Archives for June 2016

Helping Lyla hear better with a Cochlear America’s Baha 5 thanks to the Ear Community Organization and Cochlear Americas

June 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Lyla Begaye, 10 months old, born with Microtia and Atresia of her left ear, proudly wearing her new Cochlear Americas Baha 5 sound processor that was donated through Ear Community on June 21st, 2017. From Glenwood Springs, CO.

Lyla Begaye, 10 months old, born with Microtia and Atresia of her left ear, proudly wearing her new Cochlear Americas Baha 5 sound processor that was donated through Ear Community on June 21st, 2017. From Glenwood Springs, CO.

Meet little Lyla Begaye who was born ten months ago with Microtia and Atresia of her left ear.  Lyla and her family live in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  When Lyla was born, a newborn hearing test was conducted, but the hospital continued to test Lyla up to three times until she passed the newborn hearing screening.  Lyla’s family was told that she probably had fluid in her ears.  As time went on, Lyla’s mom, Nakita, began to notice that “she wasn’t responding very fast to sounds.”  Once realizing Lyla didn’t have an ear canal, the family took Lyla to a pediatrician.  This pediatrician was shocked that no one had caught this following Lyla’s birth.  Lyla’s family was then sent to Children’s Colorado Hospital where they were able to meet with an audiologist.

After visiting with Dr. Karen Harris (audiologist), Lyla was informed about a bone conduction hearing device and was given the chance to borrow one during a trial period.  Since Lyla has been aided during the trial period, her parents Nakita and William, noticed that “Lyla began reacting faster to sounds and  starting to turn and figure out where the sounds were coming from.”  When Lyla’s family was unable to obtain a hearing device through insurance, the family was told about the Ear Community Organization and applied for a bone anchored hearing device for Lyla.

On June 21st, 2016, Lyla was fitted with her new Baha 5 from Cochlear Americas that was donated by the Ear Community Organization.  During Lyla’s fitting, she turns her eyes toward Melissa Tumblin, Founder of the Ear Community Organization and the voice behind the video below) during Lyla’s reaction to sound.  “It was a wonderful experience to be able to be present during Lyla’s fitting,” Melissa Tumblin says as this was her first local fitting she has been able to attend on behalf of the organization.  “It is very rewarding to see the gift of hearing be given to a child,” says Tumblin.  Tumblin.  Also, Tumblin had her two daughters, Ally (whom the organization was founded after Ally was born with Microtia and Atresia of her right ear in 2009) and Hailey, her older daughter, with her during Lyla’s appointment to experience how nice it is to help someone.  Lyla’s grand parents also joined us at Lyla’s fitting and couldn’t be more excited for their granddaughter knowing that she can now hear better, especially during her critical years of development.  During Lyla’s fitting, she received a stuffed nemo fishy and an Ear Community “Microtia Kids Rock” t-shirt from the Ear Community Organization along with “Vibe” the stuffed Baha moose from Cochlear.  So, now Lyla has lots of stuffed pals to keep her company during her up coming months of exploring her environment and hearing the sounds of life.

Here is the link to the video of Lyla being switched on with her new Baha 5 sound processor:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBCnrztqyak

Ear Community is a nonprofit organization that helps the Microtia and Atresia community worldwide. Ear Community is so very thankful for the help that it receives and when other organizations come together to help Ear Community with its mission, to help children and adults born with Microtia and Atresia. “Thank you to Cochlear Americas for helping little Lyla live a better quality of life by donating her new Baha 5 processor so she can hear better,” says Melissa Tumblin.

Ear Community would especially like to thank Stacey Jones and Kara Golmont of Cochlear Americas for donating the Baha 5 to our organization so Ear Community could help Lyla hear better. “Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. It has a dedicated global team of more than 2,500 people who deliver the gift of sound to those with hearing loss in over 100 countries. Its vision is to connect people, young and old, to a world of sound by offering life enhancing hearing solutions. In 2013, Cochlear celebrates 100,000 Baha System users – all with unique stories of how being able to hear again has impacted their lives. The Cochlear promise of “Hear Now. And Always” embodies the company’s commitment to providing its recipients with the best possible hearing performance today and for the rest of their lives.”

Here are some fun memories from Lyla’s special day during her fitting with her Cochlear America’s Baha 5:

Filed Under: Events, History

Ear Community and Oticon Medical donate a Ponto Plus BAHS to help a little girl hear better

June 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Emilia Drago, 1.5 years old born with Microtia and Atresia of her right ear wearing her newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto Plus from the Ear Community Organization, June 17th, 2016

Emilia Drago, 1.5 years old born with Microtia and Atresia of her right ear from Geismar, Louisiana wearing her newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto Plus from the Ear Community Organization, June 17th, 2016

Meet Emilia Drago from Geismar, Louisiana.  Emilia is a beautiful one and a half year old little girl who was born with Microtia and Atresia of her right ear and mild hemifacial microsomia.  When Emilia was born, doctors did not know what to tell her parents regarding her being born with Microtia and Atresia.  Doctors did tell Emilia’s parents, Cody and Amanda, that her microtic ear should unfold after being squished in the womb, which was not the case.

Over the first year of Emilia’s life, Emilia’s parents took her to a number of medical specialists to see how they could help Emilia thrive and get answers.  Emilia’s parents did eventually discover that Emilia could not hear well through the results from her ABR.  Emilia has a moderate to severe hearing loss and Emilia’s mother, Amanda, noticed that Emilia startles easy when she hears sounds and then acts frightened while she looks around for the sounds as she does not seem to know where they are coming from.  After discovering that Emilia has hearing loss, Amanda was advised about how a bone anchored hearing device could help Emilia hear better.  Amanda was also advised to enroll Emilia into speech therapy when she begins school and to help with sign.

After Emilia was given the opportunity to trial an Oticon Medical BAHS on a softband at her audiologist’s office, Amanda and Cody Drago “had an emotional day watching [their] daughter’s sense of direction improve instantly.  [They] were astounded by Emilia’s ability to find the source of sounds like never before.  They were instantly sold on the idea of a hearing device.”  Unfortunately, the idea of obtaining a hearing device for little Emilia fell apart when the family was advised by Emilia’s audiologist that anyone without Medicaid should order via a third party company called Sunmed Medical.  After quickly placing their order for a BAHS for Emilia, Amanda and Cody were denied over the phone as Sunmed did not work with Aetna.  This left the family without insurance coverage for Emilia’s BAHS and not enough money to be able to purchase a hearing device out of pocket.  Fortunately they found the Ear Community Organization, a nonprofit organization that helps children and adults obtain new hearing devices who were born with Microtia and Atresia.

On June 17th, 2016, Emilia was fitted with her new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus BAHS on a soft band head band with streaming device at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by Dr. Dori Cormier.  Emilia’s mom, Amanda, explains that since getting home from Emilia’s audiology appointment, she has noticed how Emilia is looking around more at the sounds she hears and how Emilia doesn’t seem to mind her new Ponto Plus and in fact, is wearing it often throughout the days.  Amanda also explained that she is not overwhelmed by all the information provided on how the Ponto Plus works and is very excited how it will help Emilia hear better, especially as she gets older and begins school.  The Drago family is very grateful to the Ear Community Organization and for all of the support the family has received from Ear Community’s amazing group of microtia families on its online support group, the Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook.

A very special thank you to Alan Raffauf, Vice President of Marketing for Oticon Medical US, for choosing to donate the new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus hearing device w/streamer to Ear Community so that it could be donated to Emilia to help her hear better during the critical years of development.   As a tribute to Curt Gorman, Oticon Medical’s past president, who passed away last August, may Emilia thrive in the hearing world with her new hearing device and never miss a beat as she continues to grow.  Curt Gorman had a passion for helping children hear better as he was a pioneer in the hearing device industry, especially for bone anchored hearing devices.   Thank you for everyone’s support and for helping Ear Community continue with its mission of helping individuals with Microtia and Atresia.Oticon Medical believes in helping individuals with hearing loss so that they can live a better quality of life. Oticon Medical is a well respected international hearing device manufacturer that is a part of the “William Demant Group [which has] 100-plus years of experience in audiology and sound processing and established manufacturing and logistics infrastructure.”

Congratulations to hearing so much better now Emilia!  All of us here at Ear Community are excited for you to discover the sounds of life and music and laughter as you grow!

Thank you!
Melissa Tumblin (Ear Community Founder)
and
Ear Community Board Members
www.EarCommunity.org

Filed Under: Events, History

Oticon Medical Ponto SuperPower – the world’s first abutment-level SuperPower processor with fitting range down to 65 dB HL (BC)

June 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment

June 23, 2016 – Oticon Medical today previewed the new Ponto SuperPower, the first abutment-level sound processor with a fitting range down to 65 dB HL (BC). Oticon Medical developed the innovative SuperPower processor with the goal of enabling adults and children with higher degrees of mixed hearing loss to benefit from a discreet sound processor that connects directly to the abutment for Direct Sound Transmission. The newest addition to the Ponto family of bone anchored solutions is CE marked and currently pending FDA clearance. Commercial availability is expected by year end 2016.

Single-unit processor connects directly to abutment for Direct Sound Transmission

Oticon Medical developed the innovative SuperPower processor with the goal of enabling adults and children with higher degrees of mixed hearing loss to benefit from a discreet sound processor that connects directly to the abutment for Direct Sound Transmission.

“The Ponto SuperPower is the first abutment-level SuperPower device in the bone anchored hearing implant market,” says Jes Olsen, President of Oticon Medical. “It is also a beautiful SuperPower version, the first that requires no strings or bulky ear- or body-worn devices.” The discreet single-unit processor connects directly to the abutment to secure the Direct Sound Transmission found in traditional Ponto processors.”

The new Ponto SuperPower is based on a new Inium Sense platform and UltraDrive technology that boosts the drive signal to the vibrator and a highly advanced feedback management technology that supplies high levels of amplification while minimizing the risk of feedback.

Oticon Medical called upon the company’s core competences in electronic design and transducer technology to incorporate UltraDrive into the new SuperPower processor without compromising reliability or sound quality. Until now, the UltraDrive technology has never been used in bone conduction devices.

More patients than ever can benefit

“We aim high when it comes to providing better hearing outcomes for bone anchored hearing users,” adds Olsen. “By extending the fitting range to 65 dB HL, more patients than ever can benefit from the high quality sound that is a hallmark of Oticon Medical Ponto processors. Direct Sound Transmission enables Ponto SuperPower to deliver maximum output in the mid to high frequencies that are so important for speech understanding for all users and especially for language development in children1. With the launch of the Ponto SuperPower, we continue our commitment to bring new
innovative and proven technology to the market to overcome the many challenges that people with severe mixed hearing losses face.”

Expected by end of the year

This newest addition to the Ponto family of bone anchored solutions is currently pending FDA clearance and CE mark. Commercial availability is expected by year end 2016.

The Ponto SuperPower requires FDA clearance for commercial distribution in the U.S. At this time, the Ponto SuperPower is not available in the U.S.

References:
1. Pittman (2008) Short-term word-learning rate in children with normal hearing and children with hearing loss in limited and extended high-frequency bandwidths. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. Vol 5; 785-797

Filed Under: Events, History

Cochlear announces availability of Cochlear™ Baha® 5 Power and Baha 5 SuperPower, two new powerful bone conduction sound processors for those with higher degrees of hearing loss

June 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment

June 22, 2016

Media Contact

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

The new Baha 5 Power and Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processors complete the Baha 5 portfolio

Centennial, Colo., (June 23, 2016) — Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, announces today the commercial availability of the Baha® 5 Power and Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processors in the United States. This completes the Baha 5 Sound Processor Portfolio, the industry’s widest and most powerful portfolio of bone conduction solutions.1

The new Baha 5 Power and Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processors are now available to those with greater levels of mixed hearing loss, up to 55 dB sensorineural hearing level (SNHL) for Power and 65 db SNHL for SuperPower.

Broadest bone conduction sound processor portfolio

With the addition of the Power and SuperPower, the Baha 5 portfolio provides the widest range of sound processors, including the industry’s smallest, smartest and most powerful head-worn bone conduction solutions for those with single-sided deafness (SSD) or have conductive or mixed hearing loss.1,2 The entire Baha 5 portfolio provides customers with the ability to hear better across noisy environments, connect wirelessly to a variety of electronic devices, and provide direct-to-device wireless streaming and control with Made for iPhone®support.

“We are pleased to announce the availability of the Baha 5 Power and Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processors to our customers,” said Tony Manna, President of Cochlear North America. “We are providing a portfolio with a range of solutions to fit our customer’s specific hearing loss need, which is incredibly important as we work to deliver innovative products to the marketplace. Our customers need devices that help them hear no matter where life takes them, and they are increasingly seeking products with wireless and smartphone connected capabilities. The Baha 5 portfolio of sound processors provides all of that.”

The Baha 5 portfolio is comprised of three industry-leading devices for varying degrees of hearing loss:

  • Baha 5 Sound Processor: Launched last year, the Baha 5 Sound Processor is the industry’s smallest bone conduction sound processor with a fitting range up to 45 dB SNHL.2 It is also the implantable hearing industry’s first Made for iPhone hearing device.
  • Baha 5 Power Sound Processor: The newest device in the Baha 5 System, the Baha 5 Power Sound Processor is created for those who need additional amplification because of a greater degree of hearing loss up to 55 dB SNHL.
  • Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processor: Cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year, the Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processor is the strongest member of the Baha portfolio and the most powerful head-worn solution in the industry.1 It is also the industry’s first and only behind-the-ear bone conduction solution with a fitting range up to 65 dB SNHL.

As the most powerful solution in the Baha 5 portfolio, the Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processor is designed to help those who often struggle more than most to hear and understand speech, especially in noisy situations. Many customers may also currently use a body-worn solution but still have difficulty due to insufficient features and outdated audio processing technology. The behind-the-ear Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processor features ear level, dual microphones to improve sound capture, an LED indicator light on the device to indicate if it is working properly, a flexible earhook offered in a variety of sizes for comfort, easy to use volume and program control buttons to allow users more control over their hearing, and it comes with a convenient rechargeable battery.

The Baha 5 Power Sound Processor is designed for customers who need more power, longer battery life and on-device control. It provides users more control over their hearing by featuring a volume rocker for easy volume control and an LED indicator light on the device to indicate if the device is working properly. In addition, the device has a long battery life, providing up to 160 hours depending on streaming and daily usage.

All sound processors in the Baha 5 portfolio share the same unique technology building blocks to deliver a smart and seamless hearing experience to all users. Each device in the portfolio also provides the customer an option between two sound processor connection options: an abutment system (Baha Connect System) and a magnetic system (Baha Attract System).

Smart connectivity

The Baha 5 portfolio consists of smart processors with direct-to-device wireless streaming and control with Made for iPhone support. This provides a direct connection to iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® devices for phone calls, FaceTime® calls and music in high-quality stereo sound, with no intermediary device needed.

The smart processors also support Bluetooth® Smart technology, the Baha 5 Smart App, and access to Cochlear™ True Wireless™ accessories.

The Baha 5 Smart App is the first Smart App for bone conduction devices. The Smart App allows for advanced control of all Baha 5 sound processors and wireless accessories, further personalization and support directly from iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Through the Smart App, a user can quickly and easily change programs, adjust volume, modify treble and bass, save custom settings for favorite locations, and receive help finding a sound processor if misplaced.

All Baha 5 sound processors are designed to help customers experience clearer, crisper sound and hear what people are saying even in noisy environments. The key to the sound experience is the revolutionary SmartSound® iQ technology, which automatically selects the appropriate program based on where one is located and optimizes the sound to enhance hearing in that listening environment. Whether at work or in a noisy restaurant, a user won’t have to guess which setting is best; the sound processor will decide.

The Baha 5 Power and Baha 5 SuperPower Sound Processors are now available commercially for customers in the U.S. The Baha 5 has been commercially available in the U.S. since April 2015.

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 2,800 people and invests more than AUS$100 million a year in research and development. Products include cochlear implants, bone conduction and acoustic implants, which are designed to treat a range of moderate to profound types of hearing loss.

Over 450,000 people of all ages, across more than 100 countries, now hear because of Cochlear.

www.cochlear.com/us

# # #

1. Norrman, J, Review of fitting ranges. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, D773528, 2015.

2. Flynn MC. Smart and Small –innovative technologies behind the Cochlear Baha 5 Sound Processor. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, 629761, 2015.

Cochlear Baha 5 sound processors are compatible with iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad mini with retina display, iPad mini and iPod touch (5th generation) running iOS 7.X or later.

The Cochlear Baha 5 Smart App works together with all Cochlear Baha 5 sound processors. It is verified on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch running iOS 9.1. For more detailed device compatibility see the Baha 5 Smart App description on the App Store.

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, iPod touch and FaceTime 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.

Filed Under: Events, History
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