Mount Pleasant Magazine 6.3

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Dr. Casey
Adkins
Dr. Casey adkins was happy
to trade in cold, wet winters for the
sunshine and warm temperatures prev-
alent in the Lowcountry, but there’s a
more important reason she left Indiana
for South Carolina – the opportunity
to work in an audiology practice that is more about health
care than retail.
Dr. Adkins, a native of Wood-
ford County, Kentucky, moved to the Lowcountry in June
2015 to join Dr. Mary Anne Larkin at Advanced Hearing
Care in Mount Pleasant. A graduate of the University of
Kentucky, she earned her Doctor of Audiology degree at
Purdue University in Indiana.
“I was tired of the cold. I had to chip the ice off my
windshield every morning,” she commented. “The Charles-
ton area has been a welcome change in my life. Every
person I’ve met is open and welcoming. It’s a close-knit
community, and there’s lots of things going on, such as
farmers markets and oyster roasts.”
As much as she enjoys the weather and the Southern
hospitality, Dr. Adkins is more appreciative of the chance to
build a patient base and help her patients make the most of
their hearing.
“The most important thing we do here is reconnect peo-
ple to what’s most important in their lives. It’s different for
everyone,” she explained. “For some it might be morning
meetings at work, while for others it’s hearing their grand-
kids or feeling involved at a party or a noisy restaurant.”
Dr. Adkins cited several ways she and Dr. Larkin help
their patients hear better. They offer hearing devices, of
course, but patients and their family members also can par-
ticipate in an active listening training class. Physical therapy
for the ears and brain – basically teaching people how to
be better listeners – also is available two or three times a
month at the Advanced Hearing Care office on Johnnie
Dodds Boulevard.
“We do whatever we can to improve the overall quality
of our patients’ lives,” Dr. Adkins said. “One of the reasons
I came to Advanced Hearing Care was because of the full-
spectrum program Dr. Larkin has built. It’s important for
people to have realistic expectations. Nothing is going to
restore their hearing to normal, but we can work together
to build a customized treatment program to optimize their
hearing and communication abilities.”
Advanced Hearing Care maintains its longtime connec-
tion to the community by holding free educational semi-
nars on hearing at senior facilities such as Sandpiper Village
and The Palms of Mount Pleasant. Drs. Larkin and Adkins
also offer free hearing screenings to residents and to any
other adult member of the community.
Dr. Adkins pointed out that loud noise can affect a
person’s hearing, adding that smoking, cardiovascular issues
and diabetes also can affect your ability to hear. She said
changes in hearing sometimes indicate that there are other
health issues. For example, after testing a patient’s hearing,
she sensed that something wasn’t quite right, especially con-
sidering that the patient’s father was just a year older when
he died of a heart attack. She called his cardiologist, who
soon discovered the man’s heart blockage.
“Your ears are definitely a window into other things
going on in your body,” Dr. Adkins said. “That’s another
reason why you should see a Doctor of Audiology.”
Dr. Adkins lives on Johns Island with her fiancé, Seth,
and Ollie, their boxer mix. Her October wedding is sched-
uled for the Charleston Tea Plantation.
Advanced Hearing Care
900 Johnnie Dodds Blvd.
Mount Pleasant
843-606-5658
Photo courtesy of Dr. Casey Adkins.
By BrIan SherMan