To revisit the successfully launched Leox Super Power | Ultra Power BTE (BTE SP | BTE UP), more than 50 experts from all over the word came together virtually in a global webinar. Leox is a great solution for clients with severe-to-profound hearing loss as it can tackle problems specific to power users. “Power user” is a diverse group of people with different causes of hearing loss – and it includes all ages.
With their degree of hearing loss, the presence of cochlear dead regions must be assumed. This results in a reduced frequency response and has an impact on the temporal resolution. Clients often experience an altered loudness perception with a narrowed dynamic range, a “recruitment”.
In other words, there are limitations in terms of the outcome of a hearing instrument fitting that justifies extra careful planning and preparation for a fitting or - even earlier - in choosing the most appropriate device.
The aim of our webinar was to have an exchange on how Leox has been perceived by the markets in general, and, of course, to see if we could identify which of the features might have the biggest impact on our current success. Did the customers appreciate what we designed and developed for them?
Dynamic Feedback Canceller™ (DFC™)
The one feature that certainly stands out (for all the right reasons) is the Dynamic Feedback Canceller™ (DFC™), patented by Bernafon. It eliminates feedback before it becomes audible and thereby contributes a lot to the comfort and ease-of-mind when it comes to wearing Leox all day – everyday.
You can easily test this yourself: simply program any Leox device to a profound hearing loss and start it, while holding it with your thumb and index finger. Once started, you will hear the device working, but you will hardly hear any feedback (unless you really force it into feedback, which of course all experts know how to do). It is amazing how effective DFC™ works in real-life.
What’s even more important is that DFC™ allows us to get the benefits of the high gain and output capabilities. Good speech clarity in noisy and dynamic situations has been reported by various webinar participants. We also heard from webinar participants that clients are now hearing sounds, with Leox, that they have not heard for a very long time.
Leox for kids
Leox is a fantastic pediatric solution too. Leox provides features that HCPs and parents can trust in, for example, the Service check mode that indicates when a device needs to be serviced due to a malfunction of the microphones. Leox also has an IP68 rating – a good level of protection against dust and moisture which contributes to the longevity of the device. When it comes to pediatric fittings, our Oasisnxt fitting software supports HCPS worldwide to achieve the best settings for all parameters in an intuitive, structured fitting flow. Oasisnxt also provides support for bimodal fittings, in which a Leox instrument needs to be balanced with an existing cochlear implant (CI) on the opposite ear.
So far so good. But how do you ensure that you really get useful feedback from children when they are with you in the fitting session? Let`s face it; the HCP is rather a stranger to them, and it can be very tricky to get a proper subjective report on their listening experience.
We found great support in the tool suite of the Ida Institute, Denmark. The Ida Institute is a non-profit organization founded in 2007 with a grant from the William Demant Foundation. For our webinar, we were happy to have Ena Nielsen, Associate Director of the Ida Institute with us to tell us more about:
- “How to have a conversation with children to get useful insight into their world”
- “How to stay connected with young teenagers that like to have a mobile lifestyle and are willing to prepare for an appointment rather than spend too much time at the clinic”.
Tools for person-centered care by the Ida Institute
The Ida Institute is supporting a person-centered care (PCC) model that views seeing the whole person as a key to successful hearing rehabilitation. The Ida Institute develops tools, materials and resources that help hearing care professionals deliver care based on the needs and life situations of their clients. Two of their great tools are presented here for this reason.
My World
My World is a pediatric counseling tool designed to help children talk about their hearing loss. It allows children to show you how they go through their day, and where they have their greatest successes and difficulties. With this information, it is easy to recommend communication strategies, set goals for children to cope with their hearing loss, and recommend appropriate hearing equipment.
Talking to a stranger about their hearing loss can make some children nervous. Using My World helps children to openly express their feelings and try out new strategies in a safe environment. Easing their anxiety leads to a more efficient and pleasant appointment. It is rooted in the evidence-based methodologies of play therapy and narrative counselling. My World is easy to use and to introduce as a free-of-charge app for tablets or a board game to be “played” on a table.
You can download My World here: https://idainstitute.com/tools/my_world/
My World can be introduced at any point during the appointment with the child. Before introducing the tool, you may want to consider how conversations progress and what information you need to gather from the child. You may have an intuition that there is more to be said or learned, but that the shyness or reticence of the child or family member prevents the conversation from progressing. This would be a good time to introduce the tool.
A session with the tool can also help educate the parents about their child’s life with hearing loss. Using the tool is a chance for the child to take center stage and for the family to listen as the child describes their day, the things they like, and the things they have trouble with.
You can find the app in the Apple App and Google Play stores.
Telecare for Teens and Tweens
Ida Telecare for Teens and Tweens is a suite of tools that helps teenagers and young adults prepare for their appointments. The tools are designed for teens to complete at home so they can organize their thoughts and come to appointments with a clear idea of the needs and challenges they want to discuss. The three tools – Living Well, The People I Talk To, and Why Improve My Communication – help teens think about their most important communication situations, the people they communicate with most often, and different strategies for improving their hearing and communication. The tools help teens make their perspectives understood and help them develop skills to self-manage their hearing loss. Completing the tools before the appointment is an opportunity for teens to discuss them with their families. It also helps HCPs conduct a more efficient appointment.
Telecare for Teens and Tweens is available here:
https://idainstitute.com/tools/telecare_for_teens_and_tweens/
Summary
With such great resources and a high-power hearing aid that has one of the most effective feedback management systems providing one of the highest outputs on the market currently, it opens up new opportunities to care for clients with severe-to-profound hearing loss at any age. Leox Super Power and Ultra Power BTEs are an excellent choice and we had this confirmed by many success stories from all around the world in our recent webinar. Our participants reported how simple it is to fit Leox. They also reported that Leox users are able to hear new sounds with the device, plus how much they like the accessories and the full control that the EasyControl-A app provides them with via their smartphones. I am confident that the success stories around Leox will continue as will our webinars. You might like to follow us on social media for announcements of our upcoming webinars and trainings or log onto our website to have access to a wealth of information on Bernafon products and more.
Watch the webinar recording