A couple of months ago we held the first ever Oticon Medical Patient Advocacy Workshop. While events in the past have focused on gathering and getting to know each other, this event focused on bettering the experience for those who need or will need bone anchored hearing systems in the future.

The top concern included education for those who were experiencing the world of bone anchored hearing for the fist time. Ponto wearers and families shared that they felt frustrated at the beginning of their journey, because they didn’t get all of the information they needed outright— it took research, time and, in many cases, probing to get answers from professionals. The statement “I wish I would have known what questions to ask” is something that we heard from the group more than once. Kelley Dwyer, an Audiologist who joined our group along with her brother Derek, who got his Ponto Plus and the Ponto Streamer earlier this year, also mentioned that it’d be helpful for Audiologists if patients had more access to information and a set of questions too.

Many people in the group mentioned that they didn’t know that there were options when it came to choosing a bone anchored hearing device. For some, it took years to make the realization and in some cases, it lead to surgery for a new abutment to make a switch.

We’re working to fulfill the needs we uncovered and develop the ideas the group had from the workshop. Today, we’re asking for your help to bring one of those ideas to life.

What’s the Mission?

The mission is to create a comprehensive list of questions that people can print out and bring with them to the Audiologist. This list is dictated by you: the Ponto wearer, a parent, or as a friend of someone who has had an experience with bone anchored hearing.

Your Challenge: Take 5 Minutes to Make an Impact on Someone’s Life

The challenge is so simple, yet incredibly impactful. Share the most important questions you asked or wish you would have asked in the comments section below. Then, share this post with someone you know who could add more to the list.

Be sure to include your name with your question suggestions. We’ll also be featuring those who submitted questions here on the blog.

Here’s an example of a question:

“I wish I would have asked to speak to someone who had tried all of the options I was considering. With only a short demo of each, it would have been a great benefit to hear from someone who was living with one of the options.”

Here’s a post to spread the word and share on your own social networks:

Are you a bone anchored hearing system user or a parent? Here’s a great opportunity to make an impact! https://bit.ly/1zoBWqA #GetBAHSAnswers 

• Click here to tweet the message above.
• Copy and paste to share on Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

What happens next?

We’ll gather your questions and put them into a convenient PDF for easy sharing, saving and printing. Be sure to sign up to receive these blog posts in your email inbox, so you see the post about the PDF when it goes live! Just look to your right, and put your email in this box:

Do you have ideas for other helpful content? We’d love to hear them in the comments section or on Facebook or Twitter.

If you’re looking for more information on The Ponto System or would like to talk to someone who’s gone through the experience, contact us here and we’ll connect you.