Leading Technology Deals Blow To Hearing Loss

MEDIA RELEASE

Oticon New Zealand

Sunday 9 May 2010

World Leading Technology Deals Blow To Hearing Loss

Hearing loss as a disability has been dealt a major blow with the introduction of world leading technology in New Zealand that lets people with hearing impairment process sound the way the human auditory system naturally does.

“People with hearing loss find the extra effort needed to decipher words and keep track of who is speaking mentally exhausting. They struggle to keep up with the give-and-take of everyday social and business interactions,” says Karen Pullar, Audiologist and General Manager of Oticon New Zealand

“The new Oticon Agil is designed to support the brain’s natural ability to organise sounds. Preserving the fidelity of natural speech and spatial cues, so that less energy and effort ias needed to following and interpret the meaning of sounds,” says Ms Pullar.

“Today is Mother’s Day, and that means there are tens of thousands of people out there trying to keep up with conversation and family discussions. The challenge of trying to understand and follow conversation in social settings often causes people to withdraw. The technology in Oticon Agil changes that.”

“Casual conversation isn’t meant to be exhausting, but people with hearing loss must concentrate harder to keep up. The Oticon Agil gives people the energy to do more,” says Ms Pullar.

With one in ten people in New Zealand estimated to having hearing impairment this new technology could transform their lives.

Clinical trials conducted in Denmark and Germany with 39 experienced hearing aid users demonstrated Oticon Agil to have a clear and significant advantage over other advanced hearing instruments in terms of both speech understanding and listening effort in noisy situations.

Oticon Agil is Oticon’s second generation of wireless technology, connecting wirelessly to televisions, mobile and landline phones and MP3 players. Compared to first generation products, streamed sound such as music is richer and fuller.

“We’re encouraging people to get their hearing checked if they score 3 out of 10 or over in the quiz below. Knowing that the new technology available can transform what can be done to help their hearing should give people who have put off getting their hearing checked the confidence to take action today.”

Hearing quiz

Do….
1. People seem to be mumbling
2. You have to strain to hear when someone talks or whispers
3. You have difficulty hearing someone call from behind or from another room
4. Understanding a conversation is difficult when you're in a group of people, for example at a meeting, at family gatherings, at church, or during lectures
5. You have to turn up the volume on the TV or radio
6. You have problems hearing clearly on the telephone
7. You have difficulty hearing at the theatre, cinema, or other entertainment venues
8. It's hard to hear in noisy environments, for example in a restaurant or in a car
9. You limit social activities due to poor hearing and communicating
10. Family, friends, or colleagues mention they often repeat themselves

Oticon New Zealand is part of one of the oldest hearing aid manufacturers in the world. The New Zealand company was established in 1974, and today manufactures hearing technology including hearing aids.

Ends

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