We are closing early today due to the city wide power outage. We will call to reschedule all appointments. We are very sorry for this inconvenience!

New Product: Widex Unique

We’ve got the new Widex Unique hearing aids in stock and we’d love to give you a tour of them. Come in and see us today to find out more!

Preventable Hearing Loss: Give Your Ears a Break

Sarnia is a community of hardworking people who know the value of a good day’s work and some well-earned R&R. With that in mind, we wanted to take a few moments for a word of caution: our minds and muscles are not the only parts of us that need a break now and then. Your ears get stressed out too, and just like the rest of you, they need a chance to rest and recover.

Noise induced hearing loss is the only truly preventable form. Especially in our area of heavy industry, we might be tempted to think that noise induced hearing loss is strictly a workplace problem, and of course, we should all be concerned with safety on the job. Following safety guidelines and always wearing our PPE will mitigate much of the potential for traumatic hearing loss.

However, the workplace is not the only area where potentially damaging noise levels exist. Any noises above 85 decibels will cause damage if the exposure is long enough. Some examples of common noises that exceed 85 decibels are heavy traffic, loud music (either with headphones or in the confined space of a car), movies, passing motorcycles, and power tools. Since many of our hobbies may include some of these sources of noise, we need to be careful about our ears during leisure time as well.

The key here is remembering that it is not simply the volume of the noise that counts, but also the frequency and duration of the noise. For example, let’s say you come home from an eight hour work day in which proper care limited your noise exposure to the legal limit of 8 hours at 85 decibels. Then, you turn up some music or blow off steam in the workshop. It’s a great way to relax, but adding extra time to your noise exposure can start damaging your hearing. What’s the takeaway? Give your ears a rest.

We all need to take breaks from the busy, often chaotic, lives we lead. Your ears are no different. So even in your personal activities, pay attention to the noise you are exposing yourself to and consider giving your ears the break they need.

New Devices, Old World Service.

The world was quite different many years ago, and some would say it was a better time. It seemed as if people cared for one another a bit more, and there wasn’t so much bad news everywhere you looked. You could keep your front door unlocked without the need to worry, and you knew that when you walked into a store they had your best interests at heart: that’s just the kind of people they were.

My oh my, how times have changed.

Schneiker Audiology Services hasn’t forgotten what it means to provide old world service, as each day we strive to provide you with a truly memorable and caring experience. We don’t just work with the best companies in the industry to provide you with quality devices, we believe in a quality experience as well. We believe in treating our customers how we’d like to be treated, and we put in extra effort to make sure you always feel welcome and never rushed; when you’re at SAS, you’re family.

We aren’t like manufacturer owned clinics because we aren’t trying to sell you any product we can. We stand by the devices we provide, which is why we offer extended warranties on our products; your hearing is important, and you should be able to count on your devices working when you need them most of all.

We’re a local business and we’re proud of that fact. Our community has supported us throughout the years, and it brings us joy to be able to give back, not only through our participation with local charitable organizations, but also through outstanding customer service and care; a community that looks out for one another creates a better place to live, and that’s what old world service is all about. We at Schneiker Audiology Services would like to welcome you to come on in! We provide service like it used to be, and we know you’re going to feel the difference immediately.

2015 Breast Cancer Golf Tournament Was a Huge Success

Thanks to all of those who came out for such a great cause.

The tournament was a blast. This year the tournament is thrilled to announce that they raised over $36,500.00! The funds raised during this event will support current lifesaving Breast Cancer research initiatives at the Pamela Greenway-Kohlmeier Translational Breast Cancer Research Unit at London Health Sciences Centre.

The Four Levels of Hearing Loss

Have you ever wished that people would just stop mumbling, that someone would fix this awful phone you’re using and, by the way – no, the TV is not too loud? Any and all of the above complaints could be normal everyday frustrations. Or they could be signs of gradual hearing loss.

The fact is: hearing loss is rarely sudden. Most often it follows a gradual progression that can be diagnosed and perhaps even halted. The first step, of course, is knowing what the four levels are and what symptoms are associated with each:

Mild

Mild hearing loss is often difficult for us to see in ourselves. One-on-one conversation is usually fine, leading many to believe their hearing is also fine. Background noise or group and telephone conversations, however, make it difficult to catch every word. The voices of women and children may be the most difficult to perceive.

Moderate

Moderate hearing loss is characterized by the frequent need to ask people to repeat words and difficulty keeping up with normal conversation. This may cause frustration or misunderstandings on both sides. The use of hearing aids will alleviate the majority of these symptoms.

Severe

Overcoming severe hearing loss will require the use of hearing aids, as conversation becomes impractical or even impossible without assistance. Some lip reading or even sign language may be employed to further assist.

Profound

Those with profound hearing loss must rely on lipreading and sign language, in conjunction with the use of properly fit hearing and assistive listening devices they may hear only very loud sounds or no sound at all.

Regardless of what level of hearing loss you may find yourself in, protecting your ears is of vital importance. Simple measures like turning down the volume on your music or wearing protective equipment will help, but at Schneiker Audiology Services we understand that everyone’s situation, including yours, is unique. That’s why we’d love to have you come in to discuss your personal circumstances and how we can improve your specific situation.

Book a hearing test today, and discover how our family style service can make a difference in your life.

Have you heard what’s new?

At Schneiker Audiology we’re committed to caring for each and every one of our patients like the family we truly consider them to be. That commitment involves making sure we stay up to date with the best equipment technology has to offer, and then bringing that home to you.

A great example of how technology can improve your quality of life is the Widex line of hearing aids. The Super series has built in FM receivers optimized for use in classrooms and lecture halls. The Clear series offers natural sound in both ears that adjusts automatically to your listening environment. Finally, the Dream series is your solution for the most challenging listening situations: parties, meetings, and conversations in public areas. We love this technology because it allows us to match you up with the device that will make the greatest impact in your life.

When you combine your Widex hearing aids with complementary devices like the Widex Phone-Dex you get added benefits like making traditionally hard to hear phone conversations easy. The phone streams audio directly into both ears so you can listen in crisp stereo quality. The Phone Dex also looks and functions like a regular phone, so the rest of your friends and family can use it without requiring a separate piece of hardware. Imagine not straining to hear your loved ones through an old fashioned phone speaker.

This is just one example. The field of audiology is constantly evolving. As better solutions to hearing loss emerge, we take pride in staying on top of them so you don’t have to. Relax, enjoy your life, and rest assured that we are taking care of you like one of our own with the best our industry has to offer.

Simple and easy: old world service meets new world technology at Schneiker Audiology. Drop by to learn how our cutting edge products can improve your life.

The Huge Success of Sarnia & District Humane Society’s 13th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

FullSizeRender7What an overwhelming success! With the help of participants and the surrounding community the tournament was able to raise almost $10,000. This will be a great help to the Sarnia & District Humane Society which will continue to provide vital services to the animals in our community.

 

 

 

 

A big THANK YOU to all those who helped and came out to support such an amazing cause! 

 

A Look Inside Our Demo Room

Have you ever tried to describe a particularly amazing sunset to someone who wasn’t there, or maybe the taste and texture of the most delicious slice of cheesecake you’ve ever had? You can do it, maybe even well enough to inspire jealousy, but the description is nothing like experience itself.

We have already highlighted some of the incredible technology that we are able to offer our patients and how useful these devices can be in your day to day life. We also know that, much like a slice of cheesecake, trying it out for yourself is the best possible scenario. To that end, we’ve set up a demo room where you can preview your device of choice and learn how to install it in your own home.

Every TV device or accessory offered on our website is connected to a flat screen TV and ready to try. Our amplified phones are connected to outside lines so you can try them out on a real phone call with your own friends or family. We do this because we know nothing compares to a little hands on experience to make sure you are going home with confidence.

Of course, being in our demo room means we get to see the look on your face when you realize how much this will improve your quality of life, and we never get tired of it. Please come in and experience for yourself what Schneiker Audiology can do.

A Super Story: Being Your Child’s Role Model

A good role model – someone you can identify with and look up to – can be a powerful influence in anyone’s life. Finding a role model as an adult might be a bit more difficult, but for kids, inspiration can come from many different places.

That’s exactly what happened for Anthony Smith, a four year old boy who decided he didn’t want to wear his hearing aid anymore because that just wasn’t something that superheroes did. To make sure, his mom emailed Marvel. The response was a picture of Hawkeye, a superhero with hearing loss, and Blue Ear, a specially created superhero whose hearing aid looks just like Anthony’s. You can read the full story here, but the end result is a young boy who’s proud to wear his hearing aid and tell all his friends about Blue Ear.

As touching as this story is, it’s also a good illustration of how a parent or even an audiologist can change a child’s perception of his hearing loss. Hearing aids especially don’t need to be those boring, ugly, beige set ups that adults prefer. They can be colorful, fun, and most importantly, useful.

Superheroes, princesses, athletes, anyone really, can be a role model. None are more important, however, than a young boy or girl’s parents. Here are some other things you can do to help change the perception of your child’s hearing aids:

  • Always have a positive attitude. Sometimes the hearing aids will be a pain. They can (will) get lost, and need cleaning, maintenance, and batteries. Try not to show any frustration you may feel when dealing with the hearing aids, as your child will pick up on it.
  • Divert Attention. Kids tend to want to play with things and may have trouble avoiding the urge to consider their hearing aid a toy. If it feels uncomfortable, few children will be able to resist pulling it off. So especially while they are getting used to a new earpiece, keep their hands and minds occupied on other things.
  • Talk Incessantly. If you are talking to your children they will naturally want to hear you. When they learn they can hear you when their earpiece is in, they’ll want to wear it. It’s a simple, effective way to demonstrate the usefulness of the new device.

We love working with our young patients, and our old fashioned service extends to children three years of age and older. Parents learning to deal with their child’s hearing impairment don’t need to feel overwhelmed. You can find a role model of your own at Schneiker Audiology.