Pee Dee Speech and Hearing welcomes new director

FLORENCE — Dr. Dennis L. Burrows bade good riddance to the frigid weather in Kalamazoo, Mich., but brought one of his specialities with him en route to becoming executive director of the Pee Dee Speech and Hearing Center.

Burrows, an audiologist, has suffered from ringing in the ear since he served in Vietnam in the early 1970s. His subspecialty is tinnitus, or ringing in the ear.

Although he primarily works with adults, he also works with children at the center, which was established as a nonprofit facility in 1968 to help those with speech, language and hearing problems.

Burrows said some 80 percent of the services provided by the center are aimed toward the early indentificaiton and treatment of young children with hearing or speech disorders.

“The need for these services is increasing as the survival rates of premature infants improve and as more children are being raised in high-risk homes where neglect, drug use and alcohol abuse are prevalent,” he said. “Early treatment is critical to developing the essential skills for academic success.”

And as the percentage of elderly increases in the population, so does the need for the center’s services.

Burrows said those 65 and older are eight times more likely to have a hearing impairment that those between the ages of 18 and 34. He said the center’s staff is “fully qualified” to serve the needs of the senior population.

“The two basic elements of communication are speech and hearing,” he said. “The center here helps individuals with disorders in both these areas. We provide comprehensive evaluations and necessary interventions to a wide variety of individuals so that they can improve their quality of life.”

And the services are provided by licensed, certified speech language pathologists and audiologist.

Evaluation and therapy services in speech-language pathology include:

• Receptive and expressive language disorders.

• Articulation and phonologic disorders.

• Oral motor disorders including tongue thrust.

• Fluency using a fluency shaping device called Speech Easy Provider.

• Aural rehabilitation.

• Language processing disorders, including earobics.

And audiology and hearing aid services consist of:

• Comprehensive hearing evaluations for all persons from birth through geriatrics.

• Oto-acoustic emissions testing for infants and difficult to test patients.

• Hearing aid dispensing and repair with a comprehensive line of conventional, programmable and digital hearing instruments.

• Custom-made earplugs for industrial and recreational use, including plugs for swimmers, hunters and musicians.

• Industrial hearing conservation, including onsite hearing testing and audiogram review.

Burrows is a former chief executive officer of a multi-million dollar nonprofit agency serving and advocating for the needs of the hard of hearing and deaf in Kalamazoo. But he said the staff at Pee Dee Speech and Hearing is the most dedicated he’s ever worked with.

Burrows and his wife, a flight attendant, are soaking up Southern hospitality and weather. Both enjoy bike riding, travel and golf.