Tag Archives: hearing aid
Best hearing test in Henley,Bucks
Best hearing test in Henley,Bucks
Henley hearing clinic: News
The very best hearing test in Henley is at the Henley hearing Clinic, Buckinghamshire. We have the very latest technology to make your hearing test the very best out there. No compromising! You hearing health is the most important thing we care about.
Phonak Wins Three Red Dot Product Design Awards
Phonak hearing aids are available at the Henley Hearing Clinic.
Phonak, a global provider of hearing aids and wireless communication solutions, has been honored with three international Red Dot Awards for excellence in product design, the company announced. The product award winners include: Virto B-Titanium, said to be “the world’s first” mainstream titanium custom hearing aid; Audéo B-Direct, a Bluetooth®* hearing aid that is designed to directly connect to both a cell phone** and TV; and EasyView Otoblock, a product for hearing care professionals that is designed to allow for deeper ear impressions. The winners were celebrated at the Red Dot Gala earlier this month in Essen, Germany.
“Three Red Dot Award winners in one year is proof of what happens when you combine Phonak’s dedication to superior product design with a neverending quest to push the limits of innovation,” said Thomas Lang, senior vice president at Phonak. “Receiving honors for the Virto B-Titanium and EasyView Otoblock is a tribute to the amount of research and development Phonak devotes to producing the most cosmetically appealing and highest quality custom products on the market. Meanwhile, the awards for the revolutionary Audéo B-Direct keep on adding up!”
Virto B-Titanium
According to Phonak, the Virto B-Titanium is “the world’s first mainstream” custom hearing aid made of premium medical-grade titanium. It was designed to combine the benefits of titanium including superior strength and an extra light weight with the latest in 3D printing technology.
Audéo B-Direct
With the Audéo B-Direct, hearing aid wearers can answer or reject a phone call and talk completely hands-free by pressing the push button on their hearing aid. Meanwhile, the optional TV Connector uses proprietary AirStream™ technology to help connect wearers to their favorite TV programming for an immersive audio experience.
EasyView Otoblock
The EasyView Otoblock is designed to give hearing care professionals the ability to take deeper ear impressions by allowing “full visualization” of the eardrum, according to the company. Made from the seal of a Phonak Lyric™, the EasyView Otoblock attaches to existing otoscopes and speculas and is designed to provide better vision and light during Otoblock placement. It’s compatible with standard impression-making materials and stays on the impression during the scanning process, according to the company’s announcement. This may result in an average of 6mm more canal length information.
“I want to congratulate the award winners sincerely on their wonderful success in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2018,” said Professor Dr Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award. “Success in the competition is proof of the good design quality of the products and once again shows that companies are on the right path. When I speak about good design, I am referring to more than just an attractive product. All of the products are characterized by outstanding functionality. This demonstrates that the designers have understood their clients and their needs.”
For an inside look into the people behind Phonak’s Red Dot Award-winning products, visit:
Phonak Virto-B titanium 2018 Red Dot Award
Audéo B-Direct
Phonak EasyView Otoblock 2018 Red Dot Award
Three Red Dot Awards for Phonak in 2018
For more information, please visit www.phonak.com or www.phonakpro.com.
* Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc; Android™ is a trademark owned by Google, Inc
** with Bluetooth® 4.2 wireless technology and most older Bluetooth phones.
Hering loss app available
Samsung Announces Hearing Loss Detection App and New Initiative
The Problem
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 5% of the world’s population—or 466 million people—have disabling hearing loss. In Argentina, hearing impairment constitutes 18% of the existing disabilities according to Info LEG—86.6% of which experience hearing difficulties; 13.4% are deaf.
While those diagnosed with hearing loss can take necessary actions for their individual cases—taking preventive measures to avoid total deafness, getting hearing aids, learning sign language, etc—those who do not know what’s happening to them are subject to a more frustrating experience. This is especially true for children who may lose the chance to develop their cognitive skills and pursue higher education.
Using Technology to Bridge the Gap
uSound for Samsung is an initiative designed to bring technology to people with hearing loss—to help detect the risk of hearing loss and thus improve their quality of life in such essential aspects as communication and education, the South Korea-based company announced.
uSound Test is a free application that is designed to allow users to detect their hearing loss risk. According to the company’s press release, the app reproduces pre-calibrated sounds that users give feedback to. It then compares these results with its database, with the app reportedly detecting specific frequencies the user may have difficulty hearing. uSound Test is designed to analyze the auditory curve that results from the whole test to help determine the degree of hearing loss risk.
uSound for Samsung reportedly issues a report with the results, designed as “a risk indicator,” according to Samsung. Since the test is not designed to be a medical diagnosis, the app recommends users contact hearing health specialists when necessary.
Left to right: Eduardo Ezequiel Escobar, CEO, uSound; Sang Jik Lee, President, Samsung Electronics Argentina; Governor Gerardo Rubén Morales, Jujuy Province, and Dr Gustavo Alfredo Bouhid, Minister of Health, Jujuy Province, sign an agreement to distribute uSound for Samsung in the Jujuy province to help residents detect risk of hearing loss.
Cynthia Giolito, senior manager, corporate citizenship, Samsung Electronics Argentina, said: “uSound for Samsung reinforces our mission to offer technology with a purpose that improves quality of life. We are very proud to embark on this path and we hope to have solid results that will promote hearing accessibility in more places.”
Through uSound for Samsung, the company hopes to use its technology and resources to:
- Raise awareness about hearing loss and improve public policies;
- Avoid irreversible damage to hearing organs;
- Encourage learning and cognitive development for children;
- Develop speech and facilitate social inclusion;
- Contribute to a more egalitarian society.
Working with the Community
The Government of Jujuy will provide resources and workspaces for the hearing loss-detection campaign, according to Samsung. uSound will continue to help improve hearing experiences with its products, including the aforementioned test and an app that turns the cell phone into an auditory assistant**, according to the company’s announcement. Samsung Electronics will provide the necessary technology to carry out a first pilot test of uSound Test in health centers across Jujuy and will financially support the project.
Eduardo Ezequiel Escobar, CEO, uSound (fifth from left); Sang Jik Lee, President, Samsung Electronics Argentina (seventh from left); Governor Gerardo Rubén Morales, Jujuy Province (eighth from left), and Dr Gustavo Alfredo Bouhid, Minister of Health, Jujuy Province (ninth from left) pose with other related parties for a group picture commemorating the signing event.
Governor Gerardo Rubén Morales, Jujuy Province, said: “It is a pleasure to accompany uSound, a company from Jujuy, take on its challenges. With the support of Samsung, this project will impact thousands of people with hearing problems. It is great that this project started in Jujuy. We hope it can be replicated throughout Argentina and in other countries—technological innovation knows no boundaries.”
As a team, the Government of Jujuy, uSound, and Samsung Electronics Argentina will help give a larger part of the Argentine community access to tools to potentially change lives through the use of technology.
Ezequiel Escobar, CEO and co-founder of uSound, said: “We witnessed a truly historic opportunity for our company and for Jujuy. This plan, using our technologies, will benefit many people from Jujuy and has the potential to expand to help many more people around the world. We are talking about a huge impact that grows even more with the support from Samsung and the Ministry of Health of Jujuy.”
Samsung has been preparing for entry into the hearing care market for several years; Hearing Review reported that the company filed an April 2013 patent for a “small hearing aid.” In 2015, Samsung placed a $13.9 million order for hearing aid amplifiers driven, according to a BusinessKorea article, by Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s interest in what it called “mobile health care.” More recently, SamMobile reported in 2016 that Samsung applied for trademark registration of the term Earcle in South Korea, and that its application referenced hearing aids. Additionally, a Samsung device described as a “Samsung Bluetooth Hearing Aid” with the model number SM-R790, reportedly surfaced at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group’s (SIG) database.
* Not a medical diagnosis
** Not a hearing aid
*** Translated from Spanish and edited for clarity
Source: Samsung
Images: Samsung
BBC news reporter now wears a hearing aid.
Newsreader Lewis Vaughan Jones makes debut wearing hearing aid.
“It was crowded and loud on air”
A newsreader who suddenly lost the hearing in his left ear, has received messages of support after his first appearance on air with a hearing aid.
Lewis Vaughan Jones, 37, feared his career presenting the news on the BBC and ITN was over after doctors told him the hearing loss was permanent.
“That was the darkest moment,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.
He also spoke of his embarrassment in social situations and the difficulties of coming to terms with a hearing aid.
Vaughan Jones had good hearing all his life until he got a cold several months ago and couldn’t hear in one ear.
Doctors found his left eardrum was no longer working and the nerve which takes sound to the brain had given up, he told BBC Breakfast.
When they told him the sudden hearing loss and the tinnitus were permanent, he walked out of hospital “completely bamboozled”, he added.
The charity Action on Hearing Loss says about 11m people in the UK have some form of hearing loss, and 2m use hearing aids. It estimates that there are about 6.7m people who could benefit from hearing aids.
Before being fitted with a hearing aid, Vaughan Jones said his situation had left him frustrated and embarrassed.
“There’s only so many times you can interrupt. You feel embarrassed so you withdraw,” he said.
He also described how he would smile and nod along when spending time with friends and family, feeling unable to engage and as though he was missing out.
His hearing aid, he said, has been a massive help, allowing him to return to work.
His return to screen, however, was a noisy one as he can hear the director and correspondents through an earpiece in his right ear and an amplified, distorted version of his own voice through the hearing aid in his left.
The brain should learn to quieten down that distortion, he said.
Getting used to wearing a hearing aid has not come easy.
“I was self-conscious about it. My hair is slightly longer so that’s a reflection that I might have been trying to hide it,” he adds.
Now back on air, he wants to show everyone he is wearing one.
“There’s no logical reason why I shouldn’t wear my hearing aid on air and feel good about it,” he said.
Some took to Twitter to agree.
Robbie M said he started wearing two hearing aids five years ago after finding he was unable to hear in meetings. He advised Vaughan Jones to “wear them with pride,” adding: “Quality of life over people’s thoughts every time.”
Nikki Magrath said: “Great to hear you talk about SSHL [Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss] today. I know just how it feels. Has happened twice – once with full recovery.”
Hearing protection at Henley Hearing, Buckinghamshire
GN Store Nord Develops Device to Protect Soldiers’ Hearing
The global market for military communication systems is estimated to be about $630 million, and features competitors such as Peltor (3M), INVISIO, Silynx, Racal Acoustics, and MSA Sordin, according to long-time hearing industry analyst Niels Granholm-Leth of Carnegie Investment Bank in Copenhagen. GN has embarked on several projects in its GN Stratcom organization, which is currently part of GN Hearing, although the company could eventually establish it as a stand-alone division alongside its Hearing (ReSound, Beltone, and Interton) and Headset divisions (Jabra).
The new patented hearing protection solution is designed specifically for defense and security forces. GN says the solution offers the user a communication headset which is designed to be comfortable, highly durable, and protects the user against high volume noise. At the same time, by leveraging GN’s expertise within situational awareness, the solution allows its user to clearly identify important sound in 360°.
Anders Hedegaard
“The GN Group encompasses consumer, professional, and medical grade hearing technology under the same roof,” says CEO of GN Hearing, Anders Hedegaard. “This unique platform makes it possible to expand GN’s business into adjacent opportunities within the sound space. With our user-centric approach we aim to be the leader in intelligent audio solutions to transform lives through the power of sound.”
GN will be starting to build a small, swift group related to this new business opportunity. This year, GN will participate in military tenders in the United States and with other NATO-countries. The new product line will, under the name GN FalCom, include:
- Comfort. Designed for optimal physical comfort allowing for multiple hours of use in extreme combat situations;
- Clarity. Enables users to localize sounds all around them without the need to remove the earpiece. To maintain high quality communications at all times, GN FalCom will integrate seamlessly with military radio technology, and
- Protection. Allows users to stay connected while benefitting from noise protection. For example, users will experience the highest level of safety without blocking out wanted sounds.
The hearing protection solution builds on GN’s expertise in sound processing from both GN Hearing and GN Audio—and across R&D teams in the United States and Denmark. It is a successful result of corporate level investments made through GN’s Strategy Committee guided initiatives to explore opportunities outside of, but related to, GN’s existing business areas. According to the company, the hearing protection solution will be manufactured at GN’s existing production facilities in Bloomington, Minn, and will not impact GN’s financial guidance for 2018.
Are you taking care of your hearing aid?
Hearing aids have a predicted life expectancy of 3-5 years, however if your cleaning and maintenance routine is not well managed you could significantly reduce the lifespan and performance of your hearing aids.
The lifespan of your hearing aids is typically dictated by the amount of warranty period that you receive when you purchase them. If something mechanical goes wrong in this period then you will often have it repaired free of charge or even replaced. Outside of this period the manufacturer will charge for any repair, on occasion if the damage is within the warranty period and deemed to be a result of the patient, then the responsibility of the charges may fall on the patient.
The most common cause of user damage is wax or moisture within the microphone and receiver. Wax and moisture damage will also majorly affect the performance of the hearing aid long before the aid malfunctions, patients may find that the aid is weak, distorted or intermittent.
In order to reduce the probability of the aid malfunctioning a good cleaning routine is vital. The Cedis Sandry is a drying and cleaning system that will help maintain the performance of your hearing aid. It uses UV to kill all bacteria, and dries the aid over night to ensure your hearing aid is always working to its maximum. Combined with a suitable wax removal procedure you will reduce and prevent repairs.
This product would be perfect for patients who suffer from condensation, excessive perspiration, middle / outer ear infections and frequent repair problems. If you would like more information on the Cedis Sandry Cleaning System or would like to book in for a free clean and check hearing aid service then call Chalfont Hearing on 01494 765144 today.
Is your hearing aid fitted correctly? Are you hearing properly? Can we help?
In the UK there is no standardised way of fitting hearing aids, there are also various different qualifications that practictioner’s may possess in order to fit hearing aids. The outcome and fitting success can vary wildly depending on where you go. Some people may have had negative experiences with private hearing aids, some may have had negative experiences with the NHS. The main factor in the successful fitting of a hearing aid is the audiologist or hearing aid dispenser that is fitting the hearing aid. A hearing aid is only as good as the audiologist fitting it. When choosing a hearing aid it is important not to choose an aid based on price but on the competency of the audiologist. If the hearing is not fitted using some form of verification you may not achieve optimum hearing levels. Verification typically refers to the process of real ear measurement, insitu audiometry and speech mapping. If you hearing aids have not been fitted using this method they may not be working to their optimum. Under amplification may lead to a lack of clarity and over amplification may lead to feedback, noise, distortion and even further damage to your hearing.
To find out if your hearing aid is performing correctly contact us via email chalfonthearingcentre@live.co.uk or call 01494 765144.
Hearing Aid and Tinnitus Exhibition
Would you like to know more about hearing aids? Have you struggled to find impartial professional information about the latest digital hearing aid technology? Do you suffer from Tinnitus (‘ringing in the ears’ or ‘hissing noises’)? Then the Buckinghamshire Hearing Aid and Tinnitus Exhition is the perfect place for you!
2013’s exhibition will be held at the Village Hall, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Bucks.
The day provides the opportunity to speak to all of the worlds leading hearing aid manufacturers. This years attendee’s include Widex, Unitron, Phonak, Oticon, Starkey, Soundcure, Bucks hard of hearing club, NHS and Chalfont Hearing Centre.
There will be Free hearing tests, Demonstrations, Discounts, Bitesize technology talks and Refreshments. As well as opportunities to meet other people with hearing loss and share experiences and advice.
Registration for the day will enter attendees for a prize draw, discounts and a free hearing test. Call 01494 765144 to register