Custom Earpieces for Every Lifestyle

With all of today's mobile technology, the earphone has become a necessity for many.  While stock earbuds can certainly get the job done, new custom products are available to help enhance the comfort and sound quality of all your listening devices.  And when you're ready to unplug, custom hearing protection can provide some much-needed peace and quiet!

Check out some of the products we offer here at J Waligora Audiology from the earmold experts at Westone:

 

iCustom

Upgrade virtually any stock earbud with iCustom earpieces - they easily couple with iPod® earbuds (and most other brands) to reduce distracting external noise for better sound. 

Great for your MP3 player, computer, Bluetooth headset, etc. and the custom fit assures that your device will stay securely in the ear when walking, jogging, or riding.  Special colors options are available.

Custom Hearing Protection
It is a Loud World Out There! Filtered custom earplugs are a great option for musicians, hunters, workers and motor sports participants and are available in different attenuation levels (9 dB, 15 dB, 25 dB, ~30 dB) - reduce your exposure to harmful levels of sound and still perform at your best!  

Swim Plugs
Originally designed for use while surface swimming or showering to prevent moisture from entering the ear canal these plugs are also great for those who spend a lot of time in noisy airports or have to sleep next to a snoring spouse!




There's a custom product available for virtually every need!  Call for more information or to schedule an appointment: 315-463-1724.

Hearing Aid Consumer Beware

Many people in need of hearing aids are dismayed to discover hearing aids are not covered by Medicare or most health insurance plans. It has been a historical problem and efforts by many groups to change the lack of coverage through congressional legislation have so far been unsuccessful. The recent announcement by United Healthcare (UHC), the largest U.S. Insurer by revenue, to offer an online diagnostic, treatment and distribution model for hearing healthcare is not the change hoped for and has prompted growing concerns within the health community.

Hearing aids are medical devices regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and must be recommended, sold and fit by qualified health professionals. Omitting an evaluation and treatment by a licensed audiologist or hearing healthcare professional puts the patient at risk to have a missed diagnosis of a serious underlying health condition that requires medical intervention as well as subsequent hearing loss as a result of improper fitting of hearing aids. The UHC model also limits the choice of hearing aid manufacturer, model and technology.

Dr. Eric Hagberg, president of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology said “This undermines every good practice with regard to hearing healthcare as this diagnosis and delivery model is unsound, unsafe and unreliable. Without the proper diagnosis, counseling, hearing aid fitting and follow-up evaluations, successful treatment for hearing loss cannot be achieved. The purchase and use of hearing aids without a proper examination, diagnosis and counseling is a recipe for poor treatment outcomes and increased risks.”

The Academy of Doctors of Audiology, American Academy of Audiology, International Hearing Society, and Better Hearing Institute are all warning against “do-it -yourself hearing care” and urge consumers who suspect that they have hearing loss to seek treatment from a licensed audiologist or other hearing healthcare professional to ensure the proper diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss, and to identify potentially serious underlying medical conditions. Further, they remind consumers that even when hearing loss is detected through comprehensive examination, hearing aids are not always the recommended course of treatment for hearing loss.

This article by Dr. Jane Waligora, AuD, CCC-A was published in the January 2012 edition of Prime newspaper (page 8):  http://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/jan_2012_prime_1-12