The North London Earwax Clinic employs endoscopic microsuction to gently and safely remove excess earwax, ensuring comfort and safety for the patient.
Earwax gets harder and more difficult to deal with the older we get. People in residential care homes or nursing homes are some of the most vulnerable people when it comes to hearing loss due to a build-up of excess earwax.
Here at The North London Earwax Clinic, our specialist audiologists use an ear suction tube, a process known as microsuction to gently dislodge and remove excess earwax from the ear canal. This is the safest and most comfortable method practised today.
North London Earwax Clinic is led by a qualified audiologist who can visit your care centre and make sure that your patients or family members get the most out of their hearing in the safest possible way.
Earwax Buildup and Age
Ear wax buildup and impacted ear wax are common problems in the elderly. As we age, the shape of our ear canals can change and become narrow. As a result it is harder for the cerumen to migrate out of the ear. Also the use of hearing aids (commonly used in the elderly population due to age related hearing loss) can also cause an excessive amount of cerumen build up.
Earwax buildup can be particularly impactful on elderly patients as it may exacerbate hearing impairments, affect their balance and lead to discomfort and pain.
Regular ear care checks and earwax removal can mitigate the complications related to impacted and excessive earwax and improve the general well-being of elderly patients.
Ear Care & Ear Wax Removal for Care Homes
North London Earwax Clinic can now offer a tailored service for care homes. Our trained audiologists can visit your residential care home to provide ear care consultations and microsuction earwax removal to individual patients or groups in a comfortable and familiar environment. We can also make these visits on a regular basis, to ensure that care home residents receive the care they need regularly.
Our prices for our senior ear care residential visits range from £80 for one or both ears. We may be able to offer a discount based on the number of residents needing earwax removal.
For regular visits from our audiology team, contact North London Earwax Clinic today for a quote.
More About the Earwax Microsuction Procedure
Our team uses a specialised oto-endoscope to safely and comfortably remove earwax through microsuction. The iCLEARscope® is equipped with a bright camera and attaches to an iPod, providing an unparalleled view of the ear canal and eardrum.
Our qualified audiologists use a low-pressure suction probe tube attached to a suction machine, along with other precision tools, to gently remove earwax.
This method offers full visibility and control to our audiologists, unlike other methods that may be carried out blindly or with limited visibility. Our residential care home patients can trust that the procedure is safe and comfortable. Thanks to the high precision of our tools, the process is generally pain-free and takes less than 30 minutes.
Do you have more questions about the microsuction process? Have a look at our FAQs page or browse our resources which have more detailed information.
Frequently Asked Questions
In some cases, yes, age can increase the risk of earwax buildup due to the structural changes of the ear canal (narrowing). This makes it harder for it to naturally migrate out of the ear canal, causing buildup. Factors such as coarser and longer ear hair, and the use of hearing aids can also increase the risk of buildup and impacted ear wax.
Excessive earwax buildup inside the ear canal can have a range of impacts on anyone, but especially on more vulnerable groups like aging patients. Symptoms include:
- Ringing in the ears
- Hearing loss
- Vertigo and negative effects on their balance
- Itchiness, irritation and pain
- Ear infections
- Impact of cognitive function due to hearing impairment/loss
Symptoms of age-related hearing loss are:
- Speech can be unclear and sound muffled
- Speakers with accents and high pitched voices can be harder to understand
- The need to ask people to repeat themselves
- Audio equipment being used at a higher volume than is acceptable
Statistically, the average age that people experience hearing loss is between the ages of 60 and 70. People may experience dulling of their hearing as early as their late 30s. By the time people in the UK reach 80 years old, over 50% have reduced hearing.
Reducing hearing loss in old age can be helped by following these steps:
- Avoid loud noises
- Reduce the amount of time you're exposed to loud noises
- Reduce the effect of loud noises with hearing protection
- Regularly visit an audiologist
- Regularly have your ears cleaned using safe methods such as Microsuction
Most people experience hearing loss as they age. By 80 years old, over 50% of people have some form of hearing loss.
