Kiwis Place Vanity Ahead Of Hearing

Media Release
17th March 2009

Kiwis Place Vanity Ahead Of Hearing
Invisible Hearing Aid Will Help Overcome Stigma

Many New Zealanders with hearing problems suffer in silence and miss out on much of the world around them because of their reluctance to wear a hearing aid.

This anecdotal evidence reflects overseas research that found 50 percent of respondents reported having a hearing problem but many ignored the solution due to reasons such as embarrassment or not wanting to be perceived as elderly.

Stephanie Mears, Associate Director, Bay Audiology in Auckland explained that it’s quite ironic that New Zealanders spend millions of dollars every year in a bid to stay, look and feel young but they’re the very same people who suffer from hearing loss, but don’t do anything about it because they equate a hearing aid with getting older.

“A good discreet hearing aid may not be the only anti-ageing product around but it certainly is one of the most effective.

“A number of people we see in the clinics are simply opposed to being fitted with hearing aids due to the stigma that unfortunately has formed around the device. Many think of hearing aids as clunky devices worn by their parents or grandparents,” says Ms Mears.

Allister Daly, General Manager of hearing aid manufacturer GN ReSound NZ Ltd, said that it was for these people that the company developed be by ReSound™ the world’s most advanced and revolutionary hearing aid.

Designed never to be seen, be by ReSound™ is the smallest hearing aid in the world and the first product which sits invisibly when worn. When placed inside the ear canal the microphone and tubing follows the contour of the ear and quite literally disappears.

“Users will enjoy great sound no matter where they are or what they are doing. The unique placement of the microphone within the contours of the ear means that wind noise is effectively cancelled naturally, offering unique speech intelligibility and comfort in outdoor environments.

With the innovative, gadget-like design, be by ReSound is especially relevant for people who are starting to come to terms with their hearing loss – both first-time and experienced hearing aid users – and are wary of the “old age” stigma.

“The device is truly groundbreaking; you barely even recognise it as a hearing aid at all,” says Mr Daly.

That statement was certainly reinforced when an enlarged image of the device was taken to the streets of Auckland for a survey of 200 people; with 11% recognising be by ReSound™ as a hearing aid, 28% of respondents said it was a lamp, 16% said is was a microphone, interestingly 6% of people picked the image as a chair and 3% thought it was a adult device.

be by ReSound™ is available throughout New Zealand from leading hearing care professionals.

About GN ReSound

GN ReSound NZ Ltd, based in Auckland, is New Zealand’s leading manufacturer and distributor of technologically advanced digital hearing instruments. Offering the most complete range of hearing instruments available in New Zealand, ReSound provides the highest level of innovation, service and quality to both patients and hearing care professionals throughout the country.

The GN ReSound Group is one of the world’s largest providers of hearing instruments and diagnostic audiological instrumentation with subsidiaries in more than 25 countries and distributors in 80 more. With approximately 3,400 employees, the group ranks among the leaders in its industry. The company offers a full range of hearing instruments and accessories under the ReSound, Beltone and Interton brand names. Through GN Otometrics, the GN ReSound Group also creates innovative solutions for all types of ear-related diagnostics and is the largest global supplier of computerized audiology and hearing-instrument fitting equipment. The GN ReSound Group, which is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a subsidiary of GN Store Nord A/S, a leading international manufacturer of advanced hearing health care solutions.

ENDS

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