MyOticon

ISSUE 10 VOL 1
Your Guide to Better Hearing
more inspiring
stories Inside:
“Can Do”
Attitude
and a Smile
$2.99
W
hat sounds make you happy?
The laughter of children, your
favorite music, lively conversations
with friends and family?
Your sense of hearing is a vital link to your
world — a source of pleasure, information
and communication. Hearing loss is often
a natural consequence of getting older.
Our hearing begins to decline as early as
our 30s and 40s. The National Institute of
Health estimates that one-third of Americans between the ages of 65 and 75 and
close to one-half of those older than 75
have some degree of hearing loss.
Hearing problems can make you feel anxious, depressed, and left out. Family and
friends may think you’re confused, uncaring, or difficult when you’re really just
having trouble hearing. The extra effort
needed to understand words and keep
track of who is speaking can be mentally
exhausting.
Seeking help from a qualified hearing care
professional is the first step. Quality hearing care begins with a thorough hearing
evaluation. Based on your results, you and
your hearing care specialist can decide on
the best hearing solution for you.
While you can’t reverse hearing loss, you
don’t have to resign yourself to living in a
world of quieter, less distinct sounds. At
Oticon, our goal is to provide you with the
best hearing technology available so that
The newest Oticon hearing devices with
their intelligent performance and wireless
connectivity are so small and discreet,
others will barely notice you’re wearing a
hearing device.
In this magazine, you will learn about a
revolutionary new hearing device that is
truly customized for you, your life and your
world. Oticon Alta is the most advanced
hearing device ever. It features stateof-the-art sound processing engineered
exclusively for you and your unique hearing requirements.
You’ll hear more because your personal
hearing preferences are actually used by
the powerful sound processing chip that’s
at the heart of every Alta. Think of it as a
micro-brain that works in harmony with
your brain. You’ll differentiate sounds
better and hear more, even as you move
from one difficult hearing environment to
another.
With the addition of the sleek, wireless
Streamer Pro, Alta allows you to connect
wirelessly to cell phones, becoming a
virtual hands-free headset. The Oticon
ConnectLine system further expands that
easy connectivity, streaming audio from
television and landline phones directly to
your Alta hearing instruments.
This magazine is filled with articles and
information about the exciting new world
of innovative hearing solutions. We invite
you to read on and learn more about hearing health, hearing solutions and the many
people who have benefited from taking
that important first step to better hearing.
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If you’ve started to detect changes in your
hearing, don’t wait. You can control the
situation. And doing something to address
your hearing health can change your life
for the better.
you can rediscover your hearing and reconnect with the important things around you.
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Table of Contents
Table of
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Oticon — A World Leader In Hearing
Care Since 1904
Read how it all got started.
Natural Sound In A Virtual World
Oticon's Virtual Sound Environment.
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Kristin Lee Inman
“Can Do” Attitude and a Smile
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Hearing And Hearing Loss
How a hearing loss works.
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Kurt Danielson
Making the most of his leisure time
with Alta
Carol & Arnie
A Shared Life . . .
One Personalized Solution
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A Personal Hearing Profile
The hearing assessment and audiogram.
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Removing Communication Barriers In
Everyday Life
Connecting people and electronic devices,
wirelessly and in style.
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Check Your Hearing
Do you suspect your hearing is not as
good as it used to be?
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Matt Beihl
Rockin’ in the USA
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44
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42
50
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44
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Bent
How 61-year-old doctor
Bent Philip is experiencing life with Alta...
The World Is A Noisy Place
Get a boost in your hearing and give
yourself an edge.
Two Is Better Than One
What you gain by wearing two hearing
devices.
Symptoms Of A Hearing Loss
How to know if it’s time to get your
hearing evaluated.
Crash Tests For Hearing Devices
How much abuse can a hearing
device really take?
Unlock the Power of Personalization
As unique as you are.
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50
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Protect Your Hearing
Noise-induced hearing loss. Find out why
it happens — and how to avoid it.
Kurt Lanclos
Capitalizing on Better Hearing on the Job
and at Home
Putting People First —All Over the
Globe
Read how it all got started.
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Contents
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Oticon since 1904
Camilla Demant
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Oticon―A world leader in
hearing care since 1904
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When Hans Demant founded Oticon in the
early 1900s, he had no long-term plan,
nor any master strategy for conquering
the world. His goal was simple and far
closer to home: his wife Camilla had a
hearing impairment and he dearly wanted
to help. Hans and Camilla visited prominent
doctors in both Vienna and Berlin in the
hopes of finding a solution, but the consultations were fruitless. Neither surgery
nor technology promised any improvement.
In Denmark it was well known that King
Christian IX’s daughter Alexandra, Princess of Wales, had a hearing loss. When
she became Queen of England in 1902
she used an Acousticon electrical hearing
aid at the Coronation, and word about its
benefits soon spread. Thanks to a friend
in England, Hans Demant also heard about
‘the royal hearing aid’ and during the winter of 1903 he crossed the North Sea to
bring one home for his wife. And it turned
their lives around, not only personally but
also professionally.
A company is born
In Odense, in the west of Denmark, word
continued to spread about the ‘royal hearing aid’. Friends and relatives of Hans and
Camilla inquired whether it was possible
to bring more of them to Denmark. Hearing problems were not new, but solutions
for them most definitely were.
In early 1904 Hans imported a few more
instruments, and demand for them soon
increased. Business became so good in
fact, that Hans decided to contact
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Oticon since 1904
the American manufacturer — the General
Acoustic Company in New York. On the 8th
of June 1904 Hans Demant secured the
sole agency for Acousticon hearing aids in
Denmark, and a new company was born.
Changes in name — and direction
Years later, when Hans passed away,
his son William Demant took over the
company, and business progressed as
usual. But during the Second World War
it became increasingly difficult to import
hearing aids, so William began manufacturing them himself. When the war ended,
William entered into an agreement with an
American, Charles Lehmann, to establish a
company that could purchase components
for hearing aid production and ship them to
Denmark.
The US subsidiary was called the American Danish Oticon Corporation — a name
also given to the Danish operation. There
has been much speculation about the origin of the word ‘Oticon’ — but it is thought
that ‘Oti’ was taken from the Greek word
for ‘Ear’ and ‘Con’ from the Latin word
meaning ‘With’. William used Oticon as
a product name for the first hearing aid
ever to be designed and produced by his
company in Denmark in 1946. And the
word has been used as the company name
ever since.
Long-term dedication
William Demant inherited his father’s
determination to help people with hearing
loss. This manifested itself not only in the
company’s unwavering focus on the needs
of the hearing device user, but also in its
support of scientists and other organizations devoted to improving the quality
of life for hearing device users and their
families.
The Oticon Foundation — created in 1957
by William Demant and his wife, Ida
Emilie — contributes to this process in
many ways; first, by supporting initiatives
involving hearing-impaired children and
their families, and second, by educating
the general public about hearing loss and
encouraging people to actively seek the
solutions they need. Today, the people of
Oticon are just as determined as their predecessors to ensure that those solutions
are among the best in the world.
Oticon Timeline • 1904- 2013
1902- The Danish-born Crown Princess
Alexandra wears a hearing aid for her
coronation as Queen of England
Hans Demant's son William
takes over the company
upon his father's death
William and
Ida Demant
Spurred by international
developments, Oticon
introduces the first
ultra-discreet in-the-ear
hearing device.
Oticon launches
its first designer
hearing device in
2006, Delta.
Oticon launches the
first fully digital device,
DigiFocus.
After WWI, William begins to import
incomplete devices with no wires or batteries
and completes production on Danish soil.
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1902 ||||||||||||||| | | | 1904 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1910 || ||||||||||||||| 1929 ||||||||||||||||| 1940 ||||||||||||||||| 1946 |||||||||||||||| 1954 ||||||||||||||||| 1965 ||||||||||||||||| 1977 |||||||||||||||| 1991 ||||||||||||||||| 1996 ||||||||||||| | | | 2004 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2007 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2013
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During WWII, William
Demant is unable to
import. He produces
components in
Denmark and
manufactures the
first Danish-made
licensed hearing
device.
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Hans Demant’s
factory in 1895
To help his wife Camilla with a hearing loss, Hans
Demant wins a contract to begin distribution of
the first hearing devices to Denmark.
The Danish-American
Oticon Corporation
is established,
headquartered in
Copenhagen
Oticon headquarters moves to a new
location in Denmark and the company
adapts new, revolutionary ways of
working.
Oticon expands its global presence
with Oticon Corp. opening in the US,
Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Scotland,
Japan, Italy, New Zealand and France.
Oticon introduces "People
First" as its slogan and is
known across the world
for its organizational
structure, teamwork and
view on employees. Oticon
celebrates its centenary.
Oticon is stronger than ever.
People First remains our
promise, reflecting how
insight forms the starting
point of everything we do.
Oticon
Alta
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Natural Sound in a
explains: “We start by creating a 3-dimensional model of a room in our computer.
Then we decide what materials to use
on the walls and floors i.e. whether they
should absorb sound, like carpets, or
reflect sounds, like hard surfaces do.
We can also add sound sources such as
kitchen appliances, electronic equipment — and people of course. We then
calculate how the sound would spread to
the various surfaces and eventually come
back to a person sitting in the virtual
room.”
Oticon's Virtual Sound Environment is a
unique laboratory with 29 loudspeakers
designed to recreate the acoustics of
different physical environments.
Natural Sound in a
Virtual World
Technology working for people
For Oticon, helping people with hearing loss extends far beyond making words easier to hear. The goal is to
capture ALL of life’s sounds and preserve every subtle detail. And what better way to verify this than through
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a Virtual Sound Environment.
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Acoustics
Engineer
Pauli Minnaar
“Once we have found out how the sound
will travel in this imaginary space, we
can calculate the exact signals to play
through each of the 29 loudspeakers in
the setup,” Pauli continues. “When we
then play these sounds for people sitting
in the middle of the ‘Speaker Sphere’,
they will feel as though they are actually
sitting in the environment created in the
computer. We can make a room sound big
or small, wide or narrow; we can change
the materials, add or remove sound
sources, and create no end of virtual environments.”
In the past, hearing aid manufacturers
have invested a considerable effort in
making speech easier to understand — and
although speech is a big part of the equation, it’s not the only part. Other sounds
have the power to tell us about the space
we inhabit; where we are in relation to
other objects, whether there are people
nearby, and how far away they are. These
‘spatial cues’ have a major impact on how
we perceive the world — and our ability to
navigate through life.
To investigate the spatial aspects of
sound, Oticon performed tests in different locations — from cars, buses and
railway stations to churches, cafés and
canteens. But realizing how much further
they could get by recreating such scenarios in a more controlled environment, the
company decided to build a Virtual Sound
Environment.
Infinite acoustic possibilities
At first glance, the 29 loudspeakers in
this unique sound laboratory might look
slightly retro, but what they create is
totally futuristic. In the control room,
sound engineers use sophisticated software to accurately recreate the acoustics
of different physical environments.
Describing the simulation process,
Acoustics Engineer Pauli Minnaar
The purpose of the sound simulator is
to test how people with different types
of hearing loss and hearing aids react
in different listening situations. During
tests, their hearing aids are connected
to a computer that controls the way the
instruments process the sound. Pauli
describes how the tests work: “Our trial
participants sit with a screen in front of
them. When we play different sounds,
they can choose setting A or setting B. It’s
a bit like going to your optician and telling
them which lens options help you see the
most clearly. We can also test people’s
ability to localize different sounds by
asking them to compare various settings
and select the one that makes it easier to
accurately pinpoint a particular sound.”
trouble selecting what to focus on at
parties, many hearing aid users find this
extremely difficult. By creating a virtual cocktail party in the sound studio,
Oticon’s engineers can ascertain which
types of processing provide the most support. “With the right information, people
should be able to use their natural ability
to focus on what’s important and filter
out the rest,” says Pauli.
Always on track
Oticon’s investment in its Virtual Sound
Environment — the only research facility
of its kind in the industry — emphasizes
the company’s continued commitment
to base new designs on insights gained
from working directly with hearing device
users.
Virtual World
"With the right information, people
should be able to use their natural
ability to focus on what’s important
and filter out the rest."
“We know how important it is for people
to be able to respond naturally to events
in their environment. That’s why we focus
on capturing the whole picture rather
than just bits and pieces. Now that we
can explore more situations, refine our
amplification strategies, and try out new
concepts and document the results, we
have an even better chance of providing
the natural sound quality that people are
longing to experience,” Pauli concludes.
Some of the most challenging environments for hearing aid users are
larger gatherings such as parties. While
people with normal hearing have no
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“Can Do” Attitude
“Can Do”
Attitude
and a Smile
hen Kristen heads to Creighton
University this year, she plans to
challenge her already impressive academic strengths with a goal to become a
pediatric oncologist.
speak. At the resort where she held a
summer job, Kristin regularly served up
friendly advice on effective communication along with the menu selections.
she is testing her abilities in
Kristin takes that same approach to the
many opportunities she’s been given
as a person with moderately severe to
severe sensory hearing loss. “I don’t see
hearing loss as a limitation,” says Kristin.
“In fact, it has opened doors for me to try
new things and meet people I would have
never had the opportunity to meet.”
the classroom, on the tennis
A top performer
Most importantly, Kristin shows that
people with hearing loss can in fact “just
do it.” Her “can do” attitude helped her to
win top honors in the Student Category of
the 2013 Oticon Focus on People Awards.
Her audiologist nominated her for the
national award, stating: “I can think of
no better antidote to a newly diagnosed
family’s fear and anxiety then to show
them Kristin – sporting her sparkly ear
molds and rockin’ her hearing aids!”
For 18-year-old Kristin
Lee Inman, life is all about
opening doors. Whether
court or at the concert hall,
Kristin is determined to
make the most of what she
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has to offer.
Kristin’s accomplishments are many. She
ranked first in her graduating class, plays
six instruments - bass clarinet, clarinet,
violin, tenor sax, trumpet and piano - and
was a top athlete on her school’s varsity
tennis team. As a youth board member
for the local United Way, she helps to
decide how to allocate funds to deserving
students and community youth-benefiting projects.
Just do it
You might expect Kristin to be frazzled
with a workload like this but she meets
each new opportunity to contribute with
a ready smile and a warm, open spirit.
And today, an upgrade to new Oticon Chili
hearing instruments is helping her navigate her busy world with a bit more clarity
and energy.
Kristin is happy to take center stage at
school functions, not to perform on one
of her many instruments, but to “sign” so
that students with hearing difficulty can
better follow the discussion. Her efforts
have helped to bring an awareness of
hearing loss front and center for all students. She has even taught her friends
sign language, just enough to handle
communication on noisy bus trips or at
loud sporting events.
“Everything is so clear with my Chilis,” she
says. “The sound is much more natural.
And I can hear every voice.” This is a significant improvement over her previous
power instruments that tended to amplify
everything. “Instead of picking out
voices as I can with Chili, my old instruments picked up the noise of the fan or
even book pages turning,” she explains.
“Basketball games were a nightmare. I
couldn’t hear anything!”
On the tennis court, competitors receive a
short lesson on the importance of speaking clearly and looking at a person as they
Kristin was pleasantly surprised at how
easily she adapted to her new Chilis.
There was no “adjustment period” similar
to what she experienced in her last switch
to new instruments. With her active,
on-the-go lifestyle, she also enjoys Chili’s
easy connectivity. “I love my Streamer
and the ability to connect so easily to my
iPod and to answer my cell phone handsfree,” she says. “I have a ConnectLine
Microphone that I use in situations where
I need extra help to hear speakers such as
in the classroom or at state band competition. I like that the microphone is so small
and discreet and very easy for a teacher
or speaker to just clip on and use.”
At the Focus on People Awards ceremony, Kristin found it easy to chat with
well-wishers even in the crowded luncheon setting. In her acceptance speech,
she summed up her approach to living
life to the fullest: “If there is one thing
that I have learned from having hearing
loss, it is that keeping a positive attitude
will get you through just about anything.
Negative attitudes just drain your energy
anyway. A smile on your face makes
everything a little brighter.”
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and a Smile
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Hearing and Hearing Loss
Hearing and Hearing Loss
7.
The human ear is a precisely tuned system with a sensitivity and range that
easily outperforms the most elaborate sound system ever manufactured. The
ear contains many physiological mechanisms, and a breakdown or disruption
1. in any of these can cause hearing difficulties. In general, there are two main
types of hearing loss. Learn more about them here.
6.
3.
5.
4.
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2.
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Conductive
Sensorineural
Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss
This type of hearing loss is a condition of the outer and/or middle ear.
It occurs when sounds from the
outside world cannot be transmitted normally through the ear canal
and/or middle ear to the nerve cells
of the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss can be temporary or long
term. The most common causes
of this hearing loss can be a buildup of wax in the ear canal, fluid in
the middle ear space (common in
children), perforated eardrums,
or damaged or defective ossicles
(middle ear bones).
Sensorineural hearing loss is the
most common form of hearing
loss. It happens when some of
the delicate hair cells inside the
cochlea get damaged and are
unable to transform the sound
vibrations into electrical signals.
Sensorineural hearing loss can be
caused by long-term exposure to
loud sounds. But the primary reason is the natural process of aging.
Most conductive hearing losses can
be medically or surgically treated.
If the conductive hearing loss for
some reason cannot be alleviated,
hearing aids can do a lot to compensate for the loss of loudness.
Once sensorineural hearing loss
sets in, the condition may continue
to worsen and will in most cases
be permanent. Typical symptoms
are a loss of loudness, and difficulties in understanding speech.
Fortunately, Oticon's advanced
hearing technology can effectively
treat sensorineural hearing loss.
How Sounds Travel Through The Ear
The anatomy of the ear is precisely shaped to capture sound waves and amplify them. When sound waves enter
the subways of the ear they follow what might seem like a long and arduous path. But every ‘station’ has a precise
function. This is how it works:
1. Sound waves are picked up by the outer ear, which is made
up of the pinna and the ear canal.
2.Sound is channeled to the eardrum, which vibrates when the
sound waves touch it.
3. The vibrations are picked up by three tiny bones known as
6. The movements of the hair cells are transformed into
electric impulses that travel along the auditory nerve to the
brain itself.
7. The brain decodes and interprets the electronic impulses,
turning a stream of speech sounds into separate,
recognizable words.
the hammer, anvil and stirrup, which create a bridge from
the eardrum to the inner ear.
4. The vibrations move on to the cochlea — a spiral-shaped
capsule housing a system of liquid-filled tubes.
5. When the sound waves reach the liquid it begins to move,
setting thousands of tiny hair cells in motion.
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Kurt Danielson
Striking Just the
Right Note with Alta
Retired speech and hearing therapist Kurt Danielsen has more than 50 years’
experience with hearing instruments. Every time he gets a new hearing solution,
he notices improvements in performance. He was especially pleased when he
tried the new Oticon Alta. The premium technology hearing solution proved to be
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“in tune” with his active lifestyle.
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Kurt is passionate about his music. He plays
in two different musical groups each week
and when he’s not performing, he’s busy
practicing.
“Apart from my family, music is my lifeblood.
In a musical group, you need to be able to
hit the right tones with the right emphasis
at the right time,” Kurt explains. “Before
I had my new hearing devices, my fellow
musicians would often tell me that I was
playing too loud or too soft, which made me
feel rather foolish. Now I am able to keep
up with the others and play better, which is
just what we all needed.”
Benefit-wise, Kurt reports that Alta
sounds far richer than his previous hearing
devices. “I have a special program for music
that captures a wider range of sounds especially high tones. Those higher tones
also make speech easier to understand,”
Kurt says. “When guests come to dinner
I can follow the conversation, and that’s
fantastic. I am able to hear those sitting
next to me as well as those sitting across
the table.”
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Improved sound quality with less effort
“Compared to Alta my old hearing aids
sounded rather dull and heavy, but the
combination of lower and higher sounds
in Alta is very pleasant. I feel quite normal
when talking to others, and I don’t have to
use a lot of energy on listening,” Kurt says.
He also found that the sound quality is as
close to natural as he could have imagined.
“I have become more open, trusting and
confident about being around other people.
I’m more outgoing and sociable.”
Kurt enjoys spending time with friends
and his large family and they have noticed
a positive difference. “When they ask me
Hear more.
Anywhere. Anytime.
how I am able to hear and participate, I tell
them that I’m wearing Oticon’s best hearing
solution ever,” he says. “I can’t say that I hear
everything but my friends and family are
happy that I can hear more.”
“Alta makes me feel like a better person
- brighter, happier and more relaxed,” he
adds. “It supports the good life I have, from
the moment I get up until the moment I go
to bed.”
Oticon Alta
Hearing Device
The hearing device customized exclusively for you. Your life. Your world.
Alta is customized to give you optimal performance. It’s soundmicro-brain that works in harmony with your brain. Your personal
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Your day takes you from one difficult hearing situation to another.
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Experience the all new Alta.
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processing architecture is our most advanced ever. Think of it as a
Consult with your hearing care
professional and try Alta today.
hearing preferences are used by the Alta chip so you can differentiate
sounds and hear with more clarity. Yet for all its sophistication, each
Alta hearing solution begins with talking, and listening. Consult with
your hearing care professional today, and hear the difference a
truly personalized hearing solution can make for you.
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A Shared
Life
A Shared Life . . .
One Personalized Solution
Recently retired from busy professional lives, Carol and Arnie Friedman are happily moving on to the next exciting phase
of their lives. Spending quality time together is a priority for them. Travel tops their list of favorite shared experiences,
followed by a dedication to staying healthy and fit with a wide range of high energy and fun activities. When difficulty
hearing presented challenges to getting the most out of travel tours and trips to their favorite museums, the devoted duo
decided to take action – together.
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Hearing challenges times two
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Arnie, who has worn hearing devices for
the past three years, made the first move,
setting up an appointment with his hearing
care professional. “As technology improves,
I want to know when there is something
new on the market,” says Arnie. “What I had
was good and good is ok, but why not go for
better.”
Arnie had noticed his ability to join in
conversation was getting more difficult.
“In social settings or in a restaurant, I’d
find myself hanging half way across the
table trying to get my ears closer to what
the people were saying,” he explains. “My
friends were beginning to view me as
somebody who was cold and impersonal
and that’s not what I wanted.”
Carol had been experiencing hearing
challenges as well. “When I talked to friends
on the phone, I would be forever saying
‘what’ or ‘could you repeat that’. And if we
were out to dinner, sometimes I wasn’t even
engaging in the conversation because I just
wasn’t following what they were saying.”
Carol’s concern was not so much focused on
the reaction of her friends, but more on her
own frustration. “It bothered me that there
was a problem,” she emphasizes. At the
same time, she resisted the thought that
she might need hearing help. “I thought
that was something that I would take care
of when I was ‘older’,” she says.
The couple also found they were enjoying
their favorite travel adventures less as it
became increasingly difficult to hear what
their travel guides were saying. “I would be
flipping pages in the tour book as fast as I
could trying to keep up with what we were
going to see,” Arnie says.
Arnie leads the way
Arnie’s, audiologist introduced him to
Oticon Alta, a new premium technology
hearing device that is customized to each
individual’s personal hearing preferences.
Alta features a powerful sound processing
chip that enable users to differentiate
sounds better and hear more, even as
they move from one difficult hearing
environment to another.
Although he’s no newcomer to the
hearing device fitting process, Arnie was
impressed that this time it was a much
more personalized process that involved
listening to a variety of sound samples to
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A Shared
Life
music from his various entertainment
sources directly to his hearing instruments.
“I have finally gotten on board with some
of the more sophisticated technology, the
iPod, the iPad, and the iPhone,” he says.
“Syncing them with this little instrument
is just marvelous.” Arnie also uses the
ConnectLine TV Adaptor. Sound comes
directly to his Altas at a volume that is
comfortable to him and Carol can keep the
volume in the room comfortable for her.
Best of all, Arnie can get back to enjoying
his travels. “Now I can just sit back and be
part of the tour group and listen to what
they’re saying. And that’s a big plus.”
zero in on the ones that sound best to him.
“It’s almost like trying different lenses at
the ophthalmologist’s until you find the
perfect one,” he explains. “And it’s the same
thing with this. You’re adjusting the various
sounds and background noises until you get
the sound that’s just right for you.”
“I didn’t have to continually
nudge my wife and whisper,
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‘what did they say’.
22
With his new Altas, Arnie is able to
follow and participate more naturally in
conversation. “I don’t have to continually
nudge my wife and whisper, ‘what did they
say’. That in itself is worth everything to
me,” he says. “Being able to hear again in a
normal fashion is extremely important. I am
now back into the mainstream instead of
standing on the sidelines.”
Arnie is especially pleased that his new
hearing devices adapt to the environment
he is in. “It’s an improvement that is
remarkable,” notes Arnie. “It seems that
one hearing device is talking to the other
hearing device and they both are in sync.
It made going out a pleasure again. It just
feels comfortable and very natural.”
Music is a passion for Arnie. He reports that
now he can enjoy music “and pick up almost
every note.” In addition, he isn’t getting
complaints from Carol because he’s cranking
up the music.
Arnie also purchased a new Streamer Pro
with his Altas. The compact device, similar
to a small MP3 player, allows him to stream
Carol makes her move
When Arnie went for his hearing
assessment, Carol decided to have her
hearing checked too. She was surprised to
learn that she had a hearing loss sufficient
enough to benefit from hearing devices.
Like Arnie, she wanted to go with the most
advanced technology and chose Alta. As
someone new to hearing devices, Carol also
wanted to be sure that whatever she chose
was a good fit with her sound preferences
and lifestyle. And she admits, how it looked
was all important.
“I was amazed at how tiny it is,” she says.
“You can’t even see it! That’s something
that’s very exciting for someone in my age
group. I can enhance my hearing and it isn’t
visible to anyone else unless I flip back my
hair and point it out!”
“I loved that my audiologist was able to
personalize the Altas to the sounds that
were most appealing to me,” she adds. Carol
says that although the audiologist made
recommendations, she was totally involved
in the Alta fitting process.
“It’s sort of like selecting your own personal
music. Everyone likes sounds at different
levels and with different qualities and
together, we found the sound that was
right for me,” she notes.
new Altas. She found that on the phone and
later at dinner with friends, she didn’t have
to say “what” or “can you repeat that” once.
A Happy Ending
“Now we can go out, we travel, we can do
the things we did before and I don’t have to
pester Carol with ‘what, what’, ‘what did you
say’ or ‘what did she say’,” says Arnie. “Now
we share the experience together and we’re
benefiting from it jointly and that is terrific.”
“Having hearing devices at this stage of our
lives is a surprising benefit,” says Carol. “It
has done nothing but enhance the activities
that we do and make our time together that
much more enjoyable.”
To which Arnie adds an enthusiastic, “Agree
definitely!”
“It’s sort of like selecting your own personal music.
Everyone likes sounds at different levels and with
different qualities and together, we found the
sound that was right for me.”
Carol was excited to head home and begin
making phone calls to friends to test out her
23
A Personal Hearing Profile
A Personal
Hearing Profile
2 Types of
Hearing Loss
A hearing assessment is fast and completely painless. When it’s over, your
hearing abilities will be captured on paper, which is professionally referred
to as an audiogram.
When you think about hearing, what
do you actually perceive?
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Perhaps the easiest way to imagine it is in
terms of loudness. A person with normal
hearing should be able to hear very quiet
sounds, find it easy to hear mediumstrength sounds, and be able to tolerate
very loud sounds.
24
Generally, sounds can be described
as high-pitched or low-pitched, with
various intensity levels. In speech, the
soft consonant sounds like ‘t’, ‘s’ and
‘f’ are higher pitched than the strong
vowel sounds like ‘a’, ‘e’ and ‘i’. And if you
have difficulty differentiating between
these sounds, you will have difficulty
understanding what is being said. In which
case it might be time to get your hearing
tested.
The hearing assessment
and audiogram
A standard hearing
assessment is not at all
traumatic. You sit in a
comfortable sound
booth, put on some
headphones and
listen to all sorts of
pure tones, from the
deep bass tones
to the high, treble
tones. You listen
to them because
most everyday
environmental
sounds and
speech are
situated in
this range of frequencies. And you confirm
that you have heard each sound either by
raising a hand or pressing a response button.
The hearing care professional will then begin
to decrease the volume of the sounds, to
determine where it becomes difficult for you
to hear. This boundary is called the hearing
threshold. These levels are then recorded on
a simple graph showing X’s and O’s, where X
is your left ear and O is your right. For each
ear it shows how loud a given tone needs to
be in order for you to hear it.
The next step is to evaluate how well you
understand speech. You might be asked to
listen to and repeat a series of two-syllable
words, like ‘ice cream’, which are played
at quieter intensity levels. This helps to
determine your threshold for recognizing
speech. The same is done with monosyllabic
words, like ‘dog’. From these tests the
hearing care professional can calculate
a percentage of ‘word discrimination’ for
each ear. If necessary, other tests can be
performed to evaluate how well you can
understand speech in difficult or noisy
situations.
At the end of the procedure it will be time
to determine whether a hearing device is
appropriate for you.
Age-induced hearing loss
Noise-induced hearing loss
The most common type of hearing loss
is called presbycusis, or age-induced
hearing loss. This is caused by a gradual
deterioration of hair cells, which is part
of the normal aging process. The degree
to which hair cell loss occurs varies from
one individual to another. Some people
experience a significant loss of sensory
cells at the age of 50, while others only
have a negligible loss even at the age of
80. Hearing problems associated with
presbycusis can be significantly reduced
with the right hearing device.
Another, less common type of hearing loss
is noise induced, arising from an acoustic
trauma or from exposure to excessive
noise for extended periods of time. This
causes damage to both the inner and
outer hair cells of the cochlea. People with
noise-induced hearing loss typically have
difficulty hearing high frequency sounds,
but hear quite well in the low frequencies.
Oticon hearing devices are ideal solutions
for noise-induced hearing loss.
Sounds above the
lines are not audible
Sounds below the
lines are audible
Right ear
Left ear
zv
j m d b ol a
n
r
ng
ei
u
p
hg
k
f s th
Your
Audiogram
ch
sh
An audiogram is the product
of a hearing assessment.
More precisely, it is a graphical
representation on paper, showing
the specific pitches (frequencies)
and loudness (intensity) levels that
a person can hear with each ear.
25
Removing Communication Barriers in
Everyday Life
Removing
Communication
Barriers
in
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Everyday
26
Life
27
Removing Communication Barriers in
Everyday Life
Streamer
it can be used with the Streamer Pro to
get phone calls sent straight to both ears.
“Once you press the Phone button, your
hearing devices will turn into a hands-free
headset and the Streamer Pro will act as
a microphone for your voice, so you can
just leave your phone in your pocket while
talking,” Michael adds.
Phone Adaptor
TV Adaptor
Microphone
Hearing device users will be the first to agree that in certain situations — such as watching the TV, talking on a landline
phone or chatting on a cell phone — even the best hearing devices need a helping hand. Oticon’s ConnectLine™ system is
designed to remove technical barriers and poor sound quality by sending the sound directly to people’s ears.
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Why TV's can be
28
challenging
Michael Porsbo,
Product Manager for
ConnectLine at Oticon,
explains why situations
such as watching TV
can be problematic
for hearing device users. “This is partly
because you’re sitting some distance
away and the sound from the TV is being
interrupted by other sounds in the room,
and partly because, if the volume is
turned up too loud, you will annoy your
family and friends.”
“The best way to overcome these
problems is to send the sound straight
from the TV to your hearing instruments.
Now that we have wireless technology
we can do this very effectively, with very
good sound quality.”
How the ConnectLine
TV Adaptor helps
The ConnectLine TV Adaptor is a neat little
box that can be connected to any TV set. “As
soon as you turn on the TV this adaptor will
very conveniently send the sound straight
to your hearing devices via a small neckworn control device called the Streamer
Pro,” explains Michael.
“The Oticon Streamer Pro is a very clever
invention,” Michael continues. “As well as
acting as an advanced wireless remote
control for Oticon’s advanced hearing
devices, the Streamer Pro connects you
to your TV, landline or cell phone or any
other electronic device from where you
want to pick up sound. As soon as you
press the TV or Phone button on the
Streamer Pro, your hearing devices will be
ready to receive the incoming sound — just
like a wireless headphone. The great thing
about ConnectLine is that because it is a
fully integrated system, you can relax and
enjoy your favorite TV show, knowing that
if somebody calls you on either your cell or
landline phone, you will automatically be
alerted with a ringtone, and you can pick
up the phone call directly in your hearing
devices. This makes the system extremely
safe and convenient to use.”
Why phones can be problematic
Another major problem for hearing device
users is talking on the phone. Those with
mild hearing loss try to cope by removing
their hearing device altogether. But people with more severe losses — who have to
keep their hearing devices in — try to hold
the phone away from their ear to avoid
causing whistling sounds. Once more,
the best way to avoid problems and poor
sound quality is to pick up the caller’s
voice with the Oticon Streamer Pro and
send it wirelessly and directly to both
hearing devices — loud and clear.
How the Connectline
Phone Adaptor helps
“The ConnectLine Phone adaptor sits
next to your landline phone, ready to
pick up calls,” says Michael. ”When you
press the phone button on the Streamer
Pro to accept the call, the adaptor sends
the caller’s voice straight to your hearing
devices. And because the Streamer Pro
has a built-in microphone, you can talk
on the phone from anywhere within a 33
yard radius of your home phone without
even having to get up. It’s hands and
hassle free”.
Where cell phones are concerned, if a
phone has Bluetooth wireless capability
When one-on-one conversations
need a boost
There are listening environments that
make it almost impossible for people
with hearing loss to carry on one-onone conversations. For example, when
you are driving in a car, face-to-face
communication is not an option. Everyone
is facing the same direction, eliminating
the possibility of lip and facial expression
reading. Other noisy environments such
as social gatherings or restaurants also
reduce the likelihood that quiet, intimate
conversation between two people can be
understood and enjoyed.
Why a total solution
makes good sense
Perhaps the greatest benefit of the
ConnectLine system is the fact that it is a
complete system. “You can of course get
different brands of assistive devices for
different purposes, but then you might
be worried that if you’re listening to the
TV you won’t hear the phone ringing. You
also might experience varying degrees of
sound quality or even interference. But
with the ConnectLine system everything
is compatible. You can even use it for PCs
and personal stereos,” says Michael.
When people are watching the TV and a
call comes in, the system lets them know
immediately. “You will hear the phone
ringing in your hearing devices, and see
the Phone button flash on your Streamer
Pro,” explains Michael. “When you push
the button to take the call, the system
automatically mutes the TV. Then when
you press the button to end the call, the
TV sound automatically comes back. It
doesn’t get any easier than that.”
“The greatest thing about ConnectLine
is that it puts people with hearing loss
on an equal footing with everyone else,”
Michael continues. “At Oticon we believe
that great hearing care isn’t just about
great hearing devices. It’s about creating
total solutions that can help people get
the very best out of their hearing in more
everyday situations than ever.”
Why the Connectline
Microphone helps
Oticon ConnectLine Microphone is a discreet clip-on microphone that is worn by
your companion and connects wirelessly
to the Streamer Pro, allowing you to hear
the other person’s voice directly through
your hearing instruments. You can listen
more clearly to a friend, colleague or family member in challenging environments.
“At long last you will be able to enjoy clear
one-to-one communication in crowded or
noisy places, like restaurants, cars or just
outside on a windy day!,” says Michael. “All
you have to do is give your chosen speaker
the ConnectLine Microphone, and then
everything he or she says is channeled
straight into your hearing instruments.
Communication is dramatically improved,
and you find yourself able to participate
more actively in many situations that
before may have seemed impossible.”
29
Check Your Hearing
Check Your
Hearing
Yes
1.Do people seem to mumble or speak in a softer voice
than they used to?
2.Do you feel tired or irritable after a long conversation?
3.Do you sometimes miss key words in a sentence, or
frequently need to ask people to repeat themselves?
Do you suspect that
your hearing is not
as good as it used to
be? The following
questions will allow
you to make a quick
assessment:
No
Give yourself the gift of
more natural hearIng for 14 days.
Risk-free.
4.When you are in a group, or in a crowded restaurant, is
it difficult for you to follow the conversation?
5.When you are together with other people, does
background noise bother you?
6.Do you often need to turn up the volume on your TV or
radio?
7.Do you find it difficult to hear the doorbell or the
telephone ring?
8.Do you find it difficult to hear water boiling when you
are in the kitchen?
9.Is carrying on a telephone conversation difficult?
10.Do you find it difficult to pinpoint where an object is
(e.g. an alarm clock or a telephone) from the noise it
makes?
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11.Has someone close to you mentioned that you might
have a problem with your hearing?
30
How did you do?
Your answers to these questions only provide an early
indication of whether your hearing is impaired or not. If
you have answered yes to one or more of the questions
you should contact your hearing care professional and
ask for a thorough hearing evaluation.
Answering yes many times doesn’t necessarily mean
that you have a severe condition. You have to visit a
hearing care professional to find out the exact nature of
your hearing loss and get a proper diagnosis. Within one
hour he or she will be able to evaluate your situation and
recommend the appropriate course of action.
Experience the Ultimate: The all new Alta.
Alta is the ultra high-performance hearing instrument that is customized
specifically for you. Alta’s sound-processing architecture is our most
advanced ever. Think of it as a micro-brain that works in harmony with
Contact your hearing care
professional and try Alta and
about 14 days risk-free.
your brain. Your personal sound preferences are actually used by the Alta
chip so you can differentiate sounds and hear with more clarity. Even in
difficult hearing situations.Yet for all its sophistication, each Alta hearing
solution begins with talking, and listening. Consult with your hearing care
professional today, and hear the difference a truly personalized hearing
solution can make for you.
31
Rockin’
Rockin’
in the USA
Like rockers Bruce Springsteen and Jon
Bon Jovi, Matt is New Jersey-born and
proud of his home state. Matt has also
experienced hearing loss since age 4 and
has worn hearing instruments to help him
keep time with his busy life and his music.
When audiences across the US
The 26-year-old professional drummer
has never let hearing challenges slow
him down. In school, he played in concert,
jazz and marching bands as well as in the
orchestra. At age 13, he began playing
in a rock band with friends “just for fun”
and found his passion. Since then, Matt
has performed with over 30 bands with
names like The Survival Instinct and
Lyken 21, and recently returned from a
national tour with the band Dead Fish
Handshake.
rock to drummer Matt Biehl, they
have no clue that this Jersey Boy
is counting on more than his
band mates to keep time with the
music.
As he builds his professional career, Matt
constantly strives to upgrade his drumming skills. “I really enjoy being out there
playing on stage, just giving people the
show of their lives,” he says. Keeping
his hearing technology as up-to-date
as possible is also important for Matt to
ensure that he can quickly integrate his
drumming with the needs and styles of a
variety of bands.
He recently upgraded to the new Oticon
Alta. “With my previous hearing devices,
it was difficult to pick out certain sounds
and focus on music as a whole,” he says.
“Now I can pick out notes and can easily
understand where the band is going so I
can play my parts better. Our live show is
just amazing now that I am able to hear
everything so much better.”
Matt spends a good deal of his time in
noisy environments, either playing at
clubs with large crowds or rehearsing
with one of the bands. “Alta allows me to
separate the loud noises so I can speak
to people one-on-one,” he explains. “Not
only does Alta cut down on surrounding
noise but it enables me to zoom in on the
person who is speaking. I’m able to have
one-on-one conversations without having
to say ‘what’ constantly.”
thanking people for coming and making
sure they’ll remember us and come back
to see us again.”
As someone who travels to performance
venues across the US, Matt appreciates
that he can carry on conversations while
in a car. “I used to find road noises very
distracting,” he says. ‘I’d always have to
have people turn off the radio so I could
try to hear what they were saying. Now I
can keep up with the conversation, even
when it’s coming at me from different
directions.”
He also uses the Streamer Pro to enjoy
music throughout the day from his
iPhone. “I store my music on my iPhone,”
he explains. “I can listen to music for
hours and hours and I can pick out notes
that I was never able to hear before.”
Matt rates his satisfaction with his new
Altas – on the job and off – as extremely
high. “My Altas are a very personal fit to
the way I like to hear and to my lifestyle,”
says Matt. “The hearing technology in Alta
has progressed so far from where it was
with my previous hearing aids, and thanks
to that, I am able to progress with my life
and my career better than ever before!”
With his Streamer Pro, Matt can stream
music from the soundboard during concerts. This is not something most people
would find useful,” he says. “But being
able to connect my Altas and Streamer
Pro to the soundboard allows me to hear
the music tracks we play behind us and
helps me keep the band in sync with the
music.”
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Matt often socializes with fans who come
to hear the group perform. He used to try
to keep a low profile in between sets and
after shows because he didn’t want to get
into situations where he couldn’t keep
up. “Now when I play a gig, I’m much more
confident jumping into the conversation,”
Matt notes. “I don’t worry about being
embarrassed by feedback which was
an issue before. Now I can just focus on
Matt makes good use of his Streamer Pro,
staying in touch with friends and family
with regular cell phone calls. “I no longer
have to put my cell phone on speaker to
hear the caller – something I did before
that gave me no privacy,” he says. “Now I
can talk hands free and the sound comes
into my hearing devices crystal clear.”
in the USA
32
33
Bent
B
Bent from Dk
ent Philip got his first hearing aids in
high school. He didn’t wear them at all.
He felt that sounds became too loud and
came too fast, and the instruments made
embarrassing noises. In medical school and
later as a practicing physician, he had to
wear his hearing devices full time to be able
to function. But the moment he got home,
he would take them out.
“One day I saw my daughter crying and
she said ‘Daddy doesn’t talk to me‘,” he
remembers. “It made such an impact on me
that ever since that comment 20 years ago,
I have worn hearing devices from morning
‘til night.”
anymore. Even when the restaurant is busy
and people are chatting behind me, I am
better able to hear what is being said. This
has been a real improvement.”
The Streamer Pro advantage
For years one of Bent’s greatest challenges
was talking on the phone, but these
problems disappeared when Oticon first
introduced the Streamer, a small device that
connects Oticon hearing instruments to
cell phones and other communication and
entertainment devices. This was a quantum
Philip
leap for Bent because it sent the signal
directly to both of his hearing devices. “The
new Streamer Pro is yet another step in
the right direction,” says Bent. “I like the
design, the easy-to-use buttons and the
external microphone is super.” Previously,
when Bent had to call in to the hospital to
check on patients or respond to a call, he
was anxious that he would have difficulty
understanding the conversations. “My heart
would be in my mouth,” he says. “Now I am
completely relaxed. I think the Streamer Pro
is the best thing to happen since hearing
devices were invented!”
More detailed sound, less whistling
Prescription
for Better Hearing
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Bent’s transition to his new Alta hearing
devices took very little time. One thing he
quickly discovered was an improved ability
to hear high-pitched sounds. “Suddenly
I could hear things like the kettle, my
computer and the printer,” he says. “I wasn’t
sure whether the higher tones would be
an advantage, but once I got used to them,
I realized that the sound quality was fuller
and more detailed.”
34
“One day I saw my daughter crying and she said ‘Daddy doesn’t talk to me‘,”
Bent remembers. “It made such an impact on me that ever since that comment
20 years ago, I have worn hearing devices from morning ‘til night.”
Bent’s previous hearing aids would often
make whistling sounds – annoying feedback
that bothered him and the people who
happened to be around him. “I would often
experience feedback when talking to my
wife or sharing lunch,” he says. “It would
also happen when I was working on my
vintage car, which is a hobby of mine. With
Alta I can relax - and so can the people
around me - because feedback is no longer
an issue.”
Bent has also experienced improvements
in his ability to hear conversation in noisy
situations. “Before when we went out to
dine, we had to use a microphone or write
messages in a notebook,” he explains.
“Thankfully, we don’t have to do that
35
The World is a Noisy Place
The
World is a
Noisy
Place
Get a boost in your
hearing and give
yourself an Edge Up
T
he world is getting busier, more
crowded and noisier. Understanding
conversations, especially in the presence
of noise, is more difficult than ever. Combine that fact with a lifetime of exposure
to loud music, and noisy working environments and you have a recipe for difficult
speech understanding.
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A boost in your existing hearing ability
can do wonders to improve your speech
understanding and will make a positive
and immediate difference in your life. If
a person has waited a long time before
getting help for their hearing, the immediate boost in their hearing may make
some sounds seem uncomfortably loud.
Luckily the plasticity of the human brain
is remarkable and before long it will learn
to focus on the sounds which are most
important and filter out other noises.
36
Train your brain
Hearing in noise
Hearing is a very complex system that
starts in the outer ear, where sound is
captured, and ends in the brain where
all the information is stored, decoded,
and transformed into something we can
understand. With hearing devices, the
brain registers so many new sounds that
the initial adjustment period can be quite
tiring. It’s a bit like training a muscle that
hasn’t been used for a long time. But what
a difference it makes when you finally
regain that lost strength!
Hearing in noise can be difficult, even for
people who don’t have a hearing loss.
Conversations in a restaurant, talking at
a basketball game or even trying to hear
while the water is running is difficult for
anybody. It’s useful to have a few tricks
up one’s sleeve when encountering such
situations!
When you first get new Oticon hearing
devices, it doesn’t take long before they
can be worn comfortably all day. Just as
a personal trainer would offer guidance
during fitness sessions, a hearing care
professional can be of similar assistance
during consultations. They can offer good
advice when it comes to people’s expectations and experiences. They can also
put new hearing device users in touch
with others who have dealt with similar
situations. There’s a whole community of
experienced users out there!
Help from the professionals
Hearing care professionals are highly
qualified at guiding people through the
adjustment process. With hearing devices,
listening becomes much easier most of
the time. However, noisy environments
can still present a challenge. During
follow-up appointments, hearing care
professionals can provide practical recommendations about how to cope in difficult
listening situations. They can also make
adjustments to the hearing device settings if necessary.
There are some easy ways to deal with the
most common noisy situations. It is a good
idea to avoid standing near a noise source
(radio, TV). It’s also a good idea to avoid
communicating from separate rooms; face
to face contact makes talking much easier.
Finally, keep in mind that listening in noise
is even more difficult when you are tired.
Practice makes perfect
And last, but not least, practice makes
perfect! Hearing devices pick up many
sounds — some wanted, some unwanted.
Separating the noise from the conversation can be tricky at first, but as each day
passes, focusing becomes easier. Two
good exercises are to practice talking with
a friend outdoors and practice following a conversation in a moderately busy
restaurant.
With practice, tangible improvements can
be achieved within weeks. There are lots
of benefits — easier communication with
friends and family, increased self confidence, and more energy to enjoy the good
things in life. Even family and friends will
notice the difference!
Fine Tuning
During the fitting process, the more
information that a person can give their
hearing care provider regarding their
experiences, the better the results. This
information makes an excellent starting
point for follow-up visits, in which the
hearing care professional will review the
current progress and fine tune the hearing
device to meet that individual’s needs, if
necessary.
37
Symptoms of a Hearing Loss
Landline Phone
The New
ConnectLine
Conversations with family and friends
are clear and easy with your landline
(analog/ PSTN) phone and Phone
Adaptor 2.0.
Cell Phone
Hands-free phone calls on-the-go
by pairing Streamer Pro with a cell
phone—the hearing instruments
become a wireless headset.
TV Adaptor
Phone Adaptor
TV
Streamer Pro
Listen at your own preferred volume
while others listen at theirs.
Microphone
Music
Enjoy your favorite music streamed
directly into your hearing devices.
Computer
Hear better when participating
in video chats or while watching
streaming video or podcasts.
fa
o
s
m
o
t
p
Sym
s
hearing los
Microphone
Understand more when a discreet
wireless microphone is worn by the
person you’re speaking with.
Connect with a world of entertainment,
information and ideas.
ConnectlLine is a series of devices that transform Oticon hearing devices
into personal wireless headsets. Now phone conversations, TV, your favorite
New
of a tie clip. Put it on a friend or family member’s collar and you can enjoy what
they’re saying in a noisy spot like an outdoor café. ConnectLine is designed to
connect you with ease. Ask your hearing care professional to show you how.
issues, then it’s time to consider getting your hearing evaluated:
New
Teleloop
Enjoy easy access to loop systems
in theaters, lecture halls, religious
services and homes.
presentations can be streamed directly into your hearing devices. Imagine
radio, and not miss out. There’s even a mini-microphone thats about the size
If you or someone you know is experiencing one or more of the following
Don’t let hearing loss interfere with
business.
music, computer and mobile video chats, podcasts, live performances and
being able to walk out of the room while you’re watching TV or listening to the
Office Phone
New
FM
FM
Tap into clearsounding FM listening
systems in lecture halls and
classrooms.
 People seem to be mumbling.
 You
find it hard to hear clearly on the telephone.
 You have to strain to hear when someone talks or whispers.
 You
have difficulties hearing at the theater, cinema, or
 You have difficulties hearing someone call from behind or
from another room.
 You
need to watch a speaker’s lips more closely to follow
the conversation.
 Following
a conversation is difficult in meetings, at church,
or in lectures.
For more information contact your hearing care professional.
 You
have to turn up the volume on the TV or radio.
other entertainment venues.
 It’s hard to hear in noisy environments like a restaurant or
a car.
 You tend to limit your social activities because it’s difficult
to hear and communicate.
 Family,
friends, or colleagues mention that they often have
to repeat themselves.
39
Two is Better Than One
Hearing
Ability Ratings
As the graph indicates, the noisier it gets,
the harder it becomes to hear. With only
one hearing device people can run into
real difficulty, but notice the difference in
performance that two instruments can make!
Ability ratings leap in the direction of normal
hearing.
One Speaker
Q uiet R oom
Television
Group
Conversation
Car
Store
NOISY
ENVIRONMENT
Monaural
1 hearing
device
Normal
Hearing
Oticon Alta
Hearing Devices
Binaural
2 hearing
devices
Restaurant
Street
Party
Hearing Ability
Ideal
Two hearing devices can also make sounds more enjoyable and more comfortable to listen to. It becomes less
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of a strain to hear, and sounds have the kind of clarity and depth that provide a sense of space and volume.
40
with a certain power and intensity. Your
brain immediately processes this information and tells you exactly what you need
to know: where the car is coming from and
at what distance.
Two
Is Better Than One...
Enjoy the details
Two hearing devices are always
better than one — not because they
make sounds twice as loud, but
because they provide a more natural
perception of sound.
Imagine listening to your favorite program
on the stereo. It has two amplifiers and
two speakers, to give music and speech
a natural depth. If only one amplifier and
speaker are working, the sounds become
shallow and flat. This is how people who
only wear one hearing device, but should
be wearing two, may also perceive sound.
And that puts them at a disadvantage.
Firstly, their ability to localize sounds is
compromised. This is because the brain
needs input from both ears to find out
where sounds are coming from.
Imagine being on a busy street. If a car is
approaching from the right and the driver
honks his horn, the sound will reach your
right ear a fraction of a second before it
reaches your left ear. And it will arrive
Another area that demands good hearing
in both ears is when you are in a noisy
environment, trying to focus on a conversation. It could be at a party, for instance,
where everyone is talking and people are
constantly moving around. Once again,
the brain needs input from both ears in
order to separate the uninteresting, background sounds from the more amusing
speech sounds in the foreground. With
two hearing devices you have a much better chance of hearing and understanding
what is being said.
Perhaps one of the most important reasons to wear two hearing instruments is
that they reduce the risk of a condition
known as ‘auditory deprivation’. This is
when the brain gradually loses some of
its ability to process information from the
unaided ear because of a continued lack
of sound stimulation. A deprived ear will
become more and more lazy, so it is important not to wait too long.
strain to hear, and sounds have the kind
of clarity and depth that provide a sense
of space and volume. In other words, you
get more out of the sounds in the world
around you.
Two hearing devices can also make
sounds more enjoyable and more comfortable to listen to. It becomes less of a
41
Standing Up
Standing Up
to Everyday Life
If you are going to invest in hearing
instruments, it makes good sense to
choose well-made devices that you can
count on to perform to perfection, day in
and day out. Oticon hearing instruments
are designed to do just that. Every time
the company introduces a new solution,
hundreds of hours have been invested in
design, choice of materials, construction
and testing – all to ensure top quality,
performance and reliability that will stand
up to a variety of everyday situations and
conditions.
Enduring the environment
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A special series of chambers are used to
simulate environmental wear and tear.
These extreme test conditions accelerate
the processes that naturally occur when
hearing instruments are worn and used.
They help Oticon specialists to identify
and address any potential weakness so
that product reliability can be ensured for
years of use.
42
For example, hearing instruments are
exposed to high humidity and extreme
temperatures, from -40C to +85 C – to
simulate conditions in various climates.
Tests also look at what happens when
instruments are exposed to extreme
swings in temperature and to the effects
of products such a hair spray and sun
screens. One hot climate chamber even
exposes hearing instruments to cycles of
fine salt mist that help to stimulate the
long term effects of sweat.
to Everday Life
You can wear your Oticon hearing devices without worrying about
the weather or participation in outdoor activities. They’re designed
to withstand these everyday activities.
Resisting Water and Dust
Oticon BTE- and RITE-style instruments
use intelligent mechanical design that
includes barriers to prevent water,
dust and debris from getting inside the
instruments. While not waterproof, key
components are nanocoated to repel
water.
Absorbing hard knocks
Hearing devices often get accidentally
dropped – an event that both the internal
and external components must be able to
survive.
All of these factors are reasons why
Oticon hearing devices perform so well
in tests for water- and dust-resistance
that include immersion in one meter of
water for 30 minutes and eight hours of
exposure in a chamber with circulating
talcum powder.
To simulate the effect of being dropped on
the floor, the hearing device is attached
to a tiny suction pad and stuck from
different angles. The speed of each blow
corresponds to the hearing instrument
striking the floor at different angles.
Other tests ensure a robust hearing device
that can withstand everyday use. Battery
doors are opened and closed and push
buttons and volume wheels are pushed
- with each step repeated over 25,000
times. Painted surfaces and markings are
wear tested by sliding a robot finger over
the surface up to 25,000 times.
43
Unlock The Power of Personalization
Unlock the Power
of Personalization
We all have our own preferences when
it comes to how we like to hear. It’s
personal, and it has to do with the way
the individual brain “hears.” In fact, the
way you hear is shaped by many things,
starting with the unique physiology of
your ear. Hearing is also shaped by life
experiences, lifestyle, and your individual
physical and mental makeup.
Alta works smarter
so you don’t have to
work harder at hearing.
Premium features work like
a shield to protect the clarity of
speech — even in noisy background
environments — and allow you to hear in
3-D so you can follow conversations that
come from different directions in a room.
This uniqueness becomes especially
important when you are coping with
hearing loss. Ordinary hearing aids
assume that the same settings will work
for everyone. This is one of the reasons
why mail order hearing aids are so
unsatisfying. Some hearing instruments
offer a few adjustments that can tailor
amplification based on your audiogram.
But they can only go so far. Speech may
sound “tinny” or mechanical at times
and you may have trouble distinguishing
speech from background noise or locating
the source of sound in a room.
And every Alta hearing device has
the ability to automatically focus its
high performance speakers on the
conversation that’s right in front of
you, and to adjust as you turn from one
conversation to another.
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As unique as you are
44
A new breakthrough device overcomes
these limitations. New Oticon Alta
factors in more of your personal hearing
preferences so you can hear more. The
powerful sound processing chip that’s
at the heart of every Alta hearing device
works in harmony with your brain. Think
of it as a micro-brain. You’ll differentiate
sounds better and hear more, even as
you move from one difficult hearing
environment to another.
Shaped to your life
Advanced new technology is only part
of the Alta story. Through a new, more
individualized hearing evaluation process,
your hearing care professional can
actually program your unique hearing
ability, lifestyle and speech preferences
into Alta’s sound processing chip, down to
an incredible level of detail.
This information tells Alta how to react
automatically to the different hearing
situations you encounter in the course
of a day. Whether it’s a conversation in a
car, lunch with friends, a football game,
concert, TV show or business meeting, or
just quiet time at home, Alta knows how
you want it handled.
Alta makes it easier for you to organize,
select and follow the sounds you want
45
Unlock The Power of Personalization
to hear. And Alta’s settings can always be
adjusted, at the same high level of detail,
by your hearing care professional as your
needs change.
A personal fit
Because Alta is truly customized just for
you, your life and your world, you can
choose from a variety of designs, colors and
custom styles that suit your lifestyle and
hearing abilities. Every Alta is extremely
small and discreet, so others will barely
notice you’re wearing a hearing device.
Your unique hearing profile is part of
what makes your life as personal as your
fingerprint. With Oticon’s new Alta hearing
instrument, you can now experience a level
of hearing performance that’s tuned to your
life at a richer level of detail — so you can
hear more — anywhere and anytime.
Alta’s advanced
technology makes hearing
and understanding easier:
Speech Guard E works like a shield to
preserve the clarity of natural speech,
even in noisy environments.
Spatial Sound E allows you to hear in 3D
to follow conversations that come from
different directions.
Free Focus automatically focuses
Alta’s directional microphones on the
conversation in front of you, without
changing sound quality.
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ConnectLine adds wireless Bluetooth
connectivity for an easy direct link to a
wide variety of sound sources from cell
and landline phones to TV and other
entertainment devices.
46
INIUM
WIRELESS
INIUM
WIRELESS
47
Protect Your Hearing
Protect
your hearing!
Noise-induced hearing loss is the
only kind of hearing loss we have the
power to prevent. Find out why it
happens — and how to avoid it.
Noise-induced hearing loss happens
because excessive noise damages
some of the hearing mechanisms in
the inner ear. Loud sounds begin their
journey from some source — like a gun, an
explosion, or music from super-powerful
loudspeakers — and they travel through
the air, funnel through the ear opening
and begin wreaking havoc.
Remember Quasimodo? Bells the size of
Notre Dame would have most sensible
people groping frantically for a pair of
earplugs, but it’s not just the mega sounds
that do the damage. Repeated exposure
to loud sounds will do it too. When noise
exceeds a certain level it begins to
destroy the nerve endings in the inner
ear. If this happens repeatedly, the nerve
endings become damaged beyond repair,
depriving you of your hearing, forever.
When does noise become dangerous?
We all have different sensitivity levels. As
a rule of thumb, the following situations
put you in the danger zone: if you have
to shout over background noise to make
yourself heard; if the noise hurts your
ears or makes them ring, or if you find it
difficult to hear for several hours after
hearing the noise.
What damages our hearing is the intensity
and duration of the sound. Sound is
measured in decibels (dB), where 0 is
the faintest sound the human ear can
detect and where 180 would be the
noise a rocket would make as it launches
into space. In our daily lives, normal
conversation would be at the 60 dB level,
a lawn mower would be at 90 dB, a chain
saw at 100 dB, a loud rock concert would
be at 115 dB and a jet engine would be
at 140 dB. Many experts believe that
continued exposure to more than 85
decibels is asking for trouble. The longer
you are exposed to a loud noise and the
closer you are to it, the higher the risk is
of damage.
Noise damage at an
early age
Noise induced hearing loss isn’t just
reserved for adults. Recent studies show
an alarming increase in this condition in
teenagers. Evidence suggests that loud
rock music — plus music blasted directly
into the ears via earphones may be the
primary culprits here. In extreme cases
noise damage can cause ringing in the
ears. Called tinnitus, this condition is
caused by damage to the hearing nerve
and it often becomes permanent.
Many people in their fifties, who grew
up with rock and roll, are feeling the
effects of either noise induced hearing
loss or tinnitus today. Fortunately,
hearing aids are becoming more effective
at addressing their special needs, and
scientists may hopefully one day find
some super-effective means by which to
combat tinnitus.
What can you do to avoid
problems?
The answer is easy: don’t overload
your ears! And if you do, wear ear
protectors — whether it’s earplugs or
heavy-duty, full ear mufflers. Wear them
if you are working in an excessively noisy
environment. Wear them when using
power tools or other noisy equipment.
Wear them if you go hunting; when you
ride a motorcycle or other noisy vehicles.
Ear protectors are available in a variety of
shapes and sizes and can even be custom
made. Your local hearing care professional
may be able to offer advice in this area.
Loudness Scale
dB
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
10
0
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Different environmental situations produce different sound levels.
When sounds are too loud or uncomfortable (above 100 dB), we perceive them as noise.
49
Kent Lanclos
“I have a four-year-old daughter who
is a little chatterbox, and being able to
communicate effectively with her is so
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important to me.” —Kent Lanclos
Capitalizing
on Better
Hearing on
the Job and
at Home
50
51
Kent Lanclos
“I’d seen pictures of what
new behind-the-ear
solutions looked like,” Kent
says. “I could see that they
were much smaller and
that the performance was
much improved from the
old style hearing aids my
grandmother wore. I also
recognized that they’d be
much easier for me to use.”
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Kent Lanclos knows his way around the
halls of some pretty impressive buildings
in our nation’s capital. In fact, for more
than 15 years, he’s been meeting with
individuals and groups who look for his
input and guidance on issues that impact
people and places across the country.
52
Kent, who has worn hearing instruments
since his mid-20’s, often finds himself in
meetings in rooms with high ceilings and
hard surfaces, two factors that contribute
to very poor acoustics. “It would be
difficult to hear in many of the rooms,
even if you had good hearing,” he says. “I
would try to arrive early and place myself
closer to the speaker to make sure that
I could understand what was being said.
But of course, if someone at another part
of the table or room started talking, I
couldn’t always hear them very well.”
When speaking from the podium
following a presentation to large groups,
Kent often had difficulty hearing
questions from the audience. “I would
have to leave the podium and go in to the
audience to understand what question
was being asked,” he says.
Research & Recommendations
“I knew the performance of my hearing
devices just wasn’t what it should be,”
Kent admits. “I also suspected that my
hearing may have changed a bit too.”
Before going in to meet with his audiologist, Kent searched online for information
about the newest hearing technology. He
zeroed in on new Oticon Alta. Kent was
impressed that Alta featured Oticon’s most
advanced sound processing and could be
customized to each user’s personal sound
preferences. Alta’s premium technology
enables the hearing solution to work
smarter so that users didn’t have to work
harder at hearing. Kent also found the
positive feedback of Alta users helpful in
making his decision to consider Alta.
Kent’s audiologist agreed that Alta would
enable Kent to hear more naturally and
with more clarity, even in the challenging
work environments that he frequently
encountered. She also suggested that
Kent consider a behind-the-ear style –
a change from the in-the-ear hearing
instruments that he had traditionally
worn. “I’d seen pictures of what new
behind-the-ear solutions looked like,” he
says. “I could see that they were much
smaller and that the performance was
much improved from the old style hearing
aids my grandmother wore. I also recognized that they’d be much easier for me
to use.”
Easy, no-risk trial
Even with his advanced research and
the many benefits Alta offered, Kent
wanted to be sure his new instruments
would fit seamlessly into his busy life. He
was happy to find he could “test drive”
his new Altas before making a decision
to keep them. “The trial period was very
important for me,” he explains. “Let’s face
just been tremendous in making communication much easier for me.”
it, modern hearing devices offer wonderful
technology but they are an investment.
And before you commit to making that
investment, you want to have confidence
that they will address both your hearing
and your lifestyle needs.”
The ConnectLine TV Adaptor enables Kent
to connect wirelessly to the audio on his
TV through the Streamer Pro. “I can set up
an individualized listening environment so
that it is comfortable for me to hear what’s
being said on the TV and my family and
friends can listen to the TV at a volume that
is comfortable for them. And at the same
time, we can have normal conversations
with one another.”
“It took me roughly two weeks to make the
decision. I got fitted, went and used them
for a couple of weeks, went back to my
audiologist, had a few changes made and
at that point I knew that the Altas worked
very well for me.”
Confidence booster
Kent reports that with his new Altas, he’s
experienced a tremendous improvement
in his ability to hear clearly and with less
effort. “With the Altas, I can pretty much
walk into the room and feel confident that I
will be able to hear whoever is talking without much difficulty,” he says.
Kent notes that he was always “fiddling”
with his previous hearing devices. “I’d be
changing the volume, doing this that and
the other trying to make them work,” he
says. “The Alta devices are very accommodating. They work very well in pretty much
any environment. I can just put them on in
the morning and go all day long and never
think about them. I’ve been tremendously
satisfied with them.”
Kent is also finding that he is able to
engage in the everyday give-and-take of
office communications more easily. “I was
starting to be a little reluctant to go and
meet with other people in their offices
because I thought that I would struggle to
hear them,” he says. “Now, I just walk over
and chat with co-workers when I need to. I
have a lot more confidence that I’ll be able
to communicate effectively.”
Sweet sounds closer to home
Perhaps, the most rewarding improvements
for Kent are those he experiences outside
the office.
“I have a four-year-old daughter who is a little chatterbox,” he explains. “And being able
to communicate effectively with her is so
important to me. Before, Willow would get
a little frustrated because I wouldn’t hear
her all the time. I wouldn’t respond because
often I wasn’t sure what she was saying. I
have a lot fewer issues with that nowadays.
I can hear what’s she saying and understand and respond as she needs.”
Kent reports that he hasn’t had a chance to
give his Altas a test run in noisy restaurants
or crowded social gatherings- two settings
that have created challenges for him in the
past. That’s a “test” that will have to wait.
The busy family man with a young daughter he calls “the pride and joy of my life”
happily admits that for now, a trip to the
playground with Willow is the socializing he
enjoys most.
Kent’s wife has noticed a positive difference, too. “I don’t have to be right beside
her to hear what she’s saying,” he says. “We
can be in different parts of the house and
she can say something and I can understand and respond appropriately.”
Kent uses the Streamer Pro, a small device
similar to an MP3 player that allows him to
stream audio directly for his cell phone and
other entertainment devices directly to his
Altas. “When I want to take a call, I just hit a
little button on the Streamer Pro and have
a conversation with whomever is calling. It’s
53
Putting People First All Over the Globe
Putting
People First
all over the
globe.
13
Oticon is a global company represented
21
7
in more than 20 countries.
1. Australia
Oticon Australia Pty Ltd.
Suite 4, Level 4, Building B
11 Talavera Road
North Ryde NSW 2113
7. France
Prodition S.A.S.
Parc des Barbanniers
3 Allée des Barbanniers
CS40006
92635 Gennevilliers Cedex
2. Brazil
Centro Auditivo Telex SA.
Avenida Venezuela 27
9 andar - sl 901/902
Saúde
20081-310 Rio de Janeiro
RJ
8. Germany
Oticon GmbH
Hellgrundweg 101
D-22525 Hamburg
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3. Oticon Canada
6950 Creditview Rd., Unit 1
Mississauga, Ontario
L5N 0A6
54
3
4. Oticon China
No. 2, Lane 67, Libing Rd.
Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park
Pudong New Area
Shanghai 201203
5. Denmark
Oticon A/S
Kongebakken 9
2765 Smørum
6. Finland
Oticon Oy
P.O. Box 408
Laivalahdenkatu 2b A
00811 Helsinki
9. Holland
Oticon Nederland B.V.
Kuiperij 5
P.O. Box 640
1185 AP Amstelveen
Holland
10. Italy
Oticon Italia S.r.l.
Via Panciatichi, 94 Int. 11/20
50127 Firenze
11. Japan
Oticon K.K.
Solid Square West Tower 16F
580 Horikawa-cho
Saiwai-ku
Kawasaki City
Kanagawa 212-0013
12. New Zealand
Oticon New Zealand Ltd.
142 Lambton Quay
P.O. Box 9128
Te Aro, Wellington
22
9
20
6
19
5
14
8
18
10
17
11
4
15
13. Norway
Oticon AS
P.O. Box 404 sentrum
Wergelandsvn. 7
0167 Oslo
2
16
1
14. Poland
Oticon Polska Sp. z o.o.
Plac Trzech Krzyży 4/6
00-499 Warszawa
12
Inmed Sp. z o.o.
ul. Czapiñskiego 3
30-048 Kraków
15. Singapore
Oticon Singapore Pte Ltd
371 Beach Road
#08-02/03 Keypoint
Singapore 199597
16. South Africa
Oticon South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
Warich Office Close
39 Van Vuuren Street
Constantia Kloof 1709
Gauteng
17. South Korea
Oticon Korea
Level 7, Seoyoung B/D, 57-9
Seosomun-Dong, Jung-Gu
Seoul, 100-814
19. Sweden
Oticon AB
Norra Riddarholmshamnen
1, 6 tr
Box 2108
103 13 Stockholm
18. Spain
Oticon España S.A.
Ctra. de Fuencarral, 24
Edificio Europa
28108 Alcobendas (Madrid)
20. Switzerland
Oticon S.A.
Wengistrasse 17
Postfach 1262
4502 Solothurn
21. United Kingdom
Oticon Limited
Victoria House, 1st Floor
Brighton Road
Redhill, Surrey
22. USA
Oticon Inc.
580 Howard Avenue
Somerset, NJ 08873
People First
People First is our promise:
to empower people
to communicate freely,
interact naturally and
15500-2912/ 08.13
participate actively
www.oticonusa.com