“I’ve read a lot of stories online about how people are pitching in to help caregivers, and I stumbled onto a story about a Boy Scout that used his 3D printer to create ‘ear guards’ to help medical staff suffering from face mask pain,” Brandon says. “I thought it was a great idea. That same week all caregivers were asked to start wearing masks in the hospital and I realized how much masks really do hurt the back of your ears, so I thought ‘I’m doing this.’ I reached out to Todd Neubert, the hospital administrator, to see if I could donate some to the hospital and he loved the idea, so I dusted off the old 3D printer and got busy.”
Brandon found a 3D printer pattern for the device, which holds the mask straps away from ears. He printed 200 straps with his 3D printer at home and brought them to the hospital for distribution.
The ear saver device takes pressure off caregivers’ ears and allows adjustments for a more comfortable fit. The strap has several hooks to adjust the fit and it has an opening where you can use a bobby pin or snap barrette to hold it in place. It can be cleaned and sanitized to be re-used. It can also be molded to fit each caregivers’ head.
Brandon was invited to go around the hospital distributing the ear guards with Todd, Brian Pendleton, RN, nurse administrator, and Kim Dansie from HR.
“The caregivers we gave them to were really happy and excited to get them,” Brandon says. “We left several at each area for other caregivers to use. Later I was walking around taking care of computer tickets and saw a lot of people using them. That was exciting to see.”
He adds, “Overall feedback was really positive. I’ve received a lot of thank you’s. It was the least my family could do for them — they are the front lines, they are our heroes.”