Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Wear a mask. Stay 6 feet apart. Sanitize. No wait, wear two masks. Whew, that’s a lot of commands! We are almost a year into the pandemic, and while the vaccines have given us hope that the end of the pandemic is near, it is perhaps more important than ever to stay vigilant in following guidelines put in place to keep us safe. In this post we will talk about everything we are doing to keep to our patients, our families, and ourselves, safe. We will discuss specific CDC recommendations and how we are implementing them in our office.
Face-Coverings
We require every patient to wear a mask, and of course all of our employees wear them as well. The have proven to be an effective tool in the fight against the coronavirus. They also keep your face warm on those cold, snowy days, bonus! Here are some considerations for wearing your mask:
- When you wear a mask, you protect others as well as yourself. Masks work best when everyone wears one.
- A mask is NOT a substitute for social distancing. Masks should still be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart, especially when indoors around people who don’t live in your household.
- Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the sides of face without gaps.
Wearing masks have presented some unique challenges for those hard of hearing. Here are a few recommendations to help, and in another post, we will go deeper into this subject. If you interact with people who rely on reading lips, you may have difficulty communicating while wearing a mask.
- Consider wearing a clear mask or a cloth mask with a clear panel
- If you are not able to get a clear mask, consider using written communication, closed captioning, or decreasing background noise to make communication possible while wearing a mask that blocks lips
As another layer of protection, we have added Plexiglass in our patient areas. This comes in handy during the try on process of your hearing aids. Since the mask straps can be an extra hinderance around your ears, the Plexiglass is there to provide that protection between you and your hearing specialist while you comfortably try on your hearing aids.
Cleaning
We went through our services and added a “buffer” time to each service. This buffer time allows for more time in between each patient so the office can be thoroughly cleaned before the next person comes in. Once a patient leaves our office, we go through and sanitize every surface they may have touched, even down to the pen they used to sign in. The bathroom is also wiped down and sanitized after each patient use. To read the guidelines we used to implement our cleaning practices, head over to the CDC website here.
Social Distancing
We have all been encouraged to social distance when possible, at least 6 feet. As business owners, we were recommended to alter our workspace to help workers and customers keep physically distant. The installation of the Plexiglass did help with this, but we continued to brainstorm to think of what other risks there were and what we could do. We get deliveries everyday, sometimes multiple, so we decided to create a shipping station right inside the door. This gives the delivery workers a quick drop point, but it also allows us to stay physically distant. Since our appointments are more spaced out we usually do not have more than one patient in at a time. However, if we do, we have established three separate waiting areas so each patient can still feel safe while waiting to be seen.
Your Hearing is Important
During this time, we have certainly learned which activities are essential, and which ones can probably wait. Grocery shopping? Essential. Dining inside our favorite restaurant? Probably can wait, curbside for the win! Hearing Health? Essential. We do believe hearing is essential, maybe even more critical now. That is why our doors are open and we welcome you to come visit. We promise we will keep you safe when you do.
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