Have you heard...Wind made

Widex first company in the world to become "WindMade"

Ref: http://www.widex.com/en/newsroom/2012/windmade/

Widex is the first company in the world to receive the recently established WindMade label – a new global consumer label for companies that use wind energy.

The label, which is backed by the UN Global Compact, requires participating companies to obtain at least 25% of their electricity from wind power. A wind turbine at Widex’ global headquarters in Denmark covers 95% of its energy needs, including production, thereby greatly exceeding the basic requirements for joining the WindMade programme.

"Being a high tech company, we have an uncompromising approach to innovation and we always strive to find the best solution. By completely eliminating the use of fossil fuels, we believe that we have created the best possible foundation for the future – both for our company and for society," says Richard Tøpholm, Manager at Widex and member of the Board.

The WindMade label was created to allow companies to communicate their commitment to renewable energy while providing consumers with the choice to favour companies and products using wind power.

“We congratulate Widex for becoming the first ever WindMade certified company. By committing to renewable energy and using the WindMade label, Widex has set a great example that will inspire companies and consumers all over the world”, stresses Henrik Kuffner, CEO of WindMade.

Read more about Widex' eco-friendly headquarters

Blogging With John O: Hi Everyone,Hope everyone is doing well and exci...

Blogging With John O: Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone is doing well and exci...: Hi Everyone, Hope everyone is doing well and excited for the weekend..TGIF.  I thought I would send everyone into the weekend strong with ...

Have you heard...Dome tips

Often when someone imagines a hearing aid they think of the type in the picture below; beige in colour, obvious behind the ear, and filling the ear canal with the "plug" on the end, not to mention the endless whistling.

Hearing aid around 10 to 15 years old

Apart from its less then covert appearance the biggest draw back with this hearing aid is the large ear mould.
Firstly the taking of an ear mould can be an uncomfortable experience for some clients; whereby a foam block must be inserted deep into the ear canal, and the ear is filled with a quick setting gel.Secondly the ear mould will slowly discolour and need constant cleaning.

The most important factors however are occlusion and moisture; by blocking the ear the hearing loss will obviously increase and their voice will sound louder (just like it does if you place fingers in both ears) this is called the occlusion effect; whereby vibrations through the scull are transferred to the ear canal, and without an open pathway to escape reflect back into the hearing system, giving the experience of amplification.

Moisture is also an important factor when wearing a full mould such as this one. If the clients inserts their hearing aid first thing in the morning at 7am and removes it last thing at night at 10pm, they have had their ear blocked for 15 hours. Over 15 hours of being blocked the ear will produce a great deal of heat and moisture, possibly causing irritation, dermatitis, inflammation, wax build-up, and even infections.

Enter the Dome Tip. One of the most recent, and simplest innovations was the introduction of soft, generic dome tips like the one above; offering the free movement of air, moisture and sound in and out of the ear.

These tips have only been available since feedback cancellation technology came about. If a tip like this was placed on the hearing aid seen earlier it would simply whistle it's not so little head off. With the use of a feedback stopper function however this hearing aid will even struggle to whistle within a closed fist.

The benefits this type of hearing aid offer are quite simply the exact opposites to the drawbacks of earlier aids:

# Small discreet shell hidden by the pinna (outer ear)
# Disposable tips which cost literally pennies
# Better hygiene, easier to clean, and needed less frequently
# NO OCCLUSION
# Does not exacerbate the hearing loss.
# More natural sound
# Comfortable

Have you heard.....Hearing Tests

Whether with ourselves, the NHS or other independants, we want your experience with hearing aids to be a good one. So below is a guide for the steps you should take when tackling your hearing loss.

To guide you through your next steps, below is a checklist of what you need to plan for and consider:

• Find a licensed, reputable Hearing Health Care Professional
  This could be an audiologist, hearing instrument practitioner, otolaryngologist or an otologist. Most offer the hearing test at no cost, so check beforehand.
  
  
  
• Make an appointment for your hearing test
  The Hearing Care Professional will examine your ears for possible physical causes of hearing loss like excessive wax build-up, infection, or growth. A hearing test will also be performed to measure your ability to detect sounds at various frequencies or pitches. The entire process may take about an hour. It doesn‘t hurt and will help your Hearing Care Professional find a solution to suit your particular needs. Don’t hesitate to ask questions and try to be as open and relaxed as possible. The more your Hearing Care Specialist knows about you, the better he or she will be able to help you.
  
  
• Choose your hearing system
  Depending on your test results, your Hearing Care Professional will give you a recommendation of hearing solutions best suited to your hearing and personal needs. Feel free to do your own research as well on the solutions available and perhaps compare prices at other Hearing Instrument Specialist stores.
  
  
• Have your ear impression made
  If you have chosen a custom hearing instrument, then you will be scheduled for an ear impression, which is an exact duplicate of the contours of your ears. Your ear impression is sent to hearing instrument manufacturers to make your hearing instrument. This usually only takes a few days.
  
  
• Schedule your fitting
  Your next appointment will be for your Hearing Care Professional to optimally adjust your hearing instrument. The adjustments are done with a computer, based on an audiogram and your own comments. Your audiologist will teach you how to operate your hearing instrument, and how to hear best in different environments. You will also practice inserting and removing your hearing instruments and learn how to clean and care for them.
  
  
• Follow up visit(s)
  Wear your new hearing instruments for a few days in your regular surroundings. You may want to keep a diary to record your impressions of the sounds you hear. Based upon how well you can hear in your everyday surroundings, your Hearing Health Care Professional may make additional adjustments to your hearing instruments if necessary.
  
  
• Learn to enjoy sound again
  Learning to listen with hearing instruments takes time and a degree of patience in the beginning. You may need to learn to ignore unwanted sounds, just as you used to do with normal hearing. It‘s also important to be realistic and not to expect 100-percent hearing in every situation.