood

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This article was published 18/02/2020 (2247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new hearing centre recently hosted its grand opening in Charleswood.

Ear Architects Hearing Care, located at 3412 Roblin Blvd., launched in December with a soft opening, followed by the official grand opening on Feb. 6.

For owner and hearing instrument specialist Kristy Tarasoff, she’s pleased with the warm welcome she’s received. 

“It’s nice to see people pop in and let myself be known in the community,” she said. “I offer complete hearing assessments and I fit hearing aids. I also do counselling for individuals and families, as well as aural rehabilitation. I’m happy to answer any questions that people might have about hearing.”

Tarasoff grew up in Fort Garry and spent about 18 years living in Calgary. She had been working for Labatts when she decided to change her career trajectory. 

“My niece was born hearing-impaired. I switched gears after seeing her grow up wearing hearing aids and seeing the stigmas that people have,” she said. “It’s so controversial because they don’t know how easy it really is.”

While her children were young, Tarasoff went back to school in Alberta, pursuing distance education for two years through MacEwan University.  

“The regulations to practise are stricter in Alberta, where I completed the hearing aid practitioner program. CHAPA (College of Hearing Aid Professionals of Alberta) regulates the health professionals, so once you’ve successfully completed the program, you also need to be certified through the college in order to practise,” she said. 

“In Manitoba, the Hearing Aid Board is government-run for local hearing aid dealers. I’m happy to have worked under various provincial regulations because I feel it makes me a better practitioner.”

As a Tuxedo resident, Tarasoff found that Charleswood offered the ideal location to open her business.

“Charleswood seemed like the best fit in terms of proximity,” she said. “I did a lot of research about other clinics and the overall presence in the area. I felt like there was a void here — and I wanted to fill the void.” 

Oftentimes, people tend to avoid getting their hearing checked, she added.

“As people age, they often overlook hearing as part of their annual physical, but hearing loss is linked to so many other chronic conditions. As we age, and the dynamics of life change, communication becomes even more important,” she said.

“People become depressed if they can’t communicate. The things that you remember are the visits and the talks, so hearing is very important.”

Offering attentive service, Tarasoff takes pride in addressing the needs of each individual.

“I enjoy working with people. I love hearing about their life. Everybody has a different story,” she said. 

Ear Architects Hearing Care is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as well as Saturdays and Sundays by appointment. Appointments can be booked online at www.eahearing.com or by calling 204-416-7455.