Hearing Care is Health Care
By Bernice McKenzie SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Covid 19 Grey Level & Holiday Hours

On behalf of our staff, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy (and safe) Holiday season.

As you are aware, Windsor Essex will be a Grey Lock Down Zone this coming Monday December 14th, 2020. The lockdown is expected to last a minimum of 28 days.

As of now, our clinics are still considered essential service and will be open during the lockdown. That being said, the safety of our staff and vulnerable patients is of the utmost importance. There are some appointments that are not deemed essential that will have to be postponed. Thank you for your continued patience in this regard.

Masks:

When possible, we will attempt to keep a 6-foot distance. Due to the nature of our services; being apart six feet is often difficult. In order to be seen inside our office space, masks must be worn by the patient and our staff members. Faceshields alone are not appropriate. Feel free to wear a faceshield in addition to a mask for an extra layer of protection. 

Family Members:

We prefer that ONLY the patient attend their scheduled appointment time. The less foot traffic the better. One parent may attend their child’s appointment. We ask that you do not bring additional family members to your appointment.

Appointments:

We cannot see you if you do not have an appointment. There are no exceptions. Please understand that this is to keep you safe. You must have an appointment.

Please also try to attend just our office on the day of your appointment. Do not visit family, the bank, the grocery store etc before visiting our clinics.

Appointments can be made by calling any of the clinics. Appointments can also be made online via our website www.YouHear.ca

Hearing Aid Batteries, Parts or Supplies:

Do not attempt to walk in to get any parts for your hearing aids. Please book an appointment by calling the office or booking online on our website www.YouHear.ca  if booking online, please indicate what parts you need in the message section.

Isolation:

If your child is part of a cohort that needs to isolate, or if you have been told by your physician or the health unit to self-isolate – PLEASE do not come to the clinic. Reschedule your appointment. If you need batteries and supplies, please have a family member who is not in self isolation pick up your supplies at your scheduled appointment time.

 

Essential Workers and U.S. commuter workers:

We will see you, however, you can only have the last appointment of the day. NO EXCEPTIONS. When booking an appointment, please advise our staff if you are an essential worker or if you work in the United States.

 

HOLIDAY HOURS AMHERSTBURG and ESSEX

Monday December 21, 2020                9am-4pm

Tuesday December 22, 2020              9am-4pm

Wednesday December 23, 2020         9am-4pm

Monday December 28, 2020              9am-4pm

Tuesday December 29, 2020              9am-4pm

Wednesday December 30, 2020         9am-4pm

HOLIDAY HOURS LASALLE

Monday December 21, 2020              9am-4pm

Monday December 28, 2020              9am-4pm

As always, we ask to you book an appointment. We will return to regular business hours Monday January 4, 2021.

Once again, we would like to thank you for the support you have given us for the last ten years, we appreciate the trust that you have put into our small, locally owned small business.

We are wishing you and yours all of the very best in 2021.

The staff at The Hearing & Dizziness Clinic:  Bernice, Sandra, Emily, Celina, Sonia, Teresa, Dragana, Eric, Melissa, Marlene, Cassie and Cory.

By Bernice McKenzie BLOG

Hearing Aids and Mobile Technology: How much can it change your life?

Streamer Solutions: “Well you could use this device that helps your cell phone talk with your hearing aids, yes you would have to wear it all the time around your neck”

 

Volume Remote: “You could use this remote control to turn up your hearing aids, yes you would have to carry it around with you”

 

TV Solutions: “Oh, we have a device that connects your hearing aids to the television, but you would need to wear this around your neck to adjust the volume”

 

These are phrases I don’t find myself saying very much anymore! All of these streaming devices were extremely popular (and still are if you don’t own a smartphone), however, smartphones now allow us to do it all in one application.

 

Hearing aids that are compatible with your smartphone allow for

– better understanding during a phone call

– better productivity

– optimizes sound while in background noise

– allows you to locate your lost hearing aid

– monitor brain and body health

– change volume and switch programs

 

Stream Audio Wirelessly*

Whether you’re on a walk, riding the bus or subway, if you have a podcast or audio book, you can enjoy hand and wire free entertainment. No need for headphones or to hold a book. Simply press play and your smartphone will stream the audio right through your hearing aids.

 

So many people have tons of books downloaded on their digital devices such as the Kindle reader. One commonality that most of them have is that they never have enough time to complete reading the books they’ve purchased. Drops make an ocean and you’ll be done with your books in no time at all.

 

Another option is to allow you phone to stream phone calls. This option is not only appealing because it’s hands free, but it also helps you understand the phone call better. When the phone call is processed through your hearing aids it reduces the background noise, streams through both of your ears, and it takes into account your hearing loss, only amplifying areas where you have hearing loss.

 

Monitors Brain and Body Health**

There is now hearing aid technology that is designed to help the wearer stay independent. With this technology falls can be detected and alert messages sent to selected contacts. Just like our smartwatches can track our steps and other movements our hearing aids can do that now too! Tracking fitness activities has shown to inspire people to continue or increase their activity. Lastly, we are all aware how social interaction can have a positive impact on our mental well-being. The smartphone applications can allow you to track your social interaction. Before our lives were changed due to COVID-19 a lot of my patients were intrigued by this feature!

 

Volume

There is no question that volume control is one of the most used features of the smartphone applications. Even though hearing aids will automatically adjust the volume on their own depending on your environment, some patients like to be able to manually adjust it themselves. Dare I say… there is a mute feature as well. 

 

Have hearing aids but struggling to understand someone with a mask on? Masks can actually decrease someone’s voice up to 12 decibels. When our patients’ hearing aids are fit we don’t account for that decrease. That is why a lot of our patients enjoy being able to make a “mask program” for themselves using their smartphone (or asking us to make it for them)! 

 

Location

Most smartphones applications also allow you to locate a lost hearing aid. Unfortunately, one of the downsides to wearing a mask and hearing aids is that sometimes the mask will remove hearing aids on accident. I’ve had a few patients lose their hearing aids this way. If they choose to allow the app to access their location they can ping the last known place they had their hearing aid.

 

Always remember that mobile technology is a tool that can help you immensely. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Our moto at The Hearing & Dizziness Clinic is to keep things simple and straightforward when using them.

 

Each hearing aid and manufacturer has different features and each type of smartphone allows for different connectivity options. If you are interested in learning more please contact our hearing instrument specialist Celina at celina@youhear.ca our our communications disorders assistant Emily at emily@youhear.ca

 

*Depending on the type of smartphone.

** Available in certain Starkey Models

 

Celina Dijkhuizen
Hearing Instrument Specialist

 

Emily Ellard
Comminication Disorders Assistant
By Bernice McKenzie BLOG

Diabetes: How It Impacts Hearing

If you or someone you love has diabetes you are probably aware that diabetes causes small blood vessel disease. What happens is blood vessels weaken and slow the flow of blood through the body which can lead to diabetic neuropathy or organ and tissue damage.

Since I am an audiologist I am particularly interested in what diabetes does to our inner ears. Both of our inner ears are made up of a cochlea and vestibular system.


 

Did you know that the same cranial nerve (8th nerve) innervates both the cochlea and the vestibular system? That is why I sometimes see patients with both hearing loss and balance issues. Since diabetes affects the entire neural system it is not uncommon for patients to report a disruption in the perception of hearing and balance as a whole.

 

 

 

Hearing Loss, How It Happens

 

Just like high blood glucose can damage organs such as eyes and kidneys it can also damage the inner ear. Our inner ears are extremely sensitive to blood flow and even our eardrums include a network of small blood vessels.

 

I often tell my patients a hearing evaluation is one of the easiest ways to identify if there has been any damage in the cochlea, the organ of hearing. Unlike a vision test where an optometrist can look into the back of your eye for signs of diabetic retinopathy we cannot look into your ears and visualize the inner ear, your eardrum is blocking our view!

 

If damage has occurred in the cochlea it will show up as a sensori-neural hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is referred to as nerve damage that can not be regained through surgery or medication.

 

Balance, How It Happens

 

As I mentioned above diabetes also affects balance. When there is too much sugar in the blood it can affect our balance in more ways than one:

 

  • It affects the connective tissues inside the vestibular system making one feel off-balance.
  • The myelin sheath that covers the vestibular nerves are damaged which doesn’t allow our inner ear to send messages properly to our brain.
  • It can degenerate the hair cells inside the vestibular system just like it damages the hair cells inside the cochlea resulting in hearing loss.

 

As you can probably imagine we use several sensory inputs to remain balanced on our feet. One of the main inputs is our vision, can you see what is in front of you as you take a step? How about proprioceptive inputs like what your feet are telling you? If someone has a hard time feeling their feet they may be stepping on a surface that isn’t level, which will cause them to fall. Remember, diabetes affects the whole body so there are multiple systems at play when balance is an issue.

 

My Role As An Audiologist

 

Baseline Hearing Test

I tell anyone who is suffering from diabetes that a baseline hearing test is an important starting point. It is important to have a complete picture of hearing at the time of diagnosis! Therefore if any issues arise in the future we have something to compare to. 

 

Education

Another recommendation I commonly make may be diabetes education. Ask your physician about resources that are available in our area.

 

Balance Screening

Another recommendation may be a balance screening. We perform balance screenings here at The Hearing & Dizziness Clinic and if there are any concerns we can start a treatment plan.

I commonly will refer any of my patients to our occupational therapist for vestibular rehabilitation.

 

Vision Health

I will commonly ask my patients who their eyesight is if they are diabetic and having issues with balance. Make sure that you or your loved one is getting their eye exam with dilation at least once a year. As mentioned above, vision health plays an important role in balance.

 

Source:

Dowd, K. (2020). Audiology: diabetes in hearing & balance care. AudiologyOnline, Article 27259. Retrieved from http://www.audiologyonline.com

 

By Bernice McKenzie BLOG, SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Hear For The Holidays 2020

We’re blessed that we can give the gift of hearing to our patients daily.

This holiday season, you can give the gift of hearing to someone you may know who can not afford hearing aids. 

It’s quite simple, all you have to do is write a short essay telling us why this person deserves to Hear for the Holidays. Click here for more information.

2020 has been a difficult year for many of us in the community. Please help us, help someone in need.

 

The Staff at The Hearing & Dizziness Clinic

By Bernice McKenzie SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Online Booking

Tired of picking up the phone?

It’s 3am Saturday night and you need to make an appointment?

That’s OK, now you can request an appointment online.

And if you wakeup Sunday and realize you booked the wrong date, just click on the link in your confirmation email to change it.  

You asked for it, and we listened. You’re welcome.

Click here to book online.

By Bernice McKenzie SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Clinics Reopen Monday June 1, 2020!!!!!

We have received permission from the Ministry of Health to reopen fully. 
We will be “reopening” our doors as of Monday June 1, 2020 for hearing aid patients, hearing tests and speech therapy.
No dizzy patients will be seen at this time.
 
Amherstburg and LaSalle will reopen on Monday, Essex will reopen on Tuesday. 
Things will be different:
  1. No cash payments. Debit, Visa, Mastercard, American Express will be the only forms of payment accepted.
  2. We will have no more that two patients in the clinic at a time. We ask that you refrain from bringing a family member with you, or that they stay in your vehicle.Will will allow exceptions for caretakers (children, Alzheimers, etc..)
  3. Patients will be asked screening questions, and will have their temperature taken. If they fail either of these screenings (or refuse to undertake these screenings), they will not be permitted into the general office space.
  4. Patients are to come in with their own masks. If you do not have a mask, please advise our staff, and we will sell you a mask prior to you entering the clinic.
  5. Patients are to use the hand sanitizer located at the entrance before entering the general office space.
  6. The front door will be locked in order to ensure that only two patients are in the office at a time. DO NOT COME TO THE OFFICE WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT, we will not let you in.
  7. Please do not arrive more than 10 minutes early for your appointment. We will not let you into the office until your scheduled appointment time. We will advise you to return to your car and will call your cellphone once we are bale to see you. If you do not have a cellphone, we will supply you with a pager and will page you once we are able to see you.
We know that these changes may appear to be extreme, but safety is our number one priority.
If you need batteries or supplies please call, we will can mail them out to you if you have a service plan, or schedule you an appointment time to pick them up. If you pickup up batteries or supplies, you will remain in your vehicle and we will bring out your items with you along with our debit machine.
We are taking this day by day, and will update our patients via email and our website.
Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to helping you with your hearing, speech and vestibular needs.
By Bernice McKenzie BLOG, SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Hearing Aid Batteries

I had one of my staff members go to the local stores to check out the price of hearing aid batteries. Shockingly, our prices were lower than Walmart, Shoppers and Rexall. Having three locations, we order a lot of batteries and can now get them at a lower price.

The cost of our private label batteries:

  • 40 cells for $25.00. 
  • 60 cells for $35.00.  
  • 80 cells for $45.00 (not available in size 675).

You can still buy PowerOne batteries go for $40.00 (forty battery cells).

We do not charge tax on hearing aid batteries.

Unfortunately, due to COVID19, we are not allowing customers to just walk in and purchase batteries. Please call our office to schedule a time to come in. We will bring your batteries and our debit machine to your vehicle. 

By Bernice McKenzie SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

COVID 19 Appointment Precautions

As an additional way to protect our patients and staff, we are observing specific protocols to minimize the chance of exposure.  This post outlines our guidelines and our request for you to observe them.

PRIOR TO THE APPOINTMENT

If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, then we should postpone or wait an additional two weeks before having you come in as a “voluntary quarantine” measure.

  1. Do you have a history of any recent travel outside of Ontario within the last 14 days?
  2. Have you had a fever or symptoms of lower respiratory illness, such as cough or shortness of breath?
  3. Have you had close contact with any person who has been confirmed as contracting Covid-19?
  4. Have you had close contact with any healthcare worker who’s primary purpose recently has been working directly with people who have contracted Covid-19?
  • You must wear a mask for your appointment.  
  • If you are being dropped off by someone else, please let us know when you schedule the appointment so we can make appropriate accommodations in our office for you, as we are attempting to minimize any waiting room time as much as possible.

AT THE APPOINTMENT

  • Whether you come by yourself or are dropped off, when you arrive, remain in your car and call the phone number for the appropriate location to notify us of your arrival.  The phone number will be posted outside of the respective office. If you do not have a cellphone, use the white intercom at the office door (Amherstburg & Essex locations)
  • If you have any paperwork to be filled out, we will bring it to you to fill out in your vehicle.  
  • When paperwork (if any) is completed, your provider will take you to the appropriate room where you will be for the majority, if not all, of your appointment.
  • Our staff will wear gloves and masks whenever appropriate, as much as possible.

AFTER THE APPOINTMENT

  • Our staff will disinfect all surfaces you contacted in any room you visited.  We are telling you about this so that you are reassured that this has been done for any patient seen prior to your arrival, for your safety and for everyone else.
By Bernice McKenzie BLOG

Hearing Protection

When people think of hearing protection, they automatically think about factory workers. Although we do sell hearing protection for factory workers, we also sell hearing protection for children, musicians and hunters. We can also order electronic hearing protection.

MUSICIANS PLUGS

ER9, ER15 or ER25. (Cost $220.00 plus tax)

A cast is taken of your ears and sent to the factory. The molds have special filters specific to they type of instrument that you play. We can order ER9, ER15 or ER25. 

 

HEARING PROTECTION FOR CHILDREN

BABY BANZ
Baby Banz Infant (Cost $42.00 plus tax)

  • Earmuffs designed for infants; ages 0-2
  • Adjustable
  • Foam filled cushions and padded headband ensure comfort
  • Available Colour: pink or blue
  • NRR 31
  • One (1) year warranty

Baby Banz Junior (Cost $42.00 plus tax)

  • Earmuffs designed for youth and smaller ears
  • Adjustable and padded headband
  • Soft cushion cups ensure comfort
  • Available Colour: blue, pink or black
  • NRR 31
  • Earmuffs measure 4 inches long by 3 & 1/8 inches across
  • One (1) year warranty

 

HEAR MUFFS

HearMuffs Passive Infant Toddler (Cost $30.00 plus tax)

  • Advanced infant and baby ear protection
  • Patented GrowBand™ adjusts and fits a wide range of head sizes
  • Made with non-toxic kid friendly materials 
  • Available colours: pastel blue, pink, spa green, orange or white
  • NRR 22
  • Two year warranty 

Hear Muffs Kids (Cost $30.00 plus tax)

  • Advanced hearing protection for kids
  • Made with non-toxic kid friendly materials 
  • Designed for children from 5 to 10 years of age
  • Available Colours: Blue, Green, Red or White
  • NRR 22
  • Two year warranty 

HearMuffs Active Toddler & Infant (Cost $75.00 plus tax)

  • Advanced infant and baby ear protection plus four soothing sounds
  • Sounds Mode lets child enjoy four soothing sounds – Lullaby, White Noise, Babbling Creek, and Heartbeat
  • Soothe Mode allows voices to be heard while compressing potentially harmful noises to comfortable levels
  • Maximum volume: 60 dB
  • Available Colour: White
  • Patented GrowBand™ adjusts and fits a wide range of head sizes
  • Made with non-toxic kid friendly materials
  • Designed for children from birth to 4 years
  • NRR 22
  • Two year warranty

 

ELECTRONIC HEARING PROTECTION

SoundGear Custom Fit Silver (Cost $600.00 plus tax)

These electronic hearing protection and enhancement products are for the hunter or shooter that refuses to compromise when it comes to performance and personalization. This product is custom molded to each wearer’s ear and features the most advanced 100% digital electronic hearing protection and enhancement technology on the market. Visit their website for more information.

SoundGear Custom Fit Platinum (Cost $650.00 plus tax)

These products are for the more avid hunter or professional shooter. They come with 4 distinct memory modes (Normal, High-Frequency Boost, Telecoil, and Mute). We also offer SoundGear Custom Fit Silver products as our base model for those who may not shoot as often or professionally. Silver is just as effective as our Platinum models, but includes only one memory mode. Visit their website for more information.

By Bernice McKenzie BLOG

Swimming Accessories

Pool season is just around the corner, and we want to remind you that we do sell a different variety of swimming accessories for your ears. Swim molds should be considered if you have a perforated eardrum, are prone to “swimmer’s ear,” or have tubes placed in your eardrum. 

BIONIX AFTER SWIM WATER REMOVAL STRIPS (20/PK): Cost $8.00 plus tax

Safe, fast and alcohol-free drying strips designed to absorb water inside the ear canal

Flared tip design eliminates the risk of over insertion

No risk of damage to the eardrum; will never directly or indirectly come in contact with eardrum

Only needs to be inserted far enough into the ear to break the surface level of the water

Wicking action of the product will remove the water on its own

Can absorb over 5x the amount of liquid an average ear canal can hold

One strip can be used on both ears

 

 

Putty Buddies Floatable (3 pairs): Cost $10.00 plus tax

Soft, colored, silicone ear plugs that help keep water out of ears

For use with the Ear Band-It

Available in combinations of red, white and blue OR green, yellow and blue

Triple the size of most other kid’s plugs

Bright colors are easy to find in the pool or bath

They float!

This is a special order item, we place orders for it every two weeks.

 

Doc’s Pro Plugs (unvented one pair): Costs:$14.00 plus tax or Leash version $16.50 plus tax

Doc’s ProPlugs are inexpensive, long-lasting, ready-to-wear earplugs designed to keep water out of an individual’s ear canal    

For use with the Ear Band-It

Made of soft, hypo-allergenic Kraton with memory that provides a watertight seal        

Quickly and easily fitted             

Designed for patients with P.E. tubes or middle ear fluid to keep water and bacteria out of the ear canal       

Perfect for swimming, bathing, concerts, recreational and light industrial use 

This is a special order item, we place orders for it every two weeks.

Ear Band It Ultra: Cost $16.50 plus tax

 

Keeps water out of ears and holds earplugs in

For use with Putty Buddies or Doc’s Pro Plugs

Ultra version has better grip, comfort, and strength than the original Ear Band-It

Made of 100% super soft neoprene with Grip-Tek™ neoprene inner lining

Helps prevent swimmer’s ear

Ideal for those with Ear Tubes and Ear Perforations

Ultra version is NOT reversible

This is a special order item, we place orders for it every two weeks.

 

 

Custom Floatable Swim Molds: Cost starting at $180.00 plus tax

These molds are made just for you. We take a cast of your ears and send it to the manufacturer where they will create custom swim earmolds. These molds completely block the ear and ear canal to ensure no water will enter. It is made from a material that is able to float above water so you will not lose them while swimming. Perfect for children and adults to protect their ears from water while swimming or in the shower. Although suitable for children, remember children are growing and these may only fit their ears for a few months.

By Bernice McKenzie BLOG, SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS ,

A lot has changed in ten years

Ten years ago I decided to go into private practice. I was contemplating moving to Amherstburg and did not want to commute to work. Many of you might remember my first office location at 206 Sandwich Street South, in the blue house next to Naples. When I first opened, it was just me. My goal was to see one patient a day, then two a day. Bit by bit the office got busier and we had to move.

Our first move was to 535 Sandwich St South, in the plaza with the Drive Thru Tim Hortons. I hired Cory to help me because I could not handle the walk in patients and the scheduled patients. We got busier. I hired our communication disorders assistant Emily to lighten my case load.

While Amherstburg Audiology was growing, I had a second clinic in Essex. I tried to call it “Amherstburg Audiology & Hearing Aids – Essex Location”, but that name just never took off. In fact, people were confused and rightfully so. As we got busier in Amherstburg, Tim Hortons also got busier. Eventually we had to move again because there just was not enough parking for our patients.

It was time for a change in Amherstburg and in Essex. We then moved to our current location at 503 Sandwich St South. Better parking and new additions. I hired Marlene to handle the insurance billings and answer phone calls. I hired Celina to help our hearing aid patients. When I moved to a larger location in Essex the clinic was rebranded as “The Hearing & Dizziness Clinic”. Many changes. I hired Melissa to take on the duties of Office Manager. Sonia came on to rehabilitate our dizzy patients, Jenniffer was hired to assist Sonia and we are blessed to have Teresa and Sandra testing and treating our kid and adult hearing loss patients in Essex.

Ten years and many changes. We now have a satellite location in LaSalle. The next change will occur in Amherstburg. I am rebranding Amherstburg to be “The Hearing & Dizziness Clinic”. I’m so attached to the name “Amherstburg Audiology & Hearing Aids”, but it’s time to have a single name that represents all three clinic locations. Don’t worry, the same friendly smiles will still be there to greet you, but the name on the sign will change.

Thank you for supporting my small business. Ten years and still going. Here’s to ten more years.

 

bernice

By Bernice McKenzie BLOG , ,

Sudden Hearing Loss (SHL)

What is sudden hearing loss? You would know, it comes on suddenly, often over night. You will notice that you can not hear out of one ear, and usually have accompanying ringing or dizziness.

Who should you see if you have a sudden hearing loss? Make an appointment with your audiologist or family physician right away. You want someone to look into your ears to rule out a conductive hearing loss such as wax or an ear infection. If it is not a conductive hearing loss, you need to get a diagnostic hearing test with an audiologist to determine the type of hearing loss (sensorineural, conductive or mixed) and the severity of the hearing loss. Based on the audiologists test, a recommendation will be made for you to see an ear. nose and throat specialist or your family physician or nurse.

Will my hearing come back? About 50% of cases the hearing will return in part of in full. It’s imperative that you are treated appropriately within the first few days in order for medical intervention to help. The longer you wait, the lower your odds that your hearing will return. 

For more information about Sudden Hearing Loss visit the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery website.

Patient Handout Sudden Hearing Loss

Physician Handout Sudden Hearing Loss

By Bernice McKenzie SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Temporary closure due to COVID-19

Effective immediately, our clinics and staff are have NO DIRECT CONTACT with any patient or their caregivers.

We have been issued a directive by The Chief Medical Officer of Health. Click here to read the directive.

We have been issued a directive by the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists. Click here to read the directive.

If you need batteries or supplies we will mail them out to you. Please call the Amherstburg (519) 730-1030 or Essex (519) 961-9285 locations and leave a message. We will check the messages once a day.

You can also email us if you have any questions or concerns  info@youhear.ca

We will update our website once we re-open.

By Bernice McKenzie BLOG, SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Hearing Aid Care and Maintenance Video Links

Celina Dijkhuizen
Hearing Instrument Specialist

Below are videos direct from the manufacturer websites that will help you with the basic care and maintenance of your hearing aid(s) from home. Click on the links below to be sent to the manufacturer websites where the videos are posted. All the information, videos and trademarks are that of the manufacturer or what is otherwise stated. Unsure of the manufacturer of your hearing aid(s)? Check your invoices, accessories or the boxes given to you and there should be a logo or a name somewhere visible.

For hearing aid(s) that are Unitron or Phonak: https://www.unitron.com/content/unitron/id/en/consumer/help/tutorial-videos.html

For hearing aid(s) that are Starkey: https://www.starkey.com/support/how-to-videos

For hearing aid(s) that are Signia: https://www.signia-hearing.com/how-to-videos/

For hearing aid(s) that are Oticon or Bernafon: https://www.oticon.com/support https://www.bernafon.ca/support

For hearing aid(s) that are Widex: https://global.widex.com/en/support/maintenance

For hearing aid(s) that are GN ReSound: https://www.resound.com/en-ca/help/hearing-aids/other/videos

Footnotes Unitron.(2020). How to care for your Unitron hearing aids. Retrieved from https://www.unitron.com/content/unitron/id/en/consumer/help/tutorial-videos.html, accessed on March 18, 2020 Starkey.(2020). How to videos. Retrieved from https://www.starkey.com/support/how-to-videos, , accessed on March 18, 2020 Oticon.(2020). Oticon hearing aid support. Retrieved from https://www.oticon.com/support, accessed on March 18, 2020 Bernafon.(2020). Support: tips for new users. Retrieved from https://www.bernafon.ca/support, accessed on March 18, 2020 Widex.(2020). Hearing aid maintenance. Retrieved from https://global.widex.com/en/support/maintenance GN Hearing.(2020). Hearing aid support videos. Retrieved from https://www.resound.com/en-ca/help/hearing-aids/other/videos, accessed on March 18, 2020

By Bernice McKenzie SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

COVID-19 Update 18-MAR-2020

Our Amherstburg and Essex offices will be open Wednesday March 18, 2020, but the front doors will be locked.

We have cancelled all non-emergent appointments. All speech therapy, hearing tests, hearing aid cleanings, vestibular testing, and vestibular rehabilitation appointments have already been cancelled. We will call and reschedule our patients once the office is back up and running.

We are currently only seeing patients with emergencies. Emergencies include:

  • Lost hearing aids and can not hear
  • Hearing aids are broken

Please do not come in to check on us, or to say hello. 

Please call for an appointment as we are only allowing one patient into the clinic at a time.

If you are sick, or have recently returned from abroad please advise our staff.

If you need batteries or supplies please call, we will mail them out to you.

We are taking this day by day, and will update this website. Thank you for your understanding.

By Bernice McKenzie BLOG, SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

COVID-19 Preventative Measures

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES BEING TAKEN AT OUR CLINICS
(1) No staff or provider has been outside of the country within the last two weeks.
(2) Staff and patients are asked to sanitize their hands prior to entering the clinic area.
(3) Patients are kindly asked to reschedule appointments if they have recently travelled, have been exposed to someone who has recently travelled, if they do not feel well, or have a common cold of flu symptoms.
(4) Furniture, surfaces and equipment are being sanitized regularly and after every use.
(5) Providing hand sanitizer in multiple locations throughout the clinic and ensuring staff are practicing proper hand hygiene and washing their hands regularly.
Our procedures for maintaining a clean environment meet or exceed those of The Ontario Ministry of Health.
We thank you for your patience as we work through the COVID-19 outbreak and we will keep you posted on any changes that may arise.
UPDATE Sunday 15-MAR-2020: We are suspending all speech and language pathology appointments effective immediately. We will tentatively resume this service 04-APR-2020.
By Bernice McKenzie BLOG, SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Group Workshops

We are excited to be offering group workshops at our Essex and Amherstburg locations! There is a lot of information given to you at your hearing aid fitting appointment, which can make it a little overwhelming at times. A group workshop is an hour long session where our hearing health professionals go over details about your hearing loss, your new hearing aids and aural rehabilitation or retraining your brain to understand speech.

So what does a group workshop look like? The groups are small – usually between 3 and 4 participants, which allows us to support each person and answer any questions throughout. The hour is broken up into three sections:

1. Hearing Loss

2. Hearing Aids

3. Aural Rehabilitation

Hearing Loss

We give participants detailed information regarding how our ears work, what the participants’ hearing test results indicate, fun facts about hearing and our ears and more information about hearing loss overall. This portion of the workshop gives participants answers to the questions that they may have been pondering regarding their own hearing loss.

Hearing Aids

When people come in to pick up their hearing aids, the amount of information presented in that appointment can feel quite overwhelming. Participating in the group workshop allows hearing aid users to gain more knowledge on the care, use, features and functions of their hearing aids. Having only 3-4 participants allows us to go over information regarding each person’s hearing aids, in order to help them better understand their use.

Aural Rehabilitation

Hearing aids are only one piece of the puzzle. In order to maximize the benefit of new hearing aids, we have to work on retraining our brains to hear in difficult listening situations. Typically, we lose our hearing slowly over time and while hearing aids give us back the sounds we are missing, we still have to do therapy to retrain our brains how to process and understand these new sounds. In our group workshop, we provide a demonstration of one of the computer-based training programs that we offer. The program is called LACE and it stands for Listening and communication enhancement. We’ll go over what the program entails and how the program can benefit everyone – regardless of what type of hearing loss they may have.

Group workshops allow our patients to learn more about their hearing loss, hearing aids and different communication strategies, as well as meet other people who also have new hearing aids.

By Bernice McKenzie BLOG, SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS , ,

Bernice McKenzie is an approved Dr.CliffAud provider

We’re please to announce that Bernice McKenzie is part of the DrCliffAud Approved Provider Network!!

If you’ve researched hearing aids during the last few year’s you’ve most likely seen videos posted by Dr. Cliff Olson on his youtube channel. If it is ear related, he probably has a video talking about it. You can check out his youtube channel by clicking here.

By Bernice McKenzie SPECIAL EVENTS & NEWS

Kid Hearing Tests

We have been getting a lot of phone calls lately asking if we test children. YES we test children.Children are tested at our Essex location.

Our services are not funded under OHIP, so there is a $100.00 fee for the testing. The testing may be covered under your extended healthcare plan (GreenShield, SunLife, Manulife, Blue Cross, etc…). Since our testing is performed by an audiologist, it is a medical expense and can be claimed as such when you do our taxes. 

To schedule an appointment call (519) 961-9285.