Archives for March 2016

Ear Community Organization kicks off it’s 2016 Microtia and Atresia summer family picnics

March 25, 2016 By Leave a Comment

 

Our 2014 4th Annual Colorado Ear Community Microtia and Atresia Summer Family Picnic.

Our 2014 4th Annual Colorado Ear Community Microtia and Atresia Summer Family Picnic.

The Ear Community Organization is a charitable nonprofit that hosts picnics every year around the world helping bring Microtia and Atresia families together.  Ear Community events are always FREE with lunch being provided and lots of fun entertainment for the kids.  Ear Community’s amazing sponsors will be joining us at our wonderful picnics helping us learn about all of the options that are available that help provide a better quality of life for individuals who are born with Microtia (missing ears) and Atresia (hearing loss).  A very special thank you to Ear Community’s sponsors for helping make our family events possible again this year!  Thank you to Cochlear Americas (manufacturer of the Baha), Vistafix (a division of Cochlear for prosthetic ears), Medtronic (manufacturer of the Alpha bone conduction hearing system), and Oticon Medical (manufacture of the Ponto bone conduction hearing system).  *  More sponsors will be added as they are confirmed for our events.  Medical professionals always enjoy mingling with us at our events helping answer questions and provide the facts.  Medical professionals may include Microtia and Atresia repair plastic surgeons, anaplastologists (prosthetic experts), audiologists, ENTs, teachers of the deaf, early intervention providers, and therapists (OT/SP/PT).  All of our picnic events can be viewed under our website’s EVENTS menu tab at the following link:https://earcommunity.org/events/2016-picnics-and-events/

This summer, Ear Community will host six picnics in the following locations:  
1.  Salt Lake City, Utah on June 4th – RSVP to Heidi at SLC.EarCommunity.Picnic@gmail.com 
2.  San Diego, California on June 11th – RSVP to Leslie at SanDiegoEarCommunityPicnic@gmail.com  
3.  Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin on June 25th – RSVP to Ashley at WisconsinEarCommunityPicnic@gmail.com 
4.  Louisville, Kentucky on July 9th – RSVP to Melissa at KentuckyEarCommunityPicnic@gmail.com 
5.  Nashville, Tennessee on July 16th – RSVP to Melissa at NashvilleEarCommunityPicnic@gmail.com  *  Our Nashville Ear Community picnic will be in collaboration with a FREE surgeon conference at Vanderbilt Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital.  For details on this Microtia and Atresia conference, please e-mail Erin Bernardo at erin.m.bernardo@vanderbilt.edu  Our surgeon conference part of the event will begin at 9AM.  The following medical professionals will be presenting at this conference:
– Scott Stephan MD  Facial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Medpor, Vanderbilt
– Ron Eavey MD SM Director, Professor and Chair for Research and Causes of Congenital Ear Malformation, Vanderbilt
– Sivakumar Chinnadurai MD MPH Pediatric Otolaryngology Rig Graft, Vanderbilt
– Alejandro Rivas MD Neuro-otology Hearing Restoration in Aural Atresia, Vanderbilt
– Scott Fiscus B.C.O.,  Anaplastology Ear Prosthesis, Nashville, TN
and a Parent Panel
*  A delicious BBQ lunch will be provided as we kick off our Ear Community picnic along with a face painter, balloon artist, and magician.  We look forward to seeing everyone at our event.  A special thank you to Vanderbilt University and Children’s Hospital and Dr. Ron Eavey for making this event possible with Ear Community.  Please join us for an amazing day!
6.  Hamilton, Ontario in Canada on July – RSVP to Cindy at OntarioEarCommunityPicnic@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing you at our Ear Community picnics this year!  The Ear Community Organization is under the wing of the Broomfield Community Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

The Ear Community give-a-way table.

The Ear Community and Microtia Atresia awareness wrist bands.

If you like what the Ear Community Organization is doing to help individuals born with Microtia and Atresia, consider choosing Ear Community as a nonprofit organization that you can make a donation to, helping us continue our organization’s mission that helps promote education and awareness about Microtia and Atresia.  Click here to make a donation now.  Ear Community helps individuals who are born with Microtia and Atresia all over the world.  Ear Community has donated over 60 bone anchored hearing devices since 2013 and hosted nearly 30 events all over the world helping bring Microtia and Atresia loved ones together.  Families travel from all over to attend an Ear Community picnic.  We look forward to seeing you at an Ear Community picnic near you!

Melissa Tumblin,
Founder and Executive Director of Ear Community
Founder of the Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook
www.EarCommunity.org

 

Filed Under: Events, History

Cochlear Announces FDA Clearance of the First Smart Bone Conduction Solution for People with Significant Mixed Hearing Loss

March 11, 2016 By Leave a Comment

March 9, 2016

Media Contact

Renee Oehlerking
Cochlear Americas
303-264-2104
roehlerking@Cochlear.com

The Cochlear™ Baha® 5 SuperPower Sound Processor provides those who struggle more than most the ability to hear better and connect wirelessly to a variety of electronic devices

The Cochlear™ Baha® 5 SuperPower Sound Processor

The Cochlear™ Baha® 5 SuperPower Sound Processor

Centennial, Colo., (March 9, 2016) — Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the Cochlear™ Baha® 5 SuperPower Sound Processor for use in the United States.

Designed for children and adults with higher degrees of mixed hearing loss, the Baha 5 SuperPower is engineered to make difficult listening situations easier and more enjoyable. It is not only the strongest member of the Baha portfolio, it is the first and only super power bone conduction solution with smart, direct-to-device wireless technology for patients with significant hearing loss.

Building off of the award-winning Baha 5 Sound Processor, the Baha 5 SuperPower is designed to provide an unparalleled hearing experience. Features like Bluetooth® Smart and Made for iPhone® allow users to stream audio directly from iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch®. With access to Cochlear™ True Wireless™ technology, users will also benefit from a range of accessories that are designed to further improve hearing performance and overall hearing experience.

The Baha 5 SuperPower is the first and only behind-the-ear sound processor with a fitting range up to 65 dB SNHL. Patients with this type and degree of hearing loss often struggle more than most to hear and understand speech, especially in noisy situations. Many of these patients currently use a body-worn solution to help improve their hearing experience, but still have difficulty due to insufficient features and outdated audio processing technology.

“The FDA clearance of the Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processor is a very important milestone for the industry and patients,” said Tony Manna, President of Cochlear Americas. “It means that the people who need it most can now benefit from a device that not only provides the amplification they need, but the ability to connect wirelessly to their favorite electronic devices, including smartphones and TVs.”

The Baha 5 SuperPower combines two proven Cochlear technologies in one device, harnessing Baha bone conduction technology with that of the widely-used Nucleus® System (a cochlear implant system). The surgery is based on the same well-proven implant technology used in more than 125,000 patients over the last 35 years. It is a flexible option that can be used on both an abutment system (Baha Connect System) and a magnetic system (Baha Attract System).

To date, more than 50 people have been fit with the device in Europe and the United States.

“Patient response has been extremely positive,” says Mats Dotevall, Director of Design & Development, Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB. “Early results from European clinics show great satisfaction in terms of loudness, speech understanding and sound quality.”

Commercial availability in the United States is estimated for summer 2016.

About Bone Conduction Implants

Bone conduction systems are a proven medical option for adults and children with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, and single-sided sensorineural deafness meeting the candidacy criteria. While a hearing aid tries to push sound through the damaged part of the ear, bone conduction systems bypass the damaged area and send sound directly to the inner ear. They are designed to help those who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids hear and communicate more effectively.

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of 2,700 people and invests more than AUS$100 million a year in research and development. Products include hearing systems for cochlear implants, bone conduction and acoustic implants.

Over 400,000 people of all ages, across more than 100 countries, now hear because of Cochlear.

www.cochlear.com/us

Cochlear Baha 5 sound processors are compatible with iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini with retina display, iPad mini and iPod touch (5th generation) running iOS 7.X or later.

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Cochlear is under license.

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.

©Cochlear Limited 2016. All rights reserved. Hear now. And always and other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited or Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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Filed Under: Events, History

Free, Easy-to-Use Online Tools Help You Live Well With Hearing Loss

March 11, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Ida Telecare

Ida Telecare

Whether you are just beginning your hearing loss journey or are an experienced traveler on the road to
better hearing, Ida Telecare, a new suite of online tools, makes it easier for you to successfully manage
everyday communication and important decisions related to your hearing.

Developed by the non-profit Ida Institute, Ida Telecare is a free, easy-accessed combination of quick and
easy-to-use interactive tools and engaging video “stories” that help you identify communication needs
and concerns that are important to you. Telecare tools can help you prepare for appointments so you
are ready to get the most from time spent with your hearing care professional. They can also provide
the ongoing support you need to live well with your hearing loss post appointment.

“Research consistently shows that people who self-manage their hearing loss experience greater
satisfaction with hearing care and hearing technologies,” says Ida Institute Managing Director Lise Lotte
Bundesen. “Ida Telecare helps you do just that by empowering you to make decisions that are right for
you as you learn to live well with your hearing loss.”

Telecare tools give you the personal support you need to successfully navigate each phase of your
unique hearing journey:

Living Well prepares you for first and follow-up appointments by encouraging you to think about your
needs and concerns before you arrive for your appointment. A series of open-ended questions help you
identify where and when it is most important for you to communicate well.

My Turn to Talk allows you prioritize the most important people with whom you communicate and
helps you prepare your thoughts, concerns and questions before you meet with your hearing care
professional. Web-based drag-and-drop technology lets you drop your communication partners into
rings to indicate those who are “most important” and “very important” as well as those who are less
important but present on a regular basis. You then complete a series of prompts — “I’m happy about…”,
“I hope…”, “I want to talk about…” and “I’m concerned about…”– that help you organize your thoughts
and ensure your concerns are addressed during your appointment.

Ida Telecare

Ida Telecare

Everyday Life with Hearing Loss provides five tips to help you manage conversation well in daily life.
You’ll find simple strategies to alert others to your hearing loss, to improve your opportunities for better
communication and to work together with your communication partners to enhance day-to-day
interactions.

Storytelling Videos let you gain insight and inspiration from the personal experiences of other people
with hearing loss. Discover what others do to improve their ability to communicate well in family, social
and work situations.

You can save notes and completed sessions to your home computer and email to your audiologist or
print out to bring to your appointment. With this information, you can work together with your hearing
care professional to map out communication strategies and shared goals that work best for your needs
and lifestyle.

“How you choose to work with and learn from Ida Telecare is up to you,” adds Bundesen. “The tools are
flexible enough to accommodate a range of individual needs and interests. Ida Telecare offers a wealth
of practical guidance and inspiration whether you are visiting it for the first time or returning for
continued support throughout your hearing journey.”

For more information about Ida Telecare and the Ida Institute, visit:  http://idainstitute.com/toolbox/telecare

Filed Under: Events, History
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