Christine Whelan FEO, September 29, 2022, VOL. 4 ISSUE 3  

Seneka Caruso and Brittany Mott of Niagara Hearing & Health Inc. are holding their Grand Opening / Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for their new business, located at 224 Garrison Road, Unit #5 in Fort Erie, on Thursday, September 29th at 11:00 am.

The clinic with a patient-centred approach will focus on educating the public about the importance of understanding one’s own hearing health.

Seneka, who has received her Bachelor’s Degree in Health & Aging from McMaster University, as well as completed her MBA, shared their professional background to this point. “I have worked as a Sales Manager for the top two hearing aid manufacturers in Canada which has allowed me to work alongside clinical teams nationally in the treatment of hearing loss and lead the implementation of educational products on school boards globally.

“Brittany worked as a Clinical Audiologist. She has her Doctor of Audiology degree from the University of Buffalo. She has worked around Niagara for the past ten years in different clinics specializing in pediatrics, balance/dizziness disorders, as well as, tinnitus treatment.”

She added, “We are the only Audiology Clinic with a Clinical Audiologist.”

Both born and raised in Fort Erie, Caruso shared, “Brittany and I have known each other our whole lives. We grew up together. We’re family friends.”

And now they have combined forces. “We recognized that most of the clinics located within Fort Erie are in some capacity retail owned, meaning they are owned by hearing aid manufacturers in some capacity. We want to offer the residents of our community a different option.”

About the Clinic

“Our mission is to introduce a patient-centred approach to hearing health that is not currently available in the community. We want to emphasize the importance of hearing health and provide our community with a trusted hearing healthcare team.”

Seneka explained, “We want to offer a comprehensive hearing clinic where patients can come and really understand their hearing health and how it relates to their cognition.”

According to Caruso, studies just came out in 2020 so it’s just starting to create momentum. “Untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline are very closely correlated. And I don’t think a lot of people are aware of this. Hearing loss has been identified in the latest Lancet Commissions Report as the highest modifiable risk factor for delaying or preventing the onset of dementia later in life.

“Our first purchase when we opened was a cognitive screening tool. It’s called a Cognivue. It is included in every hearing assessment and every subsequent hearing assessment. We also send the results to family doctors to ensure that they’re aware of where the cognition is at with the patient and so that we can continue to monitor the situation, especially for those who really don’t want to do anything about their hearing.”

Niagara Hearing and Health Hearing Assessments include:

• Routine cognitive screening utilizing Cognivue (www.cognivue.com),
• Tympanometry to assess the health and function of our tympanic membrane (eardrum)
• Acoustic reflex assessments (assesses the health of our auditory cortex)
• Cerumen management utilizing various methods based on the patient’s needs
• Pure tone testing
• Bone conduction testing

Seneka explained, “We want people to come in and be able to understand where they’re at in terms of their hearing health, then be able to make informed choices, not to feel pressured to buy anything, but to feel that they can make the decision that is best for themselves, their budget and their lifestyle.

“If someone doesn’t have the budget to get hearing aids, that’s fine. We can help them because we are an independent clinic. But if they decide they don’t want hearing aids at all, we have the cognitive screening tools to identify how the untreated hearing loss is impacting them and we can interview them when necessary.”

If they decide they want hearing aids, patients can wear the aids on a trial basis first. “We allow them to try the aids programmed to their prescription. We want them to really incorporate them into their lives so that they feel when they do decide to get hearing aids or not, that it’s a truly informed decision with no pressure. It’s focused on their health and their needs.”

In talking about the Niagara Region’s number of factories that have employed many of the region’s residents in the past, Seneka remarked, “This is a huge part of our business. We’ve had people come in with a substantial hearing loss and they weren’t aware of the WSIB program they are able to apply to, so we help them through that whole process. We help them fill out the form. There’s a lot of back and forth. And if it is deemed by WSIB that their hearing loss is from occupational noise exposure, they’re covered for hearing aids for the rest of their lives, as of right now at least.”

Partners Within

The clinic has also partnered with a local dental hygienist, Niagara Mobile Dental Hygienist, a registered nurse, La Bella Pelle Medical Aesthetics, and a registered dietician, Hera Neal. Each of these healthcare professionals operates out of the clinic and represents the clinic’s philosophy of providing the community of Fort Erie with locally owned and operated independent businesses.

“We are continually offering various methods to educate the community, our latest initiative is our hearing health blog.” You can find their blog at niagarahearingandhealth.com/blog

“We are also on social media. I try to post educational information so that people can understand. We want people to be really informed about how untreated hearing loss can impact them later in life, how important it is to seek intervention, wherever they seek it.”

To contact the clinic directly, phone 905-871-7673.

Photo provided by Seneka Caruso.