Boomers are starting to regret all those Stones and Hendrix concerts they went to, since a lot of conversations nowadays contain the phrases “What?” or “Say that again.”

Fortunately, there’s a new game in town for those of us who don’t hear as well as we used to. The Colorado West Audiology mobile unit brings testing equipment to you in a nearby location so you no longer have to trek to the office to find out how to correct your hearing.

“We will be able to test patients and also fit them with the appropriate aids directly from the mobile van,” said Hearing Instrument Specialist Kellan Williams. “We’ll be a one-stop hearing shop!”

The mobile unit was designed to offer Grand Valley residents more and better access to hearing services. It's the only mobile service in the valley and began operations in August.

“The unit will spend a full day in Fruita, another in Palisade, and days in different places around the area,” Williams said. “Clients can call to find out times we’ll be near them.”

Williams travels with the unit, along with her colleague, Ken Honda, who became interested in hearing loss when his son, now 22, had speech problems in elementary school and needed tubes inserted in his ears to relieve the pressure and allow him to hear fully, which helped clear up his speech problems. But it wasn’t until his father-in-law needed hearing aids that Honda started exploring the processes involved to become an audiologist.

Following 300 supervised training hours and an apprenticeship, Williams and Honda will become licensed by the state to dispense hearing aids.

The mobile unit is part of Colorado West Audiology, a business that has been helping people hear better for over 30 years. Working in concert with Colorado West Otolaryngologists, the staff at both offices aim to create maximum hearing improvement for clients.

“We function with the ENTs (ear, nose and throat doctors) to test your hearing,” Williams said. “If there’s no medical reason for loss, our practice can fit you with hearing aids.”

If there’s a medical reason, other than age or loss of cilia due to high levels of noise, the ENTs will do the surgical side of hearing improvement, such as implanting a cochlear device in patients with severe hearing loss.

Audiologists will talk with individuals, diagnose the type of loss, and help patients decide what device is best for them.

“We actually fit the device to the type of hearing loss,” Williams said. “We can check and reprogram their present devices at no charge if they purchased them from us. The check alone is free if they bought them from another place. However, there will be a fee for reprograming.”

Insurance may cover the cost.

To schedule a visit from the mobile unit, call 255-3545. For details, visit www.cowestaudiologists.com.