Kellie Tankersley's business motto is “Serving one patient at a time.”

“I truly enjoy helping people — that's my main thing,” said Tankersley, a licensed hearing aid specialist. “I care about people; I want to help them be able to hear better.”

She said her family-owned business — Hearing Aid Service by Kellie which opened last week at 220 N. Main St. — cares about patients and offers one-on-one personalization of a person's hearing.

Hearing loss is the third most prevalent health condition in older adults, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. About 20 percent, or 48 million Americans, have hearing loss, and about 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from using hearing aids.

Hearing loss can be debilitating, Tankersley said.

“It's almost like you're in a bubble ... They feel isolated, depressed; there's so much to hearing loss,” she said.

The pricing of hearing aids can be expensive, and on average ranges from $7,000 to $9,000, said Tankersley, who has practiced since 2010.

When she moved out of the private practice she was with four years ago, she practiced out of her home in Karns City.

Tankersley, who is originally from Georgia, and her husband have a 10-month-old daughter, who is the “baby boss” and the business' “future doctor,” she said.

Butler has become home to her permanent practice, she said, adding that her mission is to be half the cost of her competitors.

The business can service any brand of hearing aid and carries all major-brand manufacturers, including, Widex, Phonak, Unitron and Starkey.

“Hearing aids do not restore natural hearing, unfortunately, but they can help you hear better,” she said. “There's not a one-size-fits-all hearing aid. I tailor it to them and customize their hearing loss with the type of technology they need.”

Tankersley specializes in severe to profound hearing loss, she said.

Another of her specialties is CROS, or Contralateral Routing Of Signals hearing aids, a type that is used to treat a condition in which a patient has no usable hearing in one ear and minimal hearing loss or normal hearing in the other ear. This is referred to as Single-Sided Deafness.

Tankersley offers real ear measurement, the measurement of sound pressure level in a patient's ear canal developed when a hearing aid is worn, which is unique to her practice, she said.

Hearing tests are complimentary, she said. Tankersley also offers clients in-home visits.

The only side effect of her product, she said, is better hearing.

Technology has changed hearing aids greatly. Thirty years ago, the volume of a hearing aid could be turned up and down, she said. Now, hearing aids have wireless capabilities, are rechargeable and can be connected to a smart phone through Bluetooth and stream a person's television and phone calls.

Everyone is at risk for hearing loss, she said, adding it can be noise induced. Age, medications, chemotherapy, radiation and genetics are other factors that can contribute to hearing loss.

“You don't have to be old to have hearing loss,” she said.

Normally, a spouse or loved one tells a person to get their hearing checked or the person cannot hear them as well as they used to, she said. “Hearing loss is such a slow progression,” she said. “On average, it's seven to 10 years before someone comes to see me.”

Hearing should be checked yearly, similar to how a person would get a physical or check their eyesight, she said.

The 1,000-square-foot space includes a military-themed room because Tankersley's husband served for 20 years, she said. Tracey Strnisha, Tankersley's assistant, plans to paint a mural in the room. “Kellie is full of life,” said Strnisha, adding that she treats the patients like family.

Tankersley said she is excited to touch more people's lives now that she has a permanent location.

“When you put a hearing aid in someone's ear and they can hear they're like, 'Oh my gosh,'” she said. “It's truly amazing how that happens. It's a wonderful feeling; it's priceless.”

Because hearing is an invisible sense, it can be difficult to identify the appearance of hearing loss. Common signs of hearing loss include:Asking people to repeat themselvesHaving trouble hearing in groupsThinking that others mumble during conversationFailing to hear someone speaking to you from behindTurning up the volume on your TV or radioHaving difficulty communicating on the phoneAvoiding noisy parties and restaurantsCutting out activities from your schedule that you used to enjoySOURCE: The Hearing Loss Association of America

HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; after-hours and in-home appointments can be scheduled upon requestLOCATION: 220 N. Main St., Suite B, next to Dunkin' DonutsSERVICES: Hearing testing, hearing aid fittings/programming, tinnitus management, hearing aid maintenance, custom hearing protection, assistive listening devices and moreAPPOINTMENTS: To schedule an appointment, email HearingAidsbyKellie@gmail.com or call 724-756-4327.FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit hearingaidservicebykellie.com or facebook.com/hearingaidservicebykellie