Ashley (Audiologist) performs a hearing test, using the Conditioned Play Audiometry method, as Chein (Communication Disorders Assistant) assists Anna.

Grants provide funding for new accessible sound booth

Thanks to significant grants from the David S. Howes Fund at the Niagara Community Foundation ($43,500) and from The Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation ($50,000), Hotel Dieu Shaver now has three large sound booths to serve the community.

This fully-accessible large booth is barrier-free to enter and can accommodate patients in bariatric and power wheelchairs as well as allow caregivers to accompany patients in the booth. For parents of small children and patients with special needs, this provides maximum comfort for the patient and ensures best results for the hearing test.

Having a barrier-free, accessible sound booth and testing room puts patient accessibility at the forefront of care. The addition of the third large sound booth offers improved workflow and access to timely appointments, ensuring patients have the care they need as quickly as possible to optimize their recovery and improve their quality of life.

Quick Facts!

• HDS' Audiology & Hearing Aid Clinic provides full Hearing Aid Dispensing Services, which includes dispensing and ongoing support of hearing aids, FM Systems, and other Assistive Listening Devices.

• The HDS team of audiologists and communication disorders assistants work with infants, children and adults to assess hearing ability and offer individualized solutions.

• HDS is a preferred location for hearing tests due to the large sound booths and audiologists with specialized training for serving the population with difficult-to-fit hearing losses and conditions.

• HDS audiologists specialize in providing amplification for difficult-to-fit hearing losses, like Profound hearing loss, Permanent Conductive hearing loss, single-sided deafness, or congenital malformations. Testing of these conditions require specialized technology which is available at HDS.

• Currently, there are three audiologists on staff that perform approximately 2,500 tests per year. With the addition of a third large booth, it is expected that capacity will grow to 3,600 - 4,300 tests annually.

Photos: Denis Cahill Photo