Meet the Audiologist: Dr. Jill Bernstein

People ask me all the time how I chose the field of audiology and I had a recent experience with a patient that reinforced exactly why I chose this field. Most people don’t know this but, before I was an audiologist, I spent four years working as a Nursing Home Administrator in Pennsylvania and Westchester County in downstate New York. To prepare for that career I obtained my Masters in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University.

After graduation, while most of my classmates were taking high paying jobs at fancy consulting firms or going to work in government think tanks, I took a position in a 538 bed nursing home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was one of the most humbling and educational experiences of my life. I had the opportunity to get to know some amazing residents who had lead extraordinary lives prior to the decline in their health. I kept these residents in mind with everything I did to ensure their home was as clean, safe, and as satisfying as it could be. After a few years, I realized that, while I enjoyed developing personal relationships with the residents, being a Nursing Home Administrator was not going to be a long term career choice for me and looked to move on to something different.

I spent a long time investigating other options before I chose Audiology. For me, it was the perfect mix of working with technology and people. I didn’t want to give up the joy and satisfaction I received from the personal relationships I developed with my residents and audiology has allowed me to continue to do that.

I came to the University at Buffalo to get my Doctorate in Clinical Audiology and had planned to leave Buffalo as soon as I finished. Instead, I had the opportunity to do a summer rotation at Hearing Evaluation Services (HES), which lead to me completing my residency here. Here I am 11 years later! Coming from a non-profit, mission-driven organizational background, HES was just the right fit for how I believe people should be treated. In my years at HES, I’ve developed some wonderful relationships with my patients and their families. Along with my clinical responsibilities, I also oversee our Resident Training program. Selecting the best Residents for our practice involves looking beyond their clinical skills and at their motivation for why they do this work. One of the things I tell them during their orientation is to always think about how they would want their mother or father to be taken care of. If you always keep this question in your mind, you will always do right by your patient. Everyone at HES, from the front office staff, audiologists, and even the billing office live by this motto. It’s one of the things that really separates us from other audiology practices, but especially from large, retail dispensing outlets or “big box” stores.

These retail outlets spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing and newspaper advertisements to draw in new customers – and it works. Tempting offers such as “Buy One Hearing Aid, Get One Free” and “Save $2000!”, are hard to pass up if you are not a savvy and experienced hearing aid user. You should always ask yourself, “How can they afford to give so much away?” The answer is that they mark things up to outrageous prices to start with. This is why I was so upset recently when I met a woman who had been taken advantage of at one of these local retail hearing aid stores. She was lured in with the promise of a free hearing test and somehow walked out with a set of $6000 hearing aids.

Did they tell her she had an insurance benefit and apply it to the cost of the aids? No. Did they tell her she was buying mid-level technology for a premium price? No. Did they mention that they sold her an older model of a hearing aid that is no longer current technology? No.

HES used to sell the same hearing aids she was wearing from them…last year…for $3500 (including service and warranties).

This woman thought she was getting a bargain. The price started out at almost $7500 and with “promotions and discounts” (including one from the “Head Manager”) they made her feel like she really got a deal.

I was outraged when the full details of this purchase came to light during my appointment with her. So, I armed my patient with all the information she needed to return those hearing aids and lodge a complaint with the New York State Consumer Protection hotline.

This experience reinforced, again, why I love what I do and where I work. You or your loved one will never be tricked, swindled, or taken advantage of like this at HES. And if it happened to you someplace else, come and see us and we will see if we can help you make it right.

Dr. Jill Bernstein, Au.D.

COLD WEATHER AND YOUR HEARING

Protecting and preserving your hearing health is always one of our top priorities at HES. Environmental factors play a major role in the hearing health of many of our patients throughout the year.

As we enter the halfway point (hopefully) of winter in Western New York, it is a good time to remind you that cold air can also have an impact on your hearing as well.

Here are three important things to look out for with the cold weather relative to your hearing:

  • Increased risk of ear infections:
    • Cold temperatures limit the circulation in your ear – which can play a major role in causing ear infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chronic ear infections are one of the primary causes of hearing loss. Additionally, having the common cold (which means more fluid in the middle ear space) in conjunction with poor circulation is the perfect combination to affect your hearing! If you can’t differentiate between a decline in your hearing due to these factors versus a problem with your hearing aid, please call us and we can help get your problem taken care of sooner than later.
  • Risk of “Surfers Ear”:
    • Exostosis (commonly known as ‘Surfers Ear’) occurs when cold and wet environments cause abnormal bone outgrowth to form inside the ear canal, blocking the passage and impeding hearing. Early symptoms of exostosis include frequent ear infections, or trapped water inside the ear. If you or someone you know has a job that requires them to work outside a lot during the winter months – it is extra important to be aware of these symptoms.
  • Damage to Hearing Aids
    • If you wear a hearing aid that utilizes a battery, it is important to know that exposure to cold air can affect the battery life of your devices (just as it can affect the life of any device with batteries in the cold air). Additionally, condensation from wet and cold environments can cause breakdown and corrosion which could potentially damage the device.

The solution is simple. Protect your ears from the cold when you are outdoors! From hats, ear muffs, or other protective head gear. Additionally, never go without hearing protection, even if you think it is just for a short amount of time (We’re looking at you unlucky ones who have to run the snow blower after Lake Erie dumps snow on us!). If you think your hearing devices or hearing may have been affected by the cold weather, please contact our office for help on what to do.

Powerful Moments: Rebecca Witter, AuD

As an Audiologist, my days often bring powerful moments of realization when I let a patient hear what they’ve been missing for so many years.  Hearing loss is a slow, insidious process and year to year we don’t notice the shifts in our hearing until one day we grow so frustrated that we seek help.

I am grateful for the number of patients I have been able to reach and educate about this important health concern over the years.  When a patient “gets it”, they are so much more likely to re-engage in life and live it to the fullest.

“Vince” has been a patient at HES for many years.  When I switched from our Orchard Park office to our Amherst office, he came with me even though it added an extra 40 minutes to his drive from his home in Holland, NY.  Vince is one of those guys who oozes humility and kindness.  Business owner, husband, father, and easily one of my most favorite patients I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.  Vince is a self-made man but he’ll be the first to tell you that he’s lost without his hearing aids.  An otherwise healthy active 68-year old who relies on me to keep him connected to the things he loves most in life – his friends and family.

It wasn’t until recently that his reliance on me was illustrated in a way that I’ll never forget.  I opened an email from “Vince’s” daughter a few weeks ago.  I had never met “Sarah” before; only heard about her through “Vince” who spoke so proudly of her.  She told me that “Vince” had been admitted to Buffalo General Hospital and that they had to remove his permanently-worn hearing aids to do some imaging scans.  Because “Vince” wears a style of hearing aids that are called extended-wear, that means I place them deep in his ear canals and they stay there for 4-6 weeks before he returns to me for a new set.  “Sarah” had asked me if I could make a bedside call and replace his hearing aids at Buffalo General.  “Vince” had been diagnosed with stage four liver cancer.  He and his family received this diagnosis, but “Vince” had no idea what was happening to him because he simply wasn’t able to communicate with his doctors and his family during this critical time.  He laid in his hospital bed all weekend until Sarah thought to reach out and ask if I could come to his aid.

I went to his room that day and I’ll never forget the two looks on his face – the one before I put his hearing aids back in and the one after.  I mentioned “powerful moments” earlier referring to patients’ reactions to hearing well again for the first time.  This time the powerful moment was all my own.  “Vince” came back to life when those devices went in his ears.  He spoke first to his daughter and there was a collective sigh of relief among all of us.  The gratitude in his eyes when he looked up at me was all-consuming.

I did what I could to hold back my tears, but eventually we all let them fall down our faces.  I stopped looking at my patient that day as a patient.  I saw my own father in that moment and it deepened my purpose as an audiologist.

I left the hospital not knowing if I’d ever seen “Vince” again.  His prognosis isn’t strong, but I am hopeful that God won’t take this man from his family yet.  Whatever the outcome, “Vince” has left an impression on my heart that I will carry with me forever.

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