FRANKLIN
Cheryl Wray of Courtland Hearing Aids and Balance wants the community to know that they are here to help residents with their hearing problems.

“We want people to know we founded another leg of the community. We want to be the place you think of for your hearing problems and be the place everybody knows you can go to get help,” Wray said. “We can definitely get people going in the right direction here.”

Courtland Hearing Aids and Balance started out as a mobile business in 2013.

“We wanted to bring hearing to those who could not drive,” she said.

That “we” includes her husband, who helps her run the business.

“He helps me with all of the telephone calls,” she continued. “We consider it a family business.”

In September 2014, they opened up their office in Courtland and they are currently seeing 140 patients, who start at the age of 4-years-old.

Wray, who is originally from Wisconsin, moved to the area in 2002 to work in audiology.

“I love it here,” she said. “I love the small-town feel and I love that we’re in an accessible and easy-to-reach area.”

As an audiologist, Wray is at the doctor level and concentrates in hearing health care. She can figure out what the cause of the hearing problem is and refer patients to the right physician.

Wray also sells hearing aids, as well as other devices that help her patients hear, depending on their needs.

“For example, someone in a nursing home who needs to hear a doctor, might easily lose a hearing aide. I instead give them a device with a headset and a box. It’s inexpensive and lets them hear what they need to.”

Other devices Wray might prescribe are telephones with tele-types, noise-protection devices and ear molds for children. The business also sells batteries for the different devices.

One of the biggest problems she sees in the area is high-frequency hearing loss from working in loud situations, such as farm or factory work.

“The problem makes people think others sound like they’re mumbling. The hearing aids I prescribe can calm the ringing and the noise and help them pick up speech,” Wray said.

Often those with hearing loss have another problem that is associated with it. She runs a variety of tests on her patients to figure out the problem and what the next step will be.

“Each of our patients goes through an individualistic process. We want to meet their goals and we don’t want them to worry,” Wray added.

She also works with other organizations, such as the Lions Club to provide hearing health care to residents.

Wray received her Masters of Audiology degree from The Ohio State University. She is also a member of of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the American Academy of Audiology (AAA).

The office, located at 22730 Main St., Courtland, is open Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Wray also continues to make house calls and can be available during the evenings if needed. Anyone who wants to make an appointment is encouraged to call 653-7532.