Testimonial - Julia and Mabel - Seaford
Julia and Mabel have fine voices - but they would be the first to admit that quality of hearing is an important factor in their performances with the Choral Society.
Both are patients at Seaford Hearing Care Centre - and both are delighted with the performance of their hearing aids.
Julia sings tenor and is the only woman to sit with the male choristers. She is thrilled with her Oticon Synchro ITE. She told us, "I can hear everything the conductor says - but most importantly, I can keep my aid in whilst performing. It is very comfortable - and nobody notices that I am wearing it."
Mabel is also learning to play the cello. Her two Oticon Synchro BTE aids are performing equally impressively. She said, "These are the first aids that I have been able to wear whilst performing.
Whatever my musical environment, the quality is natural; I can hear every note as well as everything my instructor says." Both agree how well their aids perform in group situations.
The Synchro is the digital aid that Robert Davies 'discovered' when he visited the American Academy of Audiology Convention in Salt Lake City. The instrument uses digital technology to identify the wearer's environment and adapt to the ambient surroundings.
Testimonial - Christie - Sevenoaks
Nothing could prepare nursery school teacher Christie for the clarity in sound she experienced after we had fitted her with a new Phonak Perseo instrument at our Sevenoaks Hearing Care Centre.
Having worn a hearing aid from the age of 5, her last in-the-ear system literally fell apart after 20 years. Of course the technology has moved on in leaps and bounds since then and we knew that she would notice a startling difference.
Day one with her new system was a shock, particularly in the nursery. "The noise! I couldn't believe what I could hear", she said. "To begin with it was quite stressful. I had been living in my own private world and I got such a rude awakening that I almost wanted to get back there. My hearing aid was set at 80% of normal hearing and even that was very loud."
After this shaky start and a few adjustments she soon began to appreciate the benefits - and working with children became easier than ever before. She was able to hear them speak more clearly and could interact much more readily.
"But the biggest difference is being able to appreciate the world around me. Birds singing, rivers flowing, even the fountain in my next door neighbour's pond!"
Last word from Matt Cannon at our Sevenoaks Care Centre: "Seeing the transformation in Christie is professionally very fulfilling. Her story is also a wake-up call for the many people who suffer from hearing problems, but refuse to admit that there is anything wrong."
Testimonial - Peggy and Hilda - Seaford
It was an unusual, perhaps even a rare sight - a set of 83-year-old identical twins, visiting Seaford Hearing Centre to receive treatment for hearing loss.
Peggy and her ever-so-slightly younger sister Hilda were double in every sense. They were dressed identically down to matching shoes, handbags...even walking sticks. The twins have lived together for most of their lives and now reside at Homety House in Seaford.
It is not surprising that they had very similar hearing loss and that we were able to fit them with the same hearing aids. They were fitted binaurally with Canta 710 cic aids. Cic means 'completely in the canal'. They are small enough to fit well inside the ear and are virtually invisible.
Peggy and Hilda have been back since for their follow-up visit and to tell us how their new aids were performing. Peggy was delighted - and, not surprisingly, Hilda agreed!