Listening and Communication Enhancement
LACE is an acronym for Listening And Communication Enhancement. Conceived by leading audiologists at the University of California at San Francisco, LACE is an interactive computerized aural rehabilitation program that has already helped thousands of people who live with some degree of hearing loss increase their listening skills by up to 45%.

We don’t really listen in our ears; we listen in our brain. Hearing aids can help a person detect softer ounds, but they don’t necessarily provide good listening skills. Even people with normal hearing can be poor listeners. Good listening skills are one of the essential components in effective communication.

Other components include rapid thought processing, auditory memory, use of language skills, and interactive strategies. Additionally, the confidence that what you thought you heard was what was actually spoken is vital. These abilities can be damaged both by hearing loss and by the natural aging process. LACE is designed to enhance the ability to communicate by training the brain to best utilize these skills.

Just as physical therapy can help rebuild muscles and adjust movements to compensate for physical weakness or injury, LACE will help develop kills and strategies to deal with situations when hearing is inadequate. For patients who wear hearing aids, or are just acquiring aids, or simply wish to improve listening skills, LACE training will help get the most out of the sounds of life. LACE is available for Windows 7, XP, Vista and Apple OSX 10.4 or newer computer systems and on most home DVD players for use on home Television.

LACE is a home-based, self-paced listening training program

Helps to train the brain to listen better and adjust during the hearing aid trial period

Runs on Windows or Macintosh PCs

Simple and intuitive – even for the computer novice

20 self-paced lessons

Helps compensate for hearing loss by strengthening thinking and memory skills

Provides tips for effective interactive communication strategies

Automatically transmits results to health care provider for easy tracking of progress (optional)

Teaches how to conquer listening challenges, like noisy restaurants, so daily activities are more enjoyable

Can be used by anyone – with or without hearing loss – to build listening confidence in difficult hearing situations

First office session may be billable under CPT Codes