Welcome to the Audiology Clinic at Racker
Providing comprehensive hearing services for everyone in the Ithaca area for over 25 years.
Monica Brace Van Houten, Au.D.
Why Choose the Racker Audiology Clinic?
We build relationships and change lives.
It can be difficult to admit that you have hearing loss and need help, but the benefits are considerable. With hearing aids, you can hear and understand the people around you better than you have in years, and you may find yourself feeling more confidently involved in conversations and activities. Modern hearing aid technology is incredibly sophisticated and there are some amazing ways we can help you experience a better quality of life.
You may not realize how much you’re missing or even how withdrawn you may be from your family and friends. Hearing aids can improve your quality of life by giving you back the freedom to experience the world around you. Visit us at the Racker Audiology Clinic so we can show you the difference better hearing can make in your life.
Trust is an important part of the relationship between audiologist and patient. You deserve to know that you’re placing your hearing health in the hands of someone with superior training and expertise who will take excellent care of you. We have a solid reputation in our community because we’ve been helping people in Ithaca and the surrounding area with their hearing health for over 20 years. We will always listen to you, so we can fully understand your needs, and concerns, and goals. We will make recommendations, but we let you decide what to do about your own hearing loss.
What to Expect at Your Consultation
No two patients are alike. We personalize our hearing healthcare to your individual needs. We work with people of all ages and abilities and are able to determine what’s best based on their hearing needs. We have a single audiologist on staff, so you’ll have the benefit of continuity of care.
Our office is comfortable, professional, and modern. With just a few employees, you’ll see the same people every time you visit us. Our Clinic Coordinator handles scheduling, and will walk you through filling out your new patient paperwork.
1. Our audiologist will discuss your hearing goals, and involve you in every step of your hearing healthcare visit.
2. You will receive a complete hearing evaluation, which includes a series of tests to help us get the full picture of your hearing loss and make appropriate recommendations.
3. If we determine you’re a good candidate for hearing aids, and you want to move forward with a trial period, we’ll go over your options. Then we will schedule a fitting appointment.
Reviews
"Always looking for the best way to help their clients"
★★★★★ · Christine Lance · 43 months ago
"I was impressed at how careful the staff had provided the office against covid. I was also pleased that was wait time not much at all. The staff was very friendly. Yeah the audiologist explained the hearing test and the results were discussed with me in layman's terms I was very pleased with this place"
★★★★★ · Kay Scutt · 52 months ago
"Very kind and helpful"
★★★★★ · Carmen M Mendez · 54 months ago
"They always pleasant and helpful."
★★★★★ · Charles Brown · 70 months ago
"Was amazed at the caring and understanding of the staff.... And so happy with my new hearing aids..."
★★★★★ · Dru Hill · 79 months ago
"Love these people that work here they really take care of you"
★★★★★ · Lissa Seymour · 82 months ago
"Professional, efficient, friendly. Glad I got hearing aids there."
★★★★★ · Teresa Tyrrell · 84 months ago
Powered by CQ Reviews
I would absolutely recommend Rackers’ Audiology Clinic to anyone in need of such services. "
The Racker Center’s first priority is making sure you get a hearing device that serves your needs and fits your budget. I recommend them without reservation.”
However, as time passed, I found my hearing loss was getting worse, so Dr. Brace recommended using the ConnectLine system which Oticon has developed to provide additional hearing assistance. Using this system has made a wonderful improvement for me. I now have a microphone which my wife or a guest can wear at dinner in a noisy restaurant or a teacher can wear in a class I’m attending. By my turning off the hearing aid microphones and listening to the speech of the person using the microphone, I can actually hear and converse very well with the person in a poor sound environment. Their speech is clear and intelligible. It’s the same with the TV device; I can turn off the background sound coming from the TV and clearly listen to the audio that’s streamed into my hearing aids.
Finally, with my iPhone®, I can now speak with people and understand them without difficulty. The ConnectLine system enables my hearing aids to work better than ever. I feel very fortunate to have had Dr. Brace and Oticon assisting me to get the most benefit from my Oticon hearing aids and dramatically improve my quality of life.”
Communication with my wife had become increasingly frustrating and difficult. I couldn't understand most of what my grandchildren were saying much of the time. The day I left the audiology clinic at Racker, I rejoined the human race. One of the first things I heard was a dreadful clicking in my car as I started for home with my brand new hearing aids. I thought something was terribly wrong until I realized I was hearing a turn signal for the first time in years. When I got home, the real fun started. I could hear the tea kettle; I could hear my wife talk; I could hear the dog bark—all at the same time! It was absolutely intoxicating. Soon, I found my music improving because I didn't have to sing so loud just to hear myself, and people started asking me if I had been taking singing lessons. My sax tone improved because all of a sudden I could hear overtones and harmonics that just didn't exist for me before.”