I have been a patient of Dr. Kathleen Weidner and have been served by the staff of Southwestern Ear, Nose & Throat for over ten years. Visiting the clinic is always a positive experience. I am always treated with respect, patience and good humor and always receive the most professional service. Dr. Weidner is not only highly trained and experienced, her top priority is to ensure that each patient is given the level of careful attention needed to ensure the best results from the aids selected by the patient. It is increasingly rare in health care these days to find a professional so dedicated to delivering maximum patient satisfaction. Eight years ago I left Santa Fe, after having lived there for 19 years, to retire in Mexico. Because of the excellent service provided by Dr. Weidner and her staff and the excellent results that I continue to enjoy from the hearing aids provided by them, I return to Santa Fe each year specifically to have these top professionals examine my hearing and recondition or upgrade my hearing aids.
I really do miss your practice and professionalism. You were always so pleasant to deal with and very effective in what you are doing. Personally, I am doing well with my hearing – seems to be even improved since first using the aids
SWENT doc zeroed right in on tests to do for my vertigo and Katie spent the whole afternoon with me to determine what my problem is. I’ll have the results and a plan just for me in no time! At last!
Professional, Experienced, Caring… This is how I would describe Dr. Weidner and her staff. I am relatively new to the world of audio enhancement and want to share my enthusiasm for this group. My long experience as a veterinary practitioner and manager, coupled with subsequent years of being a management consultant in the medical field, has given me the tools to assess the capabilities and effectiveness of a practice. Dr. Weidner is an extremely professional and experienced practitioner who runs a very efficient and effective practice. However, what really makes it work so well are her great interpersonal skills. No doubt the proximity to, and association with, Southwestern Ear, Nose & Throat gives her practice additional credibility and provides a convenience to her patients. Dr. Weidner and her very capable staff have made this personal transition very satisfying, pleasant and effective.
Hearing is a gift we take for granted. Hearing sounds I have been missing (which I had no realization that I was missing) is a gift I will keep forever. I went to Southwestern Ear, Nose & Throat (SWENT) at the request of my wife – who insisted I had a hearing problem. The TV was too loud, I would lose interest in conversations and tune people out, I would not respond when spoken to and sometimes came off as rude or aloof. My biggest issue was I WAS VERY LOUD – especially at work – when on the phone. I was in total DENIAL. In order to please my wife, I had my hearing test done at SWENT. The result was I had hearing loss. Dr Thomason explained to me that my hearing was “normal for my age” and that most people my age (63) had no idea they experienced loss to a degree that hearing aids would be of benefit. I took the plunge (to please my wife) and, on the advice of Dr Weidner, got the top of the line Phonak Hearing aids – which I choose to call HEDs or Hearing Enhancement Devices! WOW…….I had no idea how it would change my life. I hear things I have not heard before, perhaps for 10-15 years. I can hear the birds on the golf course, the jingle of my dogs’ tags and the change in my pocket. I can watch TV and I do not have to use closed caption. I am talking to people without shouting. I am more attentive to what people are saying because I can hear them clearly. Music never sounded better and on the golf course I am hearing the birds that I never heard before. My family and friends are amazed at the difference in my conversation and attentiveness. Dr Kathleen Weidner and her team are remarkable. The attention to my hearing comfort, answering all of my questions, the follow up, the adjustments were more than I would have expected. Dr Almquist-Audiologist, Diane Kean-Patient Care Coordinator, and Jennifer Sandoval, Audiology Technician all treated me as if I was the most important patient of the day. What an amazing team and best of all my HEDs have opened up a world of possibilities. The only regret I have is not doing it sooner. Unless I tell someone that the HEDs are in, they cannot be seen. Thank you, Dr. Tom, for encouraging me to take the leap. Thank you Dr. Weidner and your entire team for making this life changing experience so seamless. I would be happy to speak to anyone who may be in denial and might be on the fence of the enormous benefits that the Phonak Hearing Enhancement Devices offer.
Hearing loss is never a pleasant experience. My care at SWENT has always been wonderful. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Dr. Kathleen Weidner has been great – professional, courteous and even humorous when appropriate (which is nearly always!). I highly recommend Audiology and ENT care at SWENT. I continue to see them regularly and the care remains of highest quality.
Four years ago while air traveling in a thirty hour flight, I developed a severe ear infection. Although the attending physician in Tierra Amarilla, NM prescribed medication to eliminate the infection, the medication was not effective. Consequently, the physician referred me to an ear, nose and throat specialist, Dr. Thomas Thomason, at Southwestern Ear, Nose & Throat (SWENT) Associates for diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Thomas Thomason responded to the referral and his diagnosis was quick and accurate. He prescribed medications that took effect immediately. In addition, his assessment of my hearing loss in both ears was accurate and required immediate attention by an audiologist. Fortunately, SWENT has an attending audiology department. Dr. Kathleen Weidner has responsibility for this department. Further testing conducted by an audiologist technician confirmed that I was losing my hearing in both ears. Recent studies of patients 50 years old and older show hearing loss is a common dilemma. Dr. Weidner has been monitoring my hearing loss and adjusting the volume of my hearing aids for the last four years. Under her supervision, I am capable of hearing and can distinguish sounds. Complaints concerning my hearing aids or ears are immediately responded to and resolved by Dr. Weidner and/or her staff. The specialized service provided by SWENT medical center staff is vital to an aging population suffering from hearing loss. The staff is professional in their specific areas of service. Dr. Weidner discovered a growth in my right ear. Once again I was referred to Dr. Thompson for the removal of the growth which had developed. After surgery, my hearing improved from poor to good. I am pleased to be a patient of SWENT; they have staff that works together as a team.
My experience with Dr. Kathleen W. is great. She has helped me choose the best hearing aid for me & for my husband. Adjustments are made quickly and their dehumidifier is just 2 minutes. The entire staff has been extremely helpful and fun.
For well over a decade I have been going to Southwestern Ear, Nose & Throat for maintenance on my hearing aids, for scheduled check-ups and for buying new equipment. Everyone there, from interns to the Director, has been extremely helpful, both as professionals in audiology and in their personal attention given to patients. I give them the highest marks for patience and exceedingly accommodating manners. The fine and open sense of humor that floats around lends an appropriately pleasant note to an efficient office… This is the only medical office I truly enjoy!
I am happy to say that whenever I have come to the Southwest Hearing Care Center I have been treated cordially and with good humor. Everyone has always been attentive and kind. Now that I am considering a hearing aid, I feel confident I will receive the same great care and consideration. I felt tender when I saw one of the doctors going around telling others he was going to Los Alamos tomorrow and speaking with receptionists, technicians, assistants (I don’t really know their positions) and commenting with each of them with a joke or a friendly smile. That feeling permeates throughout the office and makes me feel good to be there. That is the sign of comaraderie (sic), but, also professionalism, that people can rely on each other.
Kathleen Weidner has been helping me with hearing aids for the past 10 years. My family and friends are as grateful as I am. I no longer struggle to hear and turn up the volume or keep asking for repeats. Now if someone doesn’t answer me, they have the hearing problem; mine’s taken care of. My aids have been comfortable from the beginning, and, as technology has improved, I have upgraded and enjoyed the advances.
Six years ago I starting wearing hearing aids. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. Hearing aids took my “muffled” world and “opened it up”. What a wonderful thing! But it can get even better. I just replaced my old hearing aids with the new ones with the latest technology. I am even more pleased! The fact that they “talk” to each other, let me hear the telephone in both ears, and can easily be turned up and down for the situation gives me even better hearing capabilities! I know they technically do much more, but the details aren’t so important. What is so important to me, is that I hear so much better. Dr. Weidner is a skilled professional that goes to the extreme to make sure you have the best equipment for your individuals needs. My situation was more complicated I think than others, but I was helped, helped and then helped some more until Dr. Weidner found exactly what I needed and it worked! I received amazing care. She and her staff are efficient, caring and so pleasant! My experience over the years has been only positive. Thank you for improving my life!