George Millman's Success Story

By Mike Langhout

Ever hear the old line, "What's my motivation?" It comes from theater, where actors ask the question in search of a voice for their character. Employees throughout the world now invoke this same question on difficult days when they struggle to find meaning in their work. At AUDIENT, we have the answer. His name is George Millman.

We met George last year during his search for the hearing aid he needed to help himself off the streets and into a place of his own. Now he works as an advocate for the homeless, helping others to follow his footsteps to a better life.

Here's his story.

Halfway through 2005, George Millman was going under in a battle against epilepsy. More than 1,000 seizures over three decades had broken his health and spirit and put him on the streets, where he had lived for the past 10 years. Without access to medical services, his mental health had declined to the point where frustration and fear threatened to take total control over what was left of his life.

Inspired by the book The 7 Habits of Highly-Effective People, George resolved to make changes. First, he moved across the country to Port Angeles, WA, in quest of access to the medical services he needed. Securing a hearing aid was high on George's list of 70 goals that he needed to achieve. In his view, being able to clearly hear what was happening around him was essential to gaining control over his own destiny. A visit to a Seattle hospital was the first step. The otolaryngology department there confirmed hearing loss and tinnitus in his right ear. When George told them the market price for a good hearing aid was out of the reach of a man whose only income came from Social Security, they encouraged him to call AUDIENT.

George describes what happened next as "fantastic." After verifying that George qualified for our income-based program, we made some phone calls of our own. One was to the Washington Assistive Technology Foundation, which gave George a low-interest loan to purchase a hearing aid at the discounted price available through the AUDIENT program. Another was to Certified Hearing, an AUDIENT member provider in Port Angeles. With much of the paperwork handled from our end, Brenda Haltom, BC-HIS, at Certified Hearing fit George with a Phonak BTE Maxx 211 hearing aid. Says Brenda: "There are people in our community who just don't have the funds, but they still need a hearing aid. AUDIENT gives us a way to help them."

An exuberant George met almost immediately with Sarah Perry, his case worker at Peninsula Community Mental Health Center. "For the first time, I didn't have to turn away from Sarah so I could listen with my left ear when she talked," he says. "Being able to talk face to face made it so much easier to understand. What a wonderful day for me!"

With hearing aid obtained, George tackled his remaining list of goals with even more vigor. Over a 2-year period he progressed from living in a shelter, to a tiny studio apartment, to renting a one-bedroom apartment. He pays $50 a month on his hearing aid loan, which leaves adequate funds to pay his rent and living expenses. "Things are fantastic for me now," says George. Others have noticed. Staff at the shelter where he used to live recommended George for his new job as an advocate for the homeless. "I know the ropes, so I talk to people who look like they need help to get things rolling," he says. "I couldn't do this job without a hearing aid because I need to be able to look into their eyes to show I understand and talk with them face to face. I've gotten four or five of them off the streets now. I'm really proud of that."

Congratulations, George Millman. We are proud to be a part of your success story.

Mike Langhout is founder and a board member of AUDIENT, an alliance of providers, suppliers and many resource partners that collectively make possible stories like the one above. For more information: 877-AUDIENT (283-4368), www.audientalliance.org, info@audientalliance.org.

Mike Langhout is founder and a board member of AUDIENT, an alliance of providers, suppliers and many resource partners that collectively make possible stories like the one above. For more information: 877-AUDIENT (283-4368), www.audientalliance.org, info@audientalliance.org.