Okie Allen talks about 65 years helping people with hearing in Eau Claire – June 17 2024
EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) – Beltone has been around Eau Claire for nearly 65 years — and one man has been there since the beginning — helping the hearing impaired.
Okie Allen started his career with Beltone in 1960, when his parents first opened a shop in downtown Eau Claire. Since then, he’s seen great change in the field, whether it’s technology, screening or how treating hearing loss improves overall health.
When Allen started, hearing aids were analog, used large battery packs, adjusted with screwdrivers and had major feedback issues.
Now, things are different.
“That’s what makes my job so fun, it’s why I’m here so long, being able to change people’s lives,” Allen said. “I have seen instant, huge differences in people where they went from being completely withdrawn to, ‘Wow, you’re talking to me and I can actually hear you.'”
The hearing aids of today are much smaller and don’t fill the entirety of an ear canal, so users can still hear other frequencies at a normal volume.
They’re also rechargeable and use Bluetooth technology, which means they can connect to televisions and phones can be used as remotes that adjust how sound is amplified.
The digital adjustments also mean different presets can be programmed for enjoying a hike or watching a football game.