Difficulty understanding conversation, especially in noisy situations like restaurants and social gatherings, is often the frustration that motivates many people to seek help from a hearing care professional. Once hearing solutions are in place, and on ears, and patients are connecting with people and sounds around them, the number one request Audiology Associates hear from patients is help using a cell phone. A new hearing instrument called Oticon Epoq is making it possible to address both needs with a single solution.
“In today’s world, connectivity is essential, whether we’re connecting with the world of near sounds such as human voice and environmental sounds or the far away world of electronic communication through devices such as cell phones and MP3 players,” states Nola Aronson. “New Epoq gives me a simple, unified solution that enables my patients to achieve both goals, easily and effectively.”
Epoq’s breakthrough digital technology for the first time enables two hearing aids to work together to process sound, similar to the way the brain receives input from two ears to deliver the best sound picture. This same hyper-speed broadband technology also enables Epoq to connect wirelessly to cell phones, M3P players and other electronic devices such as GPS systems. With the addition of a Streamer, a sleek, attractive, companion device, Epoq becomes the equivalent of a hands-free intelligent headset, without having to attach any devices or wires to the hearing instruments.
“Before Epoq, often the only option I could suggest to patients having difficulty with cell phone conversations was to take off their hearing aids,” explains Nola Aronson, “For some patients this option and others, like holding the cell phone at an awkward angle, meant cell phones were just not workable in their lives.”
Now Patti Rifkind notes that patients often report back that people assume their hearing instruments are a new high-tech hands-free headset.
“I joke that their Epoqs will make them the envy of tech-savvy teenagers,” notes Rifkind.
Epoq is available in a variety of discrete and comfortable styles and performance levels to suit a range of hearing needs. The wearable Epoq Streamer is an optional companion device for all versions.
For information about hearing loss and the new Oticon Epoq, contact Nola Aronson, MA, Patrice Rifkind, Au.D. and Ginny Newman, Au.D. at 661-288-1400.