Products and services
Hearing aids
We can help you find a hearing aid that is right for you. We adjust any brand or type of hearing aid:
- Conventional hearing aids
- Programmable hearing aids (digital or analog)
- Behind-the-ear, open fit, RIC, in-the-ear, half-shell, CIC (invisible), glasses, body aids, CROS, BI-CROS, bone conduction, etc.
Hearing aid services
- Complete audiometric fitting exams
- Screening test
- Bluetooth systems for cell phones or audio devices
- On-site audiology services
- Home services
- One-on-one or group consultation on hearing and hearing aids
- Hearing-aid batteries of all types
- Repairs on all brands of hearing aids. We can often repair on site.
- Custom earmolds
- Hearing-aid seminars for beneficiaries in residential care facilities or associations.
Hearing protectors
- Hearing protectors for noise
- Hearing protectors against water
- Hearing protectors for musicians
- Hearing protectors for hunters
- Protectors for sleeping
- Personalized earmolds for pilots
- Personalized earmolds for earphones (Ipod, MP3, etc.)
- Personalized earmolds for a Bluetooth device
Technical assistance
- Television systems (infrared or FM)
- Loop amplifier for halls, churches, etc.
- FM system for students and adults
- Tactile or visual alerting devices (to hear the doorbell, telephone, smoke alarm, baby’s cries)
- Teletypewriter for written telephone communication (also adapted for visually impaired persons)
- Subtitle decoder
- Telephone amplifier
- Personal amplifier
- Adapted alarm clocks (visual or tactile)
Post-device follow-up
Once your hearing aid has been completely adjusted, you must see your audioprosthesist for follow-up examinations to ensure optimal performance of your device. Following this, your audioprosthesist will ask to meet with you every 6 months. During these semi-annual appointments, we will clean your hearing aid, verify that it is in proper working order and perform an electroacoustic assessment in order to extend the life of your device and avoid any major problems stemming from a lack of proper maintenance. We will also test your level of hearing if needed. If we detect changes in your hearing, your device will need to be adjusted.
If you experience any problems with your hearing aid or simply need help using your device, please feel free to contact us.
Maintenance and accessories
We carry many of the accessories you might need to ensure proper care of your hearing aid. Here are just a few:
- Disinfecting cleaner for earmolds and shells
- Dehumidifier
- Battery tester
- Soothing products for relieving itchy ears
- Pump for removing excess water in tube
- Protective humidity-control sleeve
- Telephone adapter
- Lubricating cream
- Compressed air
- Maintenance products and tools
- Etc.
New technologies
Would you believe that hearing aids date as far back as the telephone? Actually, it was Alexander Graham Bell who “accidentally” invented the telephone while trying to develop a hearing aid for his wife! So, we have this renowned inventor to thank for, not only one, but two marvelous inventions he provided the world with in 1876.
Carbon hearing aids were the first to be introduced. These were closely followed by lamp-type hearing aids with piezoelectric microphones introduced in 1920. The invention of micromagnetics in 1947 marked real advancements in the technology that was available, which eventually lead to the creation of electret-microphone hearing aids in the 1980s.
Since the early 1990s, programmable hearing aids have taken over and have been expanding quite rapidly, with a wide range of programmable devices now available on the market.
On the heels of programmable devices came the invention of digital hearing aids, which have completely altered the world of audioprosthetics. These types of devices were first introduced to the Canadian market in 1996. Today, hearing aid manufacturers are hard at work creating devices that are increasingly smaller and can therefore better meet customer demand. Digital hearing aids have many advantages. They:
- improve hearing in noisy environments.
- reduce the level of background noise.
- provide clearer sound (similar to a compact disc).
- provide automatic volume control.
- can be reprogrammed if your hearing changes.
- adjust more accurately to your hearing needs.
In the early 2000s, the introduction of open-fit and RIC-type hearing aids completely revolutionized the way in which adjustments were made. And, with an ever-growing number of persons suffering from hearing loss, it became necessary for hearing aids to adapt to technological advances. As such, many devices are now compatible for use with cell phones (Bluetooth) and audio devices such as MP3s, iPods and stereo systems. Hearing aids also took on a more stylish and sophisticated look and many are now available in a variety of colours and with rechargeable batteries.
All required adjustments for these programmable hearing aids are performed by an audioprosthesist at our offices using specially designed professional programming software. If you are looking to purchase a digital hearing aid, it is essential that you undergo an assessment first. You will then need to meet with us on a few occasions to ensure that your device is properly adjusted.
If you are experiencing problems or anticipate any difficulties, please contact us. We can give you an appointment within a few days. You can also ask us about trying out these new technologies for free. Just get in touch with us and we’ll tell you how you can try them at our offices.
