Proudly serving residents of The Santa Cruz area
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Proudly serving residents of The Santa Cruz area
Rob Farland’s career has been dedicated to music. He has had a successful career working with some of the world’s best known and most famous musicians to put on shows and share their brilliance including the likes of Eric Clapton, Santana, and others. He now helps others to develop their music careers as a vocal coach.
His first memory of experiencing a hearing challenge takes him back to school in the 1950s when he was told to write on the board “I will not ask stupid questions” hundreds of times after missing things in class.
Shortly after this, another teacher made the realization that he had a hearing challenge by whispering in both his ears, to which he replied, “Are you going to whisper?” after she had whispered in his right ear.
What followed was many doctors, audiologists, and many different variations of hearing amplification.
But throughout visiting multiple professionals, one person stood out and that was Manny Ocano. The key thing that stood out in Rob’s words was, “He never settled for good, he was always looking to get me better results.”
This meant that when Rob learned that Manny had launched “Hear with Manny” to bring ultimate hearing care convenience as part of his competitive “All Ears Club” – Rob was eager to explore how he could further develop his professional relationship with Manny.
This resulted in Rob being fitted with the latest in hearing technology from global manufacturer ReSound, which Rob described as “game changing.”
He shared how he had recently found himself in tears watching A Star is Born when he heard the music in a different way than he had ever heard before, due to his new hearing technology.
With a career in music, the realization of what he had been missing has made him fall in love with music all over again.
When asked if he would recommend Manny, Rob said, “I would recommend him to everybody. If you want somebody that truly cares about you, your life, and doesn’t stop until you get the best possible result, then go to Manny.”
For Melissa Stockton, 55, every workday is an adventure.
With 32 years’ teaching experience and the last 22 years running a small charter school, she’s witnessed how their hands-on curriculum provides students with plenty of opportunities to physically challenge themselves.
“We do a lot of work in the field. So we climb Half Dome, we go snorkeling in Catalina Island, and we go kayaking all over the central coast,” she explains enthusiastically.
During her career, Melissa has taught a number of students with a hearing loss. While she was initially concerned about how they’d manage the often rigorous activities, she’s been inspired by her students’ positive attitudes when confronting her own hearing issues.
She says, “They have taught me how important it is to have as good a hearing device as you possibly can, so you miss less. People say a disability is only disabling if you let it be. And I have learned from my students that is certainly true.”
Melissa’s hearing had slowly deteriorated over the years, following an accident from her youth. However, while she knew something was wrong, she didn’t immediately pinpoint it to hearing loss. It wasn’t until her husband commented on her “selective hearing” that she decided to seek help from Manny Ocano.
A close neighborhood acquaintance, Manny was establishing himself in the hearing care profession just as Melissa’s hearing issues became a challenge. She soon discovered she had a hearing loss in her left ear.
“If I would be lying in bed and the ear that could hear was down on the pillow, I couldn’t hear him [my husband]. And if the other ear was up, I could hear him,” she recalls.
Her experience with Manny has been nothing but positive, and together they’ve witnessed hearing technology advance during the last two decades.
“He’s kind and knowledgeable, and he really takes his time with you. As hearing aids have progressed, the sound quality has gotten better and better. One of the things that I think Manny is really good at is dialing in the technology so that it fits your hearing loss, and he’s patient and he’ll go back and whatever your need is, he will address that.
“Whereas someone in Costco is going to say, ‘Okay, here’s what your hearing loss is, and here are your hearing aids.’ What you get is what you get. So what little cost savings you may have gotten by going to Costco is not a cost savings if you don’t use them.”
Manny’s concierge and remote services are greatly appreciated by Melissa, especially with a world pandemic underway. She says, “Obviously in COVID times, it takes away that underlying fear that we have every time we go into a grocery store, or I do anyway.
“And then also, my mom who had hearing aids, she’s passed on, but she would have been perfect for Manny, both because of his demeanor and because she just wasn’t mobile any more. She just couldn’t make that journey, so it wouldn’t happen. So it opens up the possibility for people who aren’t mobile anymore, or just it’s more convenient.”
Hearing technology has made a big difference to Melissa’s life and she would encourage anyone to visit Manny.
“My family, it drives them crazy that I can’t hear, so my family is particularly happy that I now can hear much better.”
She concludes, “If you’re a person where the people in your life, your family members, or the people you work with are complaining or noticing that you can’t hear well or you miss things, or you know you’re missing things, you deserve to get as best as you possibly can.”
If you are concerned about your hearing, have a question, or would like to understand whether the “All Ears Club”’ is right for you, then you can request a no-obligation callback by completing this form.
When I am available between appointments, I will call you for a friendly discussion to answer your questions and offer my advice.
There is no such thing as a silly question. I’m here to help.