A Visit With Us

Mission

Idealics, The Hearing Place, began in 2003 in Great Falls, Montana. Our mission is to offer the latest technology, with old fashioned care. Our commitment to the best technology means that we keep abreast of the latest research and bring to you the highest quality hearing aids for the money. The purchase of a hearing aid is a big decision. We ensure that you always will have our time for service as you wear those hearing aids over many years. It is a truly our pleasure to help people hear better!

Who We Are

Pat Fournier, the President of The Hearing Place, has been a hearing aid practitioner since 1988. He has fit thousands of people with hearing instruments over the past 20 years, and he is sincerely inspired by his clientele. He has BC-HIS Board Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences and is a member of the Acoustical Society of America. He has been President of the Montana Hearing Society for the past 6 years, and he is very active at the state level in certification issues, to protect consumers and validate practitioners. He has a wife and three children and lives in Great Falls. In his spare time, he enjoys Angels baseball games and lots of fishing the rivers around the state.

Mike Michel started in the hearing aid business in 1977 in Olympia, Washington.  During the 18 years he operated that office he served as President of the Washington Hearing Aid Society, served on the Board of Directors of the Tri-State Convention, and taught Hearing Aid Technology at Bates Technical College in Tacoma, WA.  He also studied Tinnitus at the Kresge Labs. in Portland, OR.  In 1991 he was appointed by Washington Governor Booth Gardiner to the Washington Council of Hearing Aids. In 1995 Mike  sold his Olympia office and “retired”.  He was called to work in several offices around Washington until he had a family need in Montana.  He became a licensed Hearing Aid Specialists in Montana and has been serving the public in that capacity for the last 4 years. He was just appointed by Governor Schweitzer to fill a vacancy on the Montana Board of Hearing Aid Dispensers. Mike is single, and has a significant other, enjoys hunting and fishing as well as dancing at the Elks, Eagles, Moose and wherever there is good music.  He is a member of the “Older Generation”.

Sue Sherman, born and raised in Montana, is the Office Manager for the Hearing Place. She has worked in the service industry for over 20 years, which included managing and owning her own restaurant. However, Sue has truly found her niche in serving the hearing impaired population. She is invaluable to The Hearing Place, with her commitment to customers, knowledge of the products, and her ability to keep customers up to date with mailings and newsletters. Sue is currently studying for her license to dispense hearing aids. Being a Montana native, Sue naturally enjoys the out-of-doors, especially camping and fishing. She has two grown sons and three grandchildren.

Location

The Hearing Place is conveniently located on the 10th Avenue South thoroughfare in Great Falls, Montana. Our office is in The Evergreen Mall, across from the Holiday Village Mall, where there is easy access and ample free parking.

Your First Visit

Looking into hearing aids can be a daunting procedure, often because people are buying hearing aids for the first time and do not know what to expect. At the Hearing Place, we aim to make it an easy, friendly, and interesting process.

When you call in to inquire about hearing aids, we first like to find out if you are looking for yourself or a family member. It’s helpful for us to learn what you are looking for and the reason for a visit to our office. When we know your needs, our main goal is to conscientiously meet your expectations and fulfill your hearing needs.

We like to find out how you heard about us. A friend may have referred you to us, or you may have watched our The Hearing Place Show. We also have Service Centers in communities across the eastern part of Montana, including Shelby, Cut Bank, Conrad, Chinook, Fort Benton, Lewistown, Havre, Chester, Scobey and Glasgow. This means we come to you to make it even easier to get regular service and the attention you deserve. It also gives us a chance to meet potential clients and their families. We do receive many referrals, but our The Hearing Place Show, Service Centers, and newsletters help spread the word about our practice, too.

Click Here for a Video Tour of The Hearing Place

Hearing Evaluation

A hearing exam at The Hearing Place is a comprehensive exam that typically takes one to two hours. We start out with a basic word test, to see how you hear the various high and low sounds. We will go over exactly what is happening during your hearing test. You will see a graph of your hearing, called an audiogram, and you will see which of the hearing aid models fits best for your prescription. You will be able to try on a few hearing aids to check out the feel in your ear, as well as how the different hearing aids sound to you. No hearing aid is going to be exactly like your original hearing, but it is helpful to have a person along who you hear often and would like to hear through a hearing aid. After we have helped you choose the right hearing aid for you, we do a final word test to check your improvement with the hearing instrument.

Click here for a video on the hearing exam.