Medicare rebates available for comprehensive hearing assessments referred by GPs or other medical practitioners. 

Dr Gerard’s Personal Story of Hearing Loss

Dr Gerard William close up

Dr Gerard’s personal story of growing up with hearing loss has been featured on many platforms, including Better Hearing Australia’s National Spotlight newsletter, during presentations for University of Melbourne’s Masters of Clinical Audiology Students, and ENT Specialist’s Dr Eric Levi’s Making Sense podcast

Here is Dr Gerard’s story in his own words.

Although I was born with hearing impairment, my hearing loss was not picked up by my mother until I was 3 years old… when I didn’t respond to her mealtime invitations from another room!

Off we went to our local audiologists and doctors! Our health professionals made the decision to monitor my hearing annually. Times were different and they didn’t provide us with a lot of information about what we should do to manage my hearing. Since I seemed to be doing fine at school over the coming years, I wasn’t required to wear hearing aids as a child.

It wouldn’t be until I was 15 years old before I would get my first pair of hearing aids. A classmate of mine was annoyed by me asking him to repeat our teachers’ instructions, and he asked me to see his mother (an audiologist) who could let me try “tiny and invisible” hearing aids. My life was about to be changed forever.

I vividly remember the experience of being fitted with hearing aids, and having the world opened up to me – along with all the various joys and challenges of newfound hearing!

For example, I hadn’t realised that people could genuinely understand song lyrics without first reading them, and that cars and clothes made soft noises that others could hear. There was a lot to learn along the way – and answers were not easily found or explained!

In later reflections, my family certainly wished that we had understood more – about how much I had missed out when younger, and if I would’ve been fitted with hearing aids at a younger age if we have better information earlier. 

It is through this experience of audiology that I have been inspired to find a better way forward for hearing impaired people and their family members. 

Fast forward several years of training and international practice and I have continued to dedicate my life to helping other people with hearing impairment hear better through an experience of care that is warm, personalised, honest and comprehensive.

Through HEAR WITH ME, I hope to be able to provide you with an audiology experience I wish my family had. 

I look forward to welcoming you to Hear With Me.

Allow Us to Help You & Your Loved Ones!

Gerard