Ear-tronics owner marks 40 years
When Dr. Robert Hooper started in the hearing field in 1975, hearing aids were clunky, analog, and not very discreet.
Today, they are so computerized, small and fit so well, nobody can tell you have a hearing problem unless you tell them.
That is only a small part of the journey Hooper has taken. From humble beginnings, he has turned his love of hearing into six Ear-tronics locations, including one at Weaver’s Corner in North Fort Myers and another on Hancock Bridge Parkway in Cape Coral.
He also has locations in Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Port Charlotte and Sebring.
Hooper is a lifelong Floridian, raised in the Miami area. He attended Miami for his residency, graduated from Florida State and got his doctorate at the University of Florida.
Hooper came to Southwest Florida and started his career working for other ear, nose and throat doctors. Eventually, he struck out on his own, starting Ear-tronics in 1980.
“We’re unique because we manufacture our own hearing aids and we have a leasing program, which allows affordability of hearing aids, which can cost $6,000 or more,” Hooper said. “We do the repairs and supply the parts and labor on site, and they can change out every four or five years.”
Patients can lease hearing aids for as little as $99 and from $19 to $69 per month, and they come with a 14-day risk-free trial.
Hooper said getting your hearing checked is one of the most important things a person can do. He said a quarter of all people over 65 suffer from significant hearing loss, a number that increases sharply the older you get, and research has found that hearing loss can lead to dementia if untreated.
“They’re three to five times more likely to get dementia. People become isolated, inactive and withdraw from society. They’re not stimulated,” Hooper said. “Depression is another side affect of hearing loss.”
Hooper started his own foundation, the Eartronics Hearing Aid Foundation, many years ago, providing free hearing aids to the indigent.
“There are children who are destitute and don’t have the financial means to afford them, so we donate them outright,” Hooper said.
Hooper, whose son is also an audiologist and works at Ear-tronics, has been able to maintain long-term relationships with his patients, some of whom become like family.
Sherri Owen, a 14-year patient of Hooper’s, now works for him as office manager and said Hooper saved her life.
“I lost my hearing in an accident and I found the leasing program from Dr. Hooper and he saved my life,” Owen said. “I’ve been blessed to be in his company and working for such a fine doctor. He’s out to improve the quality of your life.”
Hooper said he can now sympathize with people who suffer from hearing loss, now that he’s suffered from it himself. He said it has given him more appreciation for what he does.
“It’s nice to affect the people we affect by improving the quality of their lives, and that gives us a lot of satisfaction,” Hooper said.