Now Hear This
With Dr. Kathy Landau Goodman at the helm, Main Line Audiology Consultants offers carefully prescribed and expertly customized options to help patients reclaim their hearing and enhance their quality of life.
As the human body ages, change is inevitable. The skin loses its elasticity. Vision becomes less sharp. Muscle mass begins to decrease.
Kathy Landau Goodman, Au.D., has devoted her career to resolving another telltale sign of aging: hearing loss. Just as there are capable options for rejuvenating the skin, sharpening the vision, and regaining muscle mass, Dr. Goodman and her team provide a range of solutions to help people reclaim their hearing and improve their quality of life as a result.
“People have a lot to lose by leaving their hearing loss untreated,” says Dr. Goodman, a board-certified audiologist and the founder and president of Main Line Audiology Consultants (MLAC), which this coming year will celebrate its 40th year in operation. “Research has shown that adults with hearing loss experience a faster decline in cognitive ability, which can lead to dementia, depression, and social isolation. It has even been linked to heart disease. Individuals with only mild hearing loss may experience diminished spatial awareness, which can increase the risk of falls.”
Grim possibilities aside, the good news is that hearing loss is treatable with hearing aids for most individuals.
Dr. Goodman suggests the road to better hearing should begin with a “quick and painless” hearing evaluation from a licensed audiologist. At MLAC, the audiologist then prescribes a path forward using best practices and expert care. As part of the evaluation process, the audiologist can talk to patients about preserving their hearing by using hearing protection when, say, mowing the lawn, using power tools, attending a concert, or spending time at the gun range.
Dr. Goodman recommends anyone over the age of 55 come to one of her locations for a baseline hearing test. Hearing loss is not limited to people of a certain age; it can be genetic, due to ototoxic medications, or correlated with diabetes, heart disease, or kidney disease.
Most insurance companies will cover the cost of a diagnostic hearing evaluation, and some offer allowances and hearing benefits that may help offset the cost of a hearing aid. In addition, Dr. Goodman’s practice accepts most insurances, offers payment plans, and includes a three-year warranty to cover loss and damage.
MLAC has six locations in the Philadelphia area—Narberth, Jenkintown, Center City, Ridley Park, Audubon, and, as of last year, Rittenhouse Square—each staffed by at least one of the practice’s seven audiologists. Dr. Goodman says she has carefully vetted each audiologist based on their training and experience.
“These are compassionate people who really care about every single person they treat,” she says. “They have a passion for helping people hear better. We use state-of-the-art technology and expertise in programming and counseling to help people on their journey to better hearing. Our goal is to provide personalized care for extraordinary results.”
Hearing-aid technology has taken dramatic steps forward in terms of functionality, programming, and appearance; some hearing devices are unnoticeable to the untrained eye. Dr. Goodman cites Lyric from Phonak, which she describes as a “100 percent invisible” hearing aid that is custom-fitted to each patient. Lyric is a 24/7 extended-wear device that generally gets replaced every eight to 10 weeks by a certified Lyric provider.
Dr. Goodman acknowledges that patients have many options in terms of where to obtain hearing devices. She also offers a few words of caution: An investment in hearing aids is an investment in one’s health, so do not shop on price alone.
“Over-the-counter hearing aids are not the same as prescriptive devices fitted by audiologists. There is a lot more to better hearing than just putting a hearing aid in your ear,” she says. “If you were to have hand surgery or a hip replacement, you wouldn’t shop for the cheapest option; you would go for the most experienced, knowledgeable, and qualified doctor you could find. It’s the same with getting treated for hearing loss. It is in your best interest to go to an audiologist who can give you the best hearing possible.”
As Main Line Audiology approaches its 40-year milestone, Dr. Goodman is humbled and pleased with her practice’s contributions to the community. Over the years MLAC has given numerous lectures in the community and at schools, and offered free hearing screenings during Better Hearing Month and Audiology Awareness Month. Dr. Goodman believes she has plenty more to do; she’s mulling the idea of adding yet another location to further expand her mission.
“We all understand how important it is for us to stay connected to our friends and family,” she adds. “We’re here to help people improve their quality of life through better hearing, and to help them feel like they are part of the conversation. So many people tell us, ‘I wish I had done this years ago’ or ‘I don’t know what I was waiting for.’ To me, that says it all.”
About Dr. Goodman
Dr. Goodman traces her journey to becoming one of the country’s leading audiologists to her father. Although her father was born without usable hearing, he learned to lip read at an early age and “never let his hearing loss interfere with anything he wanted to accomplish in his life,” she says.
Dr. Goodman traces her journey to becoming one of the country’s leading audiologists to her father. Although her father was born without usable hearing, he learned to lip read at an early age and “never let his hearing loss interfere with anything he wanted to accomplish in his life,” she says.
Dr. Goodman earned her doctorate in audiology from Central Michigan University, and a master’s in audiology and speech-language pathology from Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital. In addition to treating patients at Main Line Audiology Consultants’ six area offices, MLAC provides audiology services to the School District of Philadelphia, as well as 17 retirement communities in the Philadelphia area.
“No matter where you are in the Philadelphia area, we have an office near you where we can take care of your hearing needs,” Dr. Goodman says. “We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to obtain better hearing and, in turn, a better quality of life.”
Dr. Goodman co-founded the Pennsylvania Academy of Audiology, and has served two terms on the board of directors for the Academy of Doctors of Audiology. For over 25 years she served as chair of the Audiology Awareness Campaign, leading a national collaborative effort of national audiology organizations to educate the public about the value of hearing care.
Dr. Goodman’s audiology expertise and business savvy have earned her numerous accolades and awards throughout her career, including being honored by publications such as Philadelphia magazine, Main Line Today, and Suburban Life, as well as organizations: The BRAVA CEO Award, Oticon Focus on People Award (first-place winner), and the Phonak Lyric award for the highest renewal rate in the country. She was recognized with the National Audiology Awareness Award for accomplishments in the promotion of audiology and hearing help awareness, presented by the Academy of Doctors of Audiology in October 2022, and recently won a “Legendary Audiologist” award from CQ Partners.
For more information about Main Line Audiology Consultants, including details about its six area locations, visit mainlineaudiology.com.
For more information about Main Line Audiology Consultants, including details about its six area locations, visit mainlineaudiology.com.
Photo by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, May 2023.
