The Audiology Place

27/05/2026

Finalists AGAIN! 🎉

The Audiology Place is once again a finalist in the Northern Beaches Local Business Awards, this time, no longer a new-new business, but in the Professional Medical Services category. We feel so grown up!

A huge thank you to Dr Signe Steers and Charlen Lavoie for their unwavering focus on amazing patient care, and to the more than 1,500 patients who have trusted us with their hearing health.

We’re so grateful to the Northern Beaches community for welcoming us, supporting us, and believing in our model of truly patient-centred, independent hearing care.

And of course, thank you to everyone who voted for us.

See you at the awards night — fingers crossed for another win! 🤞

The Local Business Awards - Recognising and celebrating the best in Local Businesses

28/04/2026

Exciting news! Signe Steers has been named a finalist in the 2026 Women in Industry Awards, in the new Excellence in Health and Medicine category. Prime Creative Media - Publishing announced the shortlist on Monday.
Eight finalists made it through across the health sector, including Dr Bec Bennett from the National Acoustic Laboratories at Hearing Australia.
For those who only know Signe through the practice, the work outside it is worth mentioning. She lectures in audiology at the University of Sydney, holds an Adjunct Assistant Professor role at A.T. Still University in Arizona (where she helps run the Doctor of Audiology program), and sits on the Independent Audiologists Australia committee.
Winners are announced at Doltone House in Sydney on 18 June. Whatever the outcome on the night, the recognition is well earned.

Leading audiologists Dr Bec Bennett and Dr Signe Steers are finalists in the 2026 Women in Industry Awards.

07/04/2026

We've been nominated for a Northern Beaches Business Award and we'd love your vote.
In just two years, The Audiology Place has cared for over 1,500 patients across Forestville and the Northern Beaches. We're independent, which means no sales quotas, no manufacturer ownership, no pressure to push particular hearing aids. Just honest hearing care.
This year, we expanded, adding another clinic room and welcoming Charlen Lavoie to the team. We're now one of the few diagnostic hearing clinics on the Beaches equipped to treat complex conditions like misophonia, hyperacusis, and auditory processing disorders.
Dr. Signe Steers has been busy beyond the clinic too, speaking at industry events, running the global Audiology course as part of the Doctor of Audiology course at A.T. Still University, and teaching at the University of Sydney.
Our 75 five-star reviews tell the story better than we ever could. Thank you to every patient who took the time to share their experience.
If we've helped you or someone in your family hear better, we'd be grateful if you'd vote for us:
👉 https://thebusinessawards.com.au/78242/the-audiology-place
Takes about 30 seconds. Means a lot.

The Local Business Awards - Recognising and celebrating the best in Local Businesses

31/03/2026

Here we explore a case study of a patient who came in looking for answers. ADD or APD? The pattern his mum described is one we hear often: trouble following instructions (especially when there are several steps), difficulty concentrating when there’s background noise, and appearing not to listen. Sound familiar? These symptoms overlap heavily with ADHD, which is exactly why so many kids get misdiagnosed or diagnosed incompletely.

https://www.theaudiologyplace.com.au/case-study-when-not-paying-attention/

25/03/2026

When your child’s teacher mentions they seem distracted in class, or you find yourself repeating instructions at home, glue ear might be the last thing on your mind. Yet this common childhood condition affects approximately 80% of children at least once before school age, making it one of the most frequent reasons parents bring their children to see an audiologist or GP.

When your child's teacher mentions they seem distracted in class, or you find yourself repeating instructions at home, glue ear might be the last thing on your mind. Yet this common childhood condition affects approximately 80% of children at least once before school age, making it one of the most f...

08/03/2026

International Women’s Day 2026 — Give To Gain

This year's International Women's Day theme is “Give To Gain.”

The idea is simple but powerful: when we give our time, knowledge, support, mentorship, and opportunities, we don’t lose anything. We multiply it.

At The Audiology Place, this message resonates deeply.

Audiology has long been a profession shaped by extraordinary women: Audiologists, researchers, educators, and leaders who have dedicated their careers to helping others reconnect with the world through hearing. Every day, we see how generosity, sharing expertise, supporting families, mentoring colleagues, and advocating for patients creates ripples that extend far beyond the clinic.

When we give our attention, we gain understanding.
When we give our knowledge, we gain stronger communities.
When we support women in healthcare and science, we all gain.

Starting The Audiology Place has been built on exactly this spirit — collaboration, encouragement, and a willingness to step forward and support each other along the way.

Today, we celebrate the women who lead, care, research, teach, and advocate across healthcare, and especially those working to improve hearing health for families and communities.

Because when women thrive, we all hear the difference.

Happy International Women’s Day.

08/03/2026

Vox populi quos audimus; the voice of the people… if we’re actually prepared to listen.

Soon, we’ll be doing a bit more listening to the public out in the wild. I recently picked up some rather excellent gear to do some street vox pops, stopping people for quick chats about hearing, life, and the strange things our ears (don’t) pick up.

But something rather funny happened at the recent Widex Allure launch night.

I somehow managed to win a DJI Mobile 8 and a DJI Mic Mini.

With Rob’s “gentle but constant” encouragement ringing in my ears, and my name suddenly being called out for the prize, it did feel a little like the universe was turning up the volume on a particular message.

Perhaps it’s time to step just a little further outside my comfort zone.

Starting The Audiology Place 18 months ago has already involved a lot of that, new conversations, new challenges, and a lot of listening in every sense of the word.

So maybe this is the next step.

Maybe it’s time to start sharing a little more about the surprisingly fascinating world of audiology, the science, the stories, and the human side of hearing.

I can’t promise polished broadcasting.

But I can promise a few conversations, a few vox pops, and possibly the occasional selfie along the way.

After all, when your job is helping people hear better… it probably helps to start by hearing people first.

03/03/2026

For World Hearing Day, let's talk about trust.
Our survey asked Australians: who do you trust for advice about hearing problems?
The results:

53.8% trust audiologists COMPLETELY
88.7% trust audiologists at least somewhat
Only 9.7% trust large retail chains completely
38.2% are neutral about or actively distrust retail chains

Why the gap?
We think it comes down to what happens in the consultation room. When you see an audiologist, the focus is on your hearing. Not a sales target. Not a manufacturer relationship. Just: what's going on with your ears, and what are your options?
That independence matters. Patients can feel when they're being assessed rather than being sold to.

This national survey was conducted in January 2026 to understand Australian attitudes toward hearing services, hearing aids, and healthcare providers. The research provides actionable insights for hearing service providers seeking to understand consumer behaviour, trust dynamics, and barriers to the...

01/03/2026

From our survey, a finding that might change how you think about hearing aid stigma:
When we asked what might keep people from getting a hearing aid even if they needed one, "not wanting to feel old" was a common answer.
But here's the twist: the fear of feeling old decreases with actual age.

52% of under-30s worry about this
33% of 31-40 year olds
Only 16% of over-70s

The pattern holds for appearance concerns too. 38% of under-30s cited "how they look" as a barrier. Among over-60s? About 20%.
There's a lesson here. The people who've actually faced hearing changes and dealt with them aren't the ones carrying the stigma. They've moved past it.
The stigma lives in the minds of people who've never had to confront the reality. It's fear of the unknown, not experience of the actual. https://www.theaudiologyplace.com.au/2026-hearing-services-survey/

28/02/2026

You'd see a dentist for a toothache. You'd get your eyes tested if your vision changed.

But what about your hearing?

Our new research shows nearly half of Australians did nothing about their hearing health last year — even though 1 in 6 of us will experience hearing loss.

Why the gap?

Cost is the #1 barrier (56% cite it)
Fear of "feeling old" holds people back — especially younger Australians
Most people don't know who owns their hearing clinic

The surprising part? We trust audiologists more than almost any other health source. We're just not seeing them.

This World Hearing Day, we're asking: should hearing checks be as routine as dental cleans?

We think so.

https://www.theaudiologyplace.com.au/2026-hearing-services-survey/

This national survey was conducted in January 2026 to understand Australian attitudes toward hearing services, hearing aids, and healthcare providers. The research provides actionable insights for hearing service providers seeking to understand consumer behaviour, trust dynamics, and barriers to the...