Aug 2, 2022
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Lori Lovato MA, FAAA, Audiologist
Introducing Erika Best-Kay, Our New Tinnitus Expert
Highline Audiology & Hearing Aids has been in Burien since 2001 with the mantra of providing gold-standard hearing healthcare. Part of how we do this is by only adding people to our team we know will treat our patients with excellence and compassion.
We’ve seen far too many patients suffer with tinnitus, so when we met Erika Best-Kay and heard her story of how she came to be a tinnitus expert, we knew we needed her on board.
A Citizen of the World
Dr. Best-Kay has Uruguayan parents and has had the good fortune of living in and attending school in both Uruguay and Miami. As her mom says, her family members are citizens of the world.
After graduating from Louisiana State University, New Orleans, Dr. Best-Kay did her practicum in Seattle and then stayed because she loved it so much up here.
She Knew She Was Supposed to Become an Audiologist
While studying American Sign Language, Dr. Best-Kay thought speech language pathology might be the right career path for her, but it was on her first day of taking Intro to Audiology — one of the classes for that coursework — that she knew she was supposed to become an audiologist.
Once graduated with her doctorate in audiology, Dr. Best-Kay worked for a hearing aid manufacturer as a programming expert. With ten states in her designated work territory, she helped audiologists who were having difficulties programming or reprogramming patients’ hearing aids.
Dr. Best-Kay then worked at a practice that changed their focus to tinnitus management because of the huge need for specialized tinnitus care. That’s when Dr. Best-Kay began the certification process to earn her certificate in tinnitus management (CH-TM), which she received last year.
Dr. Best-Kay says, “I love that I can help people with technology. Tinnitus management has a little bit of computers, a little bit of math, and a lot of counseling.”
Tinnitus Treatment in Washington State
Highline Audiology & Hearing Aids is only one of few audiology clinics in Washington State that offers tinnitus treatment from certified tinnitus professionals.
On some days, Dr. Best-Kay has people driving four or five hours to come see her, and the success stories can be inspiring.
One woman whose father had debilitating tinnitus drove for hours for the initial testing, and then a second time for the fitting, so he could get some relief. They followed up with remote care, counseling, and programming as well. Once he was fit with his combination devices his tinnitus went away instantly, and he had suffered for more than a decade.
Dr. Best-Kay says a lot of her patients cry. They claim it doesn’t really bother them much, only to bawl when they find relief. They don’t realize how much it was bothering them until Dr. Best-Kay is able to reduce or turn it off.
This is the kind of hearing care we love to give our patients at Highline.
Schedule an Appointment with Erika Best-Kay for Tinnitus Relief
If you or a loved one has tinnitus, book an appointment with Dr. Best-Kay and she will come up with a tinnitus management plan that can help.
We are delighted to be able to offer this treatment at Highline, and we hope to see that many find relief from the frustration and worry of tinnitus because of this service.
Lori Lovato MA, FAAA, Audiologist
Lori is a lifelong resident of the Tri-Cities. She and her husband Anthony are proud to be raising their family here. She attended Washington State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing sciences and her master’s degree in audiology. Lori began practicing audiology in the Tri-Cities in 1993. During this time, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including private practice and ear, nose, and throat physicians’ offices. She has spent her career focused on assisting those with hearing difficulties through the use of hearing aids, listening strategies, assistive devices, and counseling. She is experienced in working with both adult and pediatric patients. It is important to Lori to develop close relationships with each and every patient, as she helps them develop better communication strategies to live a fuller life.
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