Advanced Hearing Care
900 Johnnie Dodds Blvd
Mount Pleasant
843-606-5658
www.advhearing.com
Dr. Casey Adkins was happy to trade in cold, wet winters for the sunshine and warm temperatures prevalent in the Lowcountry, but there’s a more important reason she left Indiana for South Carolina – the opportunity to work in an audiology practice that is more about health care than retail.
Dr. Adkins, a native of Woodford County, Kentucky, moved to the Lowcountry in June 2015 to join Dr. Mary Anne Larkin at Advanced Hearing Care in Mount Pleasant. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, she earned her Doctor of Audiology degree at Purdue University in Indiana.
“I was tired of the cold. I had to chip the ice off my windshield every morning,” she commented. “The Charleston area has been a welcome change in my life. Every person I’ve met is open and welcoming. It’s a close-knit community, and there’s lots of things going on, such as farmers markets and oyster roasts.”
As much as she enjoys the weather and the Southern hospitality, Dr. Adkins is more appreciative of the chance to build a patient base and help her patients make the most of their hearing.
“The most important thing we do here is reconnect people to what’s most important in their lives. It’s different for everyone,” she explained. “For some it might be morning meetings at work, while for others it’s hearing their grandkids or feeling involved at a party or a noisy restaurant.”
Dr. Adkins cited several ways she and Dr. Larkin help their patients hear better. They offer hearing devices, of course, but patients and their family members also can participate in an active listening training class. Physical therapy for the ears and brain – basically teaching people how to be better listeners – also is available two or three times a month at the Advanced Hearing Care office on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.
“We do whatever we can to improve the overall quality of our patients’ lives,” Dr. Adkins said. “One of the reasons I came to Advanced Hearing Care was because of the fullspectrum program Dr. Larkin has built. It’s important for people to have realistic expectations. Nothing is going to restore their hearing to normal, but we can work together to build a customized treatment program to optimize their hearing and communication abilities.”
Advanced Hearing Care maintains its longtime connection to the community by holding free educational seminars on hearing at senior facilities such as Sandpiper Village and The Palms of Mount Pleasant. Drs. Larkin and Adkins also offer free hearing screenings to residents and to any other adult member of the community.
Dr. Adkins pointed out that loud noise can affect a person’s hearing, adding that smoking, cardiovascular issues and diabetes also can affect your ability to hear. She said changes in hearing sometimes indicate that there are other health issues. For example, after testing a patient’s hearing, she sensed that something wasn’t quite right, especially considering that the patient’s father was just a year older when he died of a heart attack. She called his cardiologist, who soon discovered the man’s heart blockage.
“Your ears are definitely a window into other things going on in your body,” Dr. Adkins said. “That’s another reason why you should see a Doctor of Audiology.” Dr. Adkins lives on Johns Island with her fiancé, Seth, and Ollie, their boxer mix. Her October wedding is scheduled for the Charleston Tea Plantation.
By: Brian Sherman
