SoundSteps
Our Story — a little brighter every day.
A free gift from Dr. Gary Spanier · Future Ready
Home in Hollywood
My mom lived in Hollywood, Florida — our hometown. She had her own home and her own life. She was happy, and on her own.
The fall
Then she slipped and fell, and broke her hip. Everything changed in one day. After the hospital came rehab — small steps with a walker, one day at a time. She was brave. But she could not live alone anymore. She still walks every Tuesday and Thursday with her rehab specialist.
The search
I did not know the assisted-living world. So I learned it. I visited place after place and asked a lot of questions. I wanted the best one I could find for my mom.
The move
The best one was Sunscape, in Boca Raton. So I moved my mom up to Boca. A new home is a big change — for her, and for me.
Happy at Sunscape
Getting used to a new home takes time. Little by little, Sunscape became her place. She smiles here. She is happy here.
Bingo every day
At Sunscape there is bingo every day — and my mom never misses it. It is her game, her table, her friends.
The new hearing aids
Then came the new hearing aids. They sounded strange. The button was too tiny. The TV gadget never got hooked up. After a month, the aids sat in a drawer. My mom is not the only one — about 1 in 5 people who get hearing aids do not use them.
The practice
So I built SoundSteps: five minutes a day. Soft tones. Friendly words. Sounds that get a tiny bit brighter each day, while your brain learns them. You keep a little log, and you can send it to your own specialist — at any clinic you choose.
Gary and his mom, Carol — the real us.
WHO IS IT FOR?
Anyone with new hearing aids — and the families who love them.
WHAT IS IT FOR?
Practice for your ears, a few minutes a day.
1) WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
New sounds feel strange, and nobody teaches your brain the new sounds — so the aids end up in a drawer.
2) CAN WE FIX IT?
We can't promise. Nobody can. But if you put in a few minutes a day, your chance of success goes up. That is the honest truth.
3) HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Zero. Nothing. SoundSteps is free.
Where we learned this: MarkeTrak hearing-health surveys · NIDCD (National Institutes of Health) · ASHA · Hearing Loss Association of America. SoundSteps is practice, not a hearing test.
Come see Sunscape
This is Sunscape — where my mom lives.
Take the Sunscape tour: sunscapebocaraton.com
Call to book a live tour: 561-680-3600
Tell them Dr. Gary Spanier sent you.
Scan to open SoundSteps — free for everyone.
Scan to get this booklet — read it, share it, print your own.
In honor of my mother — and everyone learning to hear the world again.
A free service from Future Ready · by Dr. Gary Spanier