Upper East Side Audiologist Re-Opens After COVID-19 Overhaul

Oct 5, 2020

NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As offices reopen across New York City, the hearing aid experts at I Love Hearing are once again accepting patients with heightened precautions and safety procedures.

"Patients want to come in for their regular audiology checkups and hearing aid tune-ups, and we want to ensure that they feel safe and secure during their stay," said Leigh Ann Sauerbier, one of the lead Audiologists at I Love Hearing. "We are eager and excited to welcome back patients."

Dr. Leigh Ann Sauerbier is looking forward to returning the Upper East Side and providing local residents with the very best in hearing healthcare.

An exterior view of I Love Hearing's Manhattan location.

I Love Hearing, which operates several locations in Long Island and one on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, closed their offices at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the well-being of patients, many of whom fall into a category at risk for coronavirus-related complications.

"Audiology involves working very closely with patients, whether it's an ear exam or hearing aid adjustment," Sauerbier said. "It was best to operate out of an abundance of caution."

First and foremost, Sauerbier said, was ensuring that ILH could reopen both safely and efficiently.

"All patients, visitors, and staff are required to wear a mask over their nose and mouth in order to come to I Love Hearing," Sauerbier said. "Even if you don't like wearing a mask, you need to for two reasons: it helps protect the health and safety of everyone in the office, and it makes other patients leery to see an unmasked person in the office during the pandemic."

Sauerbier said that I Love Hearing has implemented enhanced cleaning measures involving disinfecting frequent touch points, common areas, exam rooms, and equipment. Additionally, I Love Hearing schedules 15 minutes between each patient to ensure adequate disinfecting time while minimizing the number of people in the waiting room.

"All surfaces are disinfected after every single patient," Sauerbier said, adding that patients should come by themselves to their appointments whenever possible. "By spacing out appointments, we can also ensure that our waiting rooms are comfortable and safe spaces for every patient."

Now that mask-wearing is an everyday occurrence in New York, Sauerbier said I Love Hearing offers a Mask Program for those who wear hearing aids to help fine-tune their devices for speech muffled by masks. This new program is one of many ways ILH is innovating in addition to their focus on safety.

"We change the frequency level of hearing aids so wearers get better input," Sauerbier said. "If someone is struggling to hear speech, they can press a button and their hearing aids change and can become more sensitive."

As the winter months approach, Sauerbier encourages patients to schedule their appointments before years' end.

"It's going to be harder to come out once winter comes, so we encourage patients to come in as soon as they can and not push off their checkups until Spring 2021," Sauerbier said. "We want to see how our patients are adjusting and are looking forward to welcoming everyone back."

For more information, including office hours, visit www.ilovehearing.com.

ABOUT I LOVE HEARING
I Love Hearing offers hearing aid fittings, hearing aid service, hearing aid testing, hearing protection products, hearing aid accessories, hearing aid classes and workshops, tinnitus therapy, and ear wax management under the care of experienced hearing professionals. I Love Hearing sells nearly every brand on the market, and services all brands of hearing aids and hearing protection. Locations include the Upper East Side of Manhattan and four in Long Island in Nassau County: Port Washington, New Hyde Park, Great Neck, and East Meadow. For more information, visit www.ILoveHearing.com.

SOURCE I Love Hearing