Port Washington Hearing Aid Expert Returns To Full Service

After more than a year of operating in a limited capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the audiologists at I Love Hearing are welcoming back patients to its Port Washington, N.Y. office with open arms.

The Port Washington location, one of several the practice operates in Long Island, has a particularly strong standing in the tight-knit community. According to Dr. Sophia Behrmann, audiologist at I Love Hearing, the practice is a “real staple” there – and has been for two decades.

“We are so glad to be back in our Port Washington location serving the needs of this great community,” said Behrmann. “We were welcoming patients by appointment only since September [2020], which was tricky due to the pandemic, so when we saw a real need in the community, we knew we had to get back to our full operating hours as soon as it was safe to do so.”

Citing the town’s motto, “Port Washington Strong,” Behrmann said that the I Love Hearing location along Main Street was one of the most visited before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After so many months of office closures followed by limited operation, our patients are thankful and happy that they can easily book an appointment and walk out with cleaned, well-adjusted hearing aids,” she said.

Behrmann noted that I Love Hearing is particularly attuned to how hearing loss may be present alongside several common comorbidities, such as diabetes, depression, and dementia. To help facilitate those conversations in the community and help raise awareness of the correlation between hearing and overall health, Behrmann said that the practice has a “Family and Friends” hearing test initiative, in which the person accompanying a patient to their appointment can get their hearing tested at the same time, free of charge.

“A lot of people don’t realize that starting at around age 50, you should have annual hearing tests, so we are now offering that as a service to everyone,” Behrmann said. “Hearing loss affects everybody, so if you’re already in our office waiting for someone, let’s give you a baseline so you know where your hearing is at.”

Behrmann added that the Family and Friends initiative is in line with the practice’s ethos that hearing should be just as important a part of preventive healthcare as yearly checkups with the doctor.

“We like to treat not just hearing loss, but how hearing loss affects someone’s whole life,” Behrmann said. “That’s why we like to focus on the overall medical management of hearing loss. That’s our vibe, and that’s why we want everyone who walks in the door, patients and their aides or their family members alike, to walk out knowing precisely where their hearing stands.”

Behrmann said that the office is continuing to practice safety protocol as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including mask wearing inside the office, thorough sanitation between appointments, and social distancing observed in the waiting room. One rule that has changed, though, is that I Love Hearing now allows patients to bring one person to accompany them to appointments.

“One of our main goals is to support the community the best we can by updating how people think about how hearing aids and hearing loss work and play a role in their lives,” Behrmann said. “All of us at I Love Hearing want people to hear to their best potential. This is especially important after a year apart during COVID-19 – with fewer gathering with loved ones, our patients may not have noticed changes in their hearing like they would have in an ordinary year. Hopefully, with the vaccine rollout and safe visits with friends and family returning, our patients are in a position where they can fully enjoy these interactions -- with fully tuned hearing aids after an appointment with us.”

I Love Hearing’s Port Washington office is located at 191 Main Street, near the Port Washington Public Library. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Sunday and evening hours are available by appointment. For more information and to make an appointment at any I Love Hearing location, visit www.ILoveHearing.com.