Starkey’s Livio AI Featured in ‘TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019′ List
The Keynsham hearing centre are excited to learn that Starkey’s Livio AI has featured in the ”Time’s 100 Best.
Starkey Hearing Technologies announces that Livio AI, “the world’s first multi-purpose hearing aid,” has earned a place on TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019 in the accessibility category. This list is said to “highlight inventions that are making the world better, smarter, and even a bit more fun.”
Bath hearing centre
Starkey Livio AI, at Keynsham hearing
TIME uses a multi-step process to assemble the annual list. Contenders from around the world are evaluated on key factors, including originality, effectiveness, ambition, and influence. The result: One hundred groundbreaking inventions that are changing the way we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible, according to Starkey’s announcement.
Livio AI features integrated sensors and artificial intelligence, providing what the company says is “superior sound quality and the ability to track both body and brain health.” By providing direct monitoring of physical and cognitive activity, including fall alerts and transcription features, Livio AI helps raise awareness about the connection between treating hearing loss and reducing health risks, like cognitive decline and heart disease.
Somerset hearing centre
“I’d like to thank TIME for this incredible recognition. We are humbled and proud to be on this list and in the company of other innovative companies that are truly making the world a better place,” said Starkey President Brandon Sawalich. “I’m grateful to the entire Starkey team for its relentless dedication to helping people hear better, so they can live better. Thank you for continuing to push us to break technological boundaries and transform hearing health as we know it.”
The new issue of TIME, featuring Starkey and Livio AI, goes on sale November 22.
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Signia Pure Charge & Go X Hearing Aids are available at the Keynsham hearing centre between Bristol and Bath.
Signia Pure Charge & Go X Hearing Aids are available at the Keynsham hearing centre. The hearing centre is renowned for the latest hearing devices on the market today. Stephen Neal, the lead audiologist at Keynsham is a fully qualified hearing expert that is also a ear wax removal specialist.
If you need ear wax removing or ”Syringing” please call reception and ask for Anita to book an appointment.
Bath ear wax removal
You can watch how ear wax is removed by using Microsuction here. This is our very latest Microsuction video to show how easy and quickly it really is.
If you are suffering with hearing loss and need a hearing test, we can test your ears to see if there is any hearing loss at all in either ear and then discuss what the best solution (if needed), would be best for you.
Bristol ear wax removal
Keynsham hearing news:
Signia Launches Pure Charge&Go X Hearing Aid
Published on
Signia (a brand of WS Audiology A/S) announced the general availability of the Pure Charge&Go X. Built upon the recently launched Signia Xperience platform, the new devices are said to provide wearers with “superior hearing even when in motion—all in a sleek, rechargeable hearing aid.”
Pure Charge&Go X is a receiver-in-canal (RIC) device that includes “the world’s first acoustic-motion sensors,” according to the company’s announcement. Since a hearing aid wearer’s sound environment can change suddenly, this technology can reportedly adapt to changes in their soundscape and detect when the wearer is in motion, responding automatically to “deliver natural and personalised sound from any direction, in any situation—even when moving.”
Microsuction at the Keynsham hearing centre, Bath.
With 20% more battery capacity and and a size 16% smaller than the previous version, according to Signia, Pure Charge&Go X is said to provide “a comfortable, long-lasting wearing experience.”
Better hearing for a life in motion
The technology and features of Pure Charge&Go X help wearers navigate everyday life, whether on the go at work or at home with family. For instance, Reed Doughty, a 37-year-old former professional football player and current school athletic director, benefits from the acoustic-motion sensors to help him understand speech from any direction throughout his busy day.
“I go from a weight room, to a board meeting room, to a classroom, to an athletic field, to the loud gym, to home with four kids, to a dinner out with my wife,” Doughty said. “Being able to navigate these settings and not just get through but actually enjoy those experiences is great, because those loud and differing environments can be frustrating for someone with hearing loss.”
Terry Hanratty is another former football pro who, after playing for eight seasons and working on Wall Street for three decades, is used to being on the go. For this active 71-year-old, hearing is important for a good quality of life and staying connected. An experienced wearer, Hanratty found more success with Signia’s Pure Charge&Go X compared to his previous pair.
“They are really a game changer, because with the previous ones, I could hear, but I couldn’t hear everything,” Hanratty said. “The biggest factor is that I can hear every word. I carry on a conversation with anybody and I’m hearing everything.”
Advanced technology in a smaller device
The new Pure Charge&Go X hearing aids deliver hearing technology with the features important to today’s hearing aid wearers like Doughty and Hanratty. They offer Bluetooth connectivity to stream phone calls, music, and TV audio to their hearing aids. Wearers also benefit from Signia’s world’s first Own Voice Processing (OVP), which processes the wearer’s voice separately from other sounds for a “natural sounding own voice.”
The Pure Charge&Go X is said to offer Signia Xperience hearing technology with lithium-ion recharge-ability and full Bluetooth connectivity.
Built with lithium-ion recharge-ability, Pure Charge&Go X reportedly holds 20% more battery capacity than Signia’s previous Pure Charge&Go device, giving wearers greater flexibility and convenience as they go about their day, the company says.
A new inductive charger includes a protective lid that also dehumidifies the devices and fits custom earmolds. The charger is also backwards compatible with all Signia lithium-ion inductive charging hearing aids.
Signia Pure Charge & Go X Hearing Aid Bristol
Pure Charge&Go X is also compatible with the newly launched Signia app, which combines all existing Signia apps into one. The new app enables wearers to further personalise the hearing experience, manage streaming activities, and even connect with their hearing care professional remotely.
https://keynshamhearing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Bath-ear-syringing-microsuction.jpg426640adminhttp://www.keynshamhearing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/logo-300x79.pngadmin2019-11-18 18:18:402019-11-19 09:50:06Signia Pure Charge & Go X Hearing Aid Bristol
If you are in need of a hearing centre in the Bath area we are located in Keynsham very close to Bath. We specialise in ear wax removal (see our ear syringing video here), and we are experts in hearing aids, supplying and fitting the very latest 2020 versions of digital hearing instruments. We are a local independent company that are very competitive on price for hearing aids. Ear wax removal we use Micro-suction or the traditional water irrigation method.
Ear syringing Bath
Keynsham Hearing News :
Smartphone App to Detect Ear Infections Developed at University of Washington
By Sarah McQuate, Science Writer | University of Washington News & UW College of Engineering
Ear infections are the most common reason that parents bring their children to a paediatrician, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This condition occurs when fluid builds up in the middle ear behind the eardrum and is infected. This buildup is also common in another condition called otitis media with effusion. Any kind of fluid buildup can be painful and make it hard for children to hear, which can be especially detrimental when they are learning to talk.
Both conditions are hard to diagnose because they have vague symptoms: Sometimes children tug on their ears or have fevers, and sometimes there are no symptoms. In addition, young children may not be able to describe where they hurt.
Dr Randall Bly, an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the UW School of Medicine who practices at Seattle Children’s Hospital, uses the app to check his daughter’s ear. Photo credit: Dennis Wise/University of Washington
Now researchers at the University of Washington have created a new smartphone app that can detect fluid behind the eardrum by simply using a piece of paper and a smartphone’s microphone and speaker. An article detailing the app’s functionality is posted on the University of Washington’s media portal, UW News. The smartphone makes a series of soft audible chirps into the ear through a small paper funnel and, depending on the way the chirps are reflected back to the phone, the app determines the likelihood of fluid present with a probability of detection of 85%. This is on par with current methods used by specialists to detect fluid in the middle ear, which involve specialised tools that use acoustics or a puff of air.
“Designing an accurate screening tool on something as ubiquitous as a smartphone can be game changing for parents as well as health care providers in resource-limited regions,” said co-author Shyam Gollakota, an associate professor in the UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. “A key advantage of our technology is that it does not require any additional hardware other than a piece of paper and a software app running on the smartphone.”
Once diagnosed, ear infections can be easily treated with observation or antibiotics, and persistent fluid can be monitored or drained by a doctor to relieve symptoms of pain or hearing loss. A quick screening at home could help parents decide whether or not they need to take their child to the doctor.
This app works by sending sounds into the ear and measuring how those sound waves change as they bounce off the eardrum. The team’s system involves a smartphone and a regular piece of paper that the doctor or parent can cut and fold into a funnel. The funnel rests on the outer ear and guides sound waves in and out of the ear canal. When the phone plays a continuous 150 millisecond sound—which sounds like a bird chirping—through the funnel, the sound waves bounce off the eardrum, travel back through the funnel, and are picked up by the smartphone’s microphone along with the original chirps. Depending on whether there’s fluid inside, the reflected sound waves interfere with the original chirp sound waves differently.
“It’s like tapping a wine glass,” said co-first author Justin Chan, a doctoral student in the Allen School. “Depending on how much liquid is in it, you get different sounds. Using machine learning on these sounds, we can detect the presence of liquid.”
When there is no fluid behind the eardrum, the eardrum vibrates and sends a variety of sound waves back. These sound waves mildly interfere with the original chirp, creating a broad, shallow dip in the overall signal. But when the eardrum has fluid behind it, it doesn’t vibrate as well and reflects the original sound waves back. They interfere more strongly with the original chirp and create a narrow, deep dip in the signal.
Bath ear syringing
To train an algorithm that detects changes in the signal and classifies ears as having fluid or not, the team tested 53 children between the ages of 18 months and 17 years at Seattle Children’s Hospital. About half of the children were scheduled to undergo surgery for ear tube placement, a common surgery for patients with chronic or recurrent incidents of ear fluid. The other half were scheduled to undergo a different surgery unrelated to ears, such as a tonsillectomy.
“What is really unique about this study is that we used the gold standard for diagnosing ear infections,” said co-first author Dr Sharat Raju, a surgical resident in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the UW School of Medicine. “When we put in ear tubes, we make an incision into the eardrum and drain any fluid present. That’s the best way to tell if there is fluid behind the eardrum. So these surgeries created the ideal setting for this study.”
After parents provided informed consent, the team recorded the chirps and their resulting sound waves from the patients’ ears immediately before surgery. Many of the children responded to the chirps by smiling or laughing.
The system uses a regular piece of paper cut and folded into a funnel to guide sound waves in and out of the ear canal. Photo credit: Dennis Wise/University of Washington
Among the children getting their ear tubes placed, surgery revealed that 24 ears had fluid behind the eardrum, while 24 ears did not. For children scheduled for other surgeries, two ears had bulging eardrums characteristic of an ear infection, while the other 48 ears were fine. The algorithm correctly identified the likelihood of fluid 85% of the time, which is comparable to current methods that specialised doctors use to diagnose fluid in the middle ear.
Bath ear wax removal
Then the team tested the algorithm on 15 ears belonging to younger children between 9 and 18 months of age. It correctly classified all five ears that were positive for fluid and nine out of the 10 ears, or 90%, that did not have fluid.
“Even though our algorithm was trained on older kids, it still works well for this age group,” said co-author Dr Randall Bly, an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the UW School of Medicine who practices at Seattle Children’s Hospital. “This is critical because this group has a high incidence of ear infections.”
Because the researchers want parents to be able to use this technology at home, the team trained parents how to use the system on their own children. Parents and doctors folded paper funnels, tested 25 ears, and compared the results. Both parents and doctors successfully detected the six fluid-filled ears. Parents and doctors also agreed on 18 out of the 19 ears with no fluid. In addition, the sound wave curves generated by both parent and doctor tests looked similar.
“The ability to know how often and for how long fluid has been present could help us make the best management decisions with patients and parents,” Bly said. “It also could help primary care providers know when to refer to a specialist.”
The team also tested the algorithm on a variety of smartphones and used different types of paper to make the funnel. The results were consistent regardless of phone or paper type. The researchers plan on commercialising this technology through a spin-out company, Edus Health, and then making the app available to the public.
“Fluid behind the eardrum is so common in children that there’s a direct need for an accessible and accurate screening tool that can be used at home or in clinical settings,” Raju said. “If parents could use a piece of hardware they already have to do a quick physical exam that can say ‘Your child most likely doesn’t have ear fluid’ or ‘Your child likely has ear fluid, you should make an appointment with your pediatrician,’ that would be huge.”
Rajalakshmi Nandakumar, a doctoral student in the Allen School, is also a co-author on this paper. This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the NIH, and the Seattle Children’s Sie-Hatsukami Research Endowment.
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Bellow is an informative new paper released in September 2019. If you suffer from hearing loss and Tinnitus it could be something to look at.
Does Tinnitus Get Worse as Hearing Loss Increases in Severity?
“Our results suggest that tinnitus will likely get louder, but not by very much,” write Hashir Aazh, PhD, and Richard Salvi, PhD, in their recent study published in JAAA which shows only a weak association between tinnitus loudness and puretone average (PTA) thresholds.
When patients ask an audiologist or hearing care professional if their tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is going to get worse as their hearing loss progresses, what answer do they usually receive? Most hearing care professionals will reassure the patient by telling them that, although it’s possible for this to occur, it’s generally not a problem they’ve observed in their practice. Now there is some clinical science to back up this answer.
A paper published in the September 2019 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology by Hashir Aazh, PhD, and Richard Salvi, PhD, shows that the relationship between tinnitus loudness and puretone average (PTA) thresholds are only weakly associated.
Tinnitus and hearing loss Bath & Bristol
Hashir Aazh, PhD
The researchers looked at a retrospective cross-sectional sample of 445 consecutive patients at the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy Specialist Clinic in Guildford, UK, who had been surveyed with audiological and self-report questionnaires. The patients were seen from 2013 to 2016 and had an average age of 54.4 years, with an even split between males (49%) and females (51%). Questionnaires included the visual analog scale (VAS), tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), hyperacusis questionnaire (HQ), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and the insomnia severity index (ISI).
Richard Salvi, PhD
In the sample, a total of 12% of patients had no tinnitus handicap on the THI, while 32% had mild, 24% had moderate, and 33% had severe tinnitus handicap. Based on PTA for the better ear, 66% of the tinnitus patients had no hearing loss, 29% had mild hearing loss, and 5% had moderate hearing loss. For the worse ear, 49% of patients had no hearing loss, 36% had a mild loss, 13% had a moderate loss, while 0.6% and 0.9% had a severe and profound hearing loss respectively.
When analyzing tinnitus severity and hearing loss via a regression model, a .036 increase in loudness per 1-dB increase in PTA threshold was found at a significant level of confidence. “This relationship is very weak and the linear model explains only 4% of the variance in tinnitus loudness, suggesting that factors other than severity of hearing loss may contribute to self-report tinnitus loudness,” write the authors.
However, correlations were noted between tinnitus severity and the other variables measured in the questionnaires. These included:
Based on the HQ score, 32% experienced hyperacusis (unusual sensitivity/aversion to louder sounds) with 4% being diagnosed with severe hyperacusis.
While 31% did not have insomnia, 29.5% had mild insomnia, while 27.5% and 12% had moderate or severe insomnia respectively.
Tinnitus loudness was more strongly correlated with tinnitus annoyance and tinnitus life effect than PTA.
The authors hypothesise that the weak association between PTA and tinnitus severity could be explained by an increase in spontaneous activity within the central nervous system (CNS) after cochlear damage, as cited in other studies. However, the authors also note the weak correlation “may be due to the fact that threshold measures do not accurately capture some forms of cochlear pathology that may trigger tinnitus.” For example, it’s possible that some forms of tinnitus might arise from damaged inner hair cells or afferent synapses, but these types of cochlear damage are often not reflected in an audiogram (eg, cochlear synaptopathy or “hidden hearing loss”).
Drs Aazh and Salvi conclude, “Tinnitus patients often ask whether the loudness of their tinnitus will increase if their hearing gets worse. Our results suggest that tinnitus will likely get louder, but not by very much.” They note that the study was limited to information gathered in day-to-day clinics and did not include psychoacoustic measures of tinnitus loudness which might be useful in further research.
Ear wax removal Bath & Bristol
Dr Aazh is head of the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy Specialist Clinic at the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford, UK. Dr Salvi is the co-founder and director of the Center for Hearing and Deafness at the University of Buffalo. —KES
Original paper: Aazh H, Salvi R. The relationship between severity of hearing loss and subjective tinnitus loudness among patients seen in a specialist tinnitus and hyperacusis therapy clinic in UK. J Am Acad Audiol. 2019;30(8)[Sept]:712-719.
About the author: Karl E. Strom is editor of The Hearing Review and has been reporting on hearing healthcare issues for over 25 years.
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New custom hearing aids Bath, at the Keynsham hearing centre near Bristol and Bath
New custom hearing aids Bath are now available at the Keynsham hearing centre. Hearing aids have transformed the way people live and work in recent technology advances. Today hearing aids can be tailored to an individual like never before. The days of plain analogue amplification of every noise in the room or outdoors have pretty much gone. The latest digital hearing aids are so clever that they can in most instances only increase the level of the frequency loss and not any other frequency making the hearing aids more uncomfortable sonic wise.
Hearing aids Bath
Here at Keynsham hearing we know what how to get the best from your new hearing aids. After a comprehensive hearing test we will know what level of hearing loss you maybe experiencing. With this knowledge we then can decide what type of hearing aid you may need to make your hearing a lot better. Once we have this information we can then go onto tailoring the actual aid. New to the market are hearing aids that sit in the ear canal and are now more powerful in helping you hear far better than the traditional over the ear type. This is new and exciting times fro hearing aids. Stephen Neal is an expert audiologist at Keynsham and will gladly take you through the process of getting your hearing back on track.
Below is a press release explaining how the new in ear hearing aids have advanced. It’s an interesting read!
Please call or book an appointment with Anita on reception to start your journey back to hearing again.
Keynsham Hearing News:
Great Sound in Miniature: GN Hearing Introduces New Custom-crafted Hearing Aids
Published: Aug 30, 2019
Aug. 30, 2019 11:00 UTC
BALLERUP, Denmark–(BUSINESS WIRE)– GN Hearing, the global leader in hearing aid connectivity, today launched a suite of new custom-crafted hearing aids. The new portfolio packages the industry renowned ReSound LiNX Quattro™ technology – a brilliant experience with Layers of Sound, great speech intelligibility even in noisy situations, and excellent streaming – into discreet custom-crafted hearing aids. While taking up as little space as possible in the ear canal, users will benefit from an impressive listening experience.
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Great hearing is in high demand. Not only are 466 million people around the world living with disabling hearing lossi, ReSound LiNX Quattro has also seen a positive reception in the market, which has led to the launch of new custom hearing aids for this popular model. The new custom-crafted hearing aids can enrich people’s lives with all the qualities of hearing, such as socializing, learning, and working optimally. In addition, each hearing aid is designed to fit exactly to the ear canal of every individual user, using a 3D scanner and advanced personalized modelling. Sitting discreetly in the ear canal, the design can also bring extra confidence to the user.
Beristol hearing aids
ReSound LiNX Quattro is a clear number one for streaming. In an independent study, streaming music and speech from an iPhone was top-rated for ReSound LiNX Quattro compared to other hearing aidsii. Users can benefit from using the new small and discreet custom-crafted hearing aids for taking calls and streaming their favourit music and TV shows. They can also stream sound directly to the hearing aids from an iPhone with no need for intermediate devices and the hearing aids are built for direct Android™ streaming, tooiii.
“ReSound LiNX Quattro has been very well received by people with hearing loss. We are dedicated to bringing the technological benefits to more users, who prefer wearing their hearing aids discreetly in the ear canal,” said Jakob Gudbrand, President and CEO of GN Hearing. “These technological wonders in miniature are truly personalized and custom-crafted to fit each person’s hearing, yet with the brilliant experience with Layers of Sound and excellent streaming that people appreciate.”
Four new options are available: the first Completely-in-Canal (CIC) 2.4 GHz wireless hearing aid for direct streaming, high-quality In-the-Canal (ITC) and In-the-Ear (ITE) models, and the industry’s only Mic-in-Helix (MIH) hearing aid. Each custom-crafted hearing aid comes in five skin-tone colors to ensure that they are personal and discreet for every user.
Independent Bath hearing company at the Keynsham hearing centre. Stephen Neal audiologist at Keynsham hearing is an expert in ear wax removal using Microsuction. Microsuction ear wax removal is a safe, easy painless way of removing wax. You can watch our ear wax removal video here.
We also conduct hearing test in the Bath area including dispensing the very latest hearing aids form all the main manufacturers. We are a family run company so are very friendly and not like the large high street stores. Stephen and Anita Neal are the owners and that is who you will see when you arrive for a consultation.
Ear wax removal Bath at the Keynsham hearing centre, by Stephen Neal
Keynsham hearing news:
Phonak Marvel Receives Gold Stevie Award, Named ‘Innovation of the Year’
Published on
Phonak announced its Marvel hearing aid solution has won a Gold Stevie Award and was named Innovation of the Year—Consumer Products Industries in the 2019 International Business Awards. According to comments obtained from judges, the multifunctional hearing solution received top honors for being “the world’s first hearing aid to combine universal Bluetooth connectivity, lithium-ion rechargeability, and top-rated sound quality into a single device.” The Gold Stevie marks the fourth major product honor awarded to Phonak Marvel this year, placing it among the company’s most highly-awarded products ever, according to Phonak.
“We are thrilled that Phonak Marvel has received a Gold Stevie award and was named an Innovation of the Year,” said Martin Grieder, Group Vice President, hearing instruments marketing. “Marvel truly is the culmination of so many of our innovations into one product—including rechargeability, universal Bluetooth connectivity, Binaural VoiceStream Technology, and various eSolutions, just to name a few. All this technology works together to produce clear, rich sound quality from the very first fit.”
The Gold Stevie award is the latest product honor awarded to Phonak Marvel this year. In June, Marvel received the 2019 MedTech Breakthrough Award for its ability to fully support stereo audio streaming from Android and iOS devices. Also in June, Phonak eSolutions, optimized for Marvel, was the winner of the 2019 Mobile Business Awards. Phonak Marvel also received a Silver Edison Award in April and was named a 2019 CES Innovation Award Honoree in January.
A record total of more than 4,000 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Company of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Startup of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.
Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 250 executives worldwide who participated in the judging process from May through early August, according to Phonak’s announcement.
For more information about Phonak Marvel, visit: www.phonak.com. Details about The International Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners are available at: www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.
A new report from the Oticon hearing suggests that as you get older we all start to lose our hearing which we all know. However the amount of hearing loss is practically not known unless you survey and test many many 1000’s of people. The new report surveyed the ” Rock and Roll” generation and the findings are pretty stark reading.
Bath hearing test
The report is bellow, it’s a sober fact that hearing loss does happen in constant loud environments even if you are enjoying the experience. If you feel that maybe you had done a lot of head banging back in the day and maybe feel a little hard of hearing sometimes, book in and let’s try and correct some of the hearing loss. At least then you can turn down your Iron Maiden via your iPhone directly to your hearing device.
Bath hearing aids
Oticon hearing aids available in Keynsham-Bristol-Bath
Oticon Hearing Health Poll Shows Hearing Loss Among Woodstock Generation
Fifty years after the iconic “Three Days of Peace and Music,” a just-released survey by The Harris Poll, commissioned by Oticon, Inc, suggests that members of the Woodstock Generation may be experiencing unintended consequences of their love of hard-charging, culture-changing rock n’ roll. According to the online survey of more than 1,000 US adults ages 65-80 conducted in June, the prevalence of hearing loss among those who listened to loud music when they were young (ie, in their teens and 20s) is 40% greater than the percentage of hearing loss indicated in studies of older Americans that don’t include questions about music listening habits, Oticon announced.
That fact, and many more revealed in The Harris Poll survey, are at the core of Oticon’s nationwide media blitz to alert adults and young people to the importance of hearing health for maintaining lifelong quality of life. Timed to coincide with Woodstock celebrations across the country, Oticon has launched a targeted media campaign that includes media interviews by Oticon audiologists and a network of hearing care professionals in local markets, press releases, social media posts, and a colorful infographic, all to drive home the risks of noise and age-related hearing loss and the need for regular hearing health checks.
Hearing test Bath
Then and Now Hearing Health Matters
“We recognised a unique opportunity to tap into consumer and media excitement around the 50thanniversary of Woodstock to promote a hearing health message that would resonate with people of all ages, especially music lovers,” said Gary Rosenblum, President of Oticon, Inc. “The survey results allow us to demonstrate the far-reaching consequences of loud music listening on hearing health. Fifty years ago, many believed that turning up the volume and seeking out concerts with the biggest speakers contributed to music enjoyment. Today, we know the long-term effects of noise on hearing health and the importance of protecting hearing to maintain not only the ability to enjoy music and conversation but overall quality of life.”
Ear wax removal Bath
The Harris Poll survey questioned the Woodstock Generation about their listening habits in their youth and their ability to hear and enjoy music now. The survey found that 47% of the Woodstock Generation who listened to loud or very loud music when they were in their teens and 20s now report hearing loss. As a result, many of the Woodstock Generation (41%) say they are unable to enjoy music as they once did. The negative impact of hearing loss on their ability to participate in social activities/gatherings, at least a little, was reported by 41% of those adults with hearing loss, and 38% say their hearing loss affects relationships with family or friends, at least a little. Approximately 52% state that, at least sometimes, they have difficulty understanding what is being said in loud environments like busy restaurants.
From “Survey Says” to Call to Action
One survey finding provides an opportunity to communicate a powerful call to action about hearing healthcare.
Despite hearing challenges, the study found that many members of the Woodstock Generation have not taken steps to address their hearing loss. The majority of these adults (70%) have never seen a hearing care professional specifically about their hearing. Only around one in 10 (12%) have used hearing aids either currently or in the past.
“Helping consumers to understand that addressing hearing loss will allow them to not just enjoy music again but live fuller, more social lives is a central goal of our media outreach,” said Rosenblum. “The ability of today’s high-performance hearing aids, like Oticon Opn S, to provide wearers with access to a full range of sounds, and the possibility of again enjoying a richer, more authentic music experience, is a meaningful benefit not just to the Woodstock Generation but to all people who experience hearing loss.”
To learn more about the Harris Poll survey and to download the infographic, visit: www.oticon.com/woodstock.
Research Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the US by The Harris Poll between June 5 and June 12, 2019 on behalf of Oticon among 1,006 US adults age 65-80 (“Woodstock Generation”) including 437 older adults with hearing loss. Data were statistically weighted where necessary by age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, income, household size, marital status, and employment status to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
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Hearing loss and cognitive decline is an important fact. Hearing loss can have a huge impact on your cognitive wellbeing. Wikipedia says ”Cognitive functions encompass reasoning, memory , attention, and language and lead directly to the attainment of information and, thus, knowledge”. So hearing is a very important sense we need to keep on top of for a better quality of life.
The Keynsham hearing centre can help with keeping your hearing at tip top levels. We use the latests hearing test tech and dispense the latests digital hearing aids on the market.
If you are serious about keeping your mental health in check please make an appointment and let us help with any hearing issues you may have. it could be a simple as clearing your ear wax!
If you do suffer from ear wax we offer micro-suction and the traditional ear syringing technique. Please click here to see how this works.
Bellow is a snippet of information from the latest British Irish hearing instrument manufacturers association meeting discussing cognitive decline.
Panel on Issues Facing Hearing Industry
Over half (55%) of audiologists do not believe their patients are aware of the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline, according to the results of an audiologist research panel, conducted by the British Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (BIHIMA), the Association announced.
BIHIMA questioned approximately 70 audiologists across the private sector and NHS, in April 2019, on issues facing the hearing industry today. Many audiologists on the panel highlighted the increasing need for their consultations to include an education piece on the growing body of research connecting hearing loss and cognitive decline.
BIHIMA Chairman, Paul Surridge, believes the industry has a duty to empower audiologists to deliver this crucial education work: “It is essential that we work together as an industry to educate patients about the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline. If, as our research suggests, this education work tends to lie with audiologists, then we must do all we can to help and support them, as we did in our recent Dementia Round Table at the RCGP.”
The panel was also questioned on the technology trends of the future. They highlighted the following key trends for hearing tech (in order of priority): 1) Signal processing, 2) Smart technology and mobile apps, 3) Remote tuning of hearing devices, 4) Biometric monitoring of brain/heart function, and 5) Rechargeable hearing aids. Other trends mentioned include Artificial intelligence, OTC hearing aids, wireless accessories, and wearables.
The audiologists concluded that the biggest innovation challenges the industry faces in the future are: complexity leading to consumer inability to utilise the technology, battery life, lack of real-world testing, small scale, design appeal, speech recognition in noise, and connectivity.
The top reasons patients seek hearing aids from an audiologist were listed as: Not able to hear people talk, peer or family pressure, social isolation, work issues, unable to hear on the telephone, tinnitus, and hearing speech in noise.
Finally, the panel was asked how frequently they think people should get their hearing checked. Audiologists working in the private sector reported annual visits, whereas NHS audiologists said that, on average, their patients come for a hearing test every 3 years.
Surridge concludes: “It is a concern that private and NHS opinions on the frequency of hearing checks differ, as BIHIMA’s view is that hearing tests for the over 55s should take place once a year and be considered part of peoples’ regular health check routine, like dental and eye care. We intend to seek further feedback on this issue as we believe there needs to be an industry standard that all agree to, so we invite you to share your thoughts with us via our Facebookand Twitter channels.”
BIHIMA brought together this panel of experts in audiology to consult on industry matters. Its aim is to ensure the technology developed by its members is influenced by the knowledge and expertise of audiologists, and so that BIHIMA’s contribution to public discussions around hearing loss remains well informed.
About the Research:
The BIHIMA Audiologist Research Panel is made up of NHS and private audiologists, actively practicing in the UK
71 respondents made up the May 19 panel—62% private v 38% NHS
Respondents were asked 10 questions via an anonymous online survey
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Lee Curran
