Author Archives: Hilary McManus

Hearing The Call In Malawi

Bridging Continents Through Sound

Earlier this year, Oticon Medical Marketing Manager and audiologist, Hilary McManus, had the opportunity to travel to Malawi with Hearing the Call, a nonprofit organization that focuses not on short-term relief, but on the long-term development of sustainable hearing healthcare in the communities it serves. Rather than providing one-time care and moving on, Hearing the Call collaborates with local professionals to build lasting systems through education, training, and access to resources.

Three people smiling

This model of development over relief is backed by growing global health research. Short-term missions can sometimes unintentionally undermine local providers, disrupt continuity of care, and create dependency. Sustainable development, on the other hand, strengthens local infrastructure, empowers communities, and ensures that care continues long after international teams depart.1.2.3.4.

In Malawi, Hilary saw firsthand the vital role local providers play in ensuring that care is both sustainable and culturally responsive. These providers bring invaluable insights into their communities, enhancing the quality and relevance of the care delivered.

Child being fitted for hearing device

During three clinical days, Hilary’s group saw 174 patients, which included 113 traditional hearing aid fittings and eight Ponto™ fittings. They were also able to provide training to local audiologists and audiology students to ensure these patients receive top-tier follow-up care.

It was a whirlwind of activity, but what stood out most was the collaboration with dedicated Malawian clinicians and students, whose commitment to their patients and profession is nothing short of inspiring. Hilary’s group tried to see as many patients as possible while still providing excellent care. Even in this fast-paced environment, every individual on the team was able to not only teach, but learn from clinicians, students, and patients.

One of the audiologists on the trip asked everyone to think of one word to describe their time in Malawi and the first word that popped into Hilary’s mind was laughter. “Of course, we all worked hard giving those who attended the outreach clinics the best possible care,” Hilary shared. “But what I remember most are the moments of shared laughter between team members, with patients, and with my Malawian colleagues. It was the kind of laughter that supersedes language barriers, eases the weight of long days, and reminds you why you chose this profession in the first place.”

Despite the high prevalence of otitis media (an infection of the middle ear) and associated hearing loss, few Malawians have ever received a hearing device. Misconceptions about hearing loss and ear infections, combined with limited access to care with widespread use of home remedies, highlight critical gaps in hearing health literacy and service delivery. Bone anchored hearing systems like Ponto are uniquely suited to these communities, where conductive hearing loss and middle ear conditions are extremely common.

A Note from Yamikani Dumbo, Local Malawi Audiologist

Malawi faces significant challenges in addressing hearing loss due to limited resources. There is only one institution offering an Audiology degree, making it difficult for aspiring audiologists to access education and training. Consequently, the country lacks sufficient audiologists to provide essential services. Those who do qualify often seek job opportunities abroad, leaving Malawi with a severe shortage of skilled professionals.

Woman smiling beside seated boy

Although four government hospitals offer audiology services, access to care remains insufficient due to limited equipment and resources. Furthermore, the absence of hearing aids at these hospitals limits the effectiveness of hearing loss diagnoses. This lack of services and essential tools deepens the problem, leaving many individuals without access to the care they need.

The state of audiology in Malawi is concerning and requires attention. There is a need to raise awareness through educating the public about the importance of ear health and the consequences of untreated hearing loss. Increasing accessibility in audiology education and training opportunities to increase the number of skilled professionals is needed to minimize challenges in accessing care. It is also essential to improve local audiology services by providing appropriate equipment and resources so they can offer comprehensive care.

Resources and Special Thanks

Hearing the Call was founded in 2016 to address the needs of thousands of individuals worldwide with treatable hearing losses who lack access to hearing aids. If you or your organization would like to support their efforts to aid hard of hearing people around the world, please visit https://hearingthecall.org/. You can also learn more about their outreach trips and volunteer opportunities.

Hilary and Oticon Medical would like to personally thank all the Hearing the Call employees and volunteers she worked with on this trip, including co-development and clinical lead Dr. Heidi Hill, co-development lead Dr. Jenna Vallario, Entheos Director of Education and Research Laurel Gregory, and photographer/videographer Cristian Veaudry.

Thanks also go out to the hearing care professionals who joined HIlary on the Malawi trip, including Dr. Sarah Conrad, Dr. Nad Kattan, and audiology student Anna Rippy and Malawian audiologists Yamikani Dumbo and Alinane Malili, Head of the Audiology Department at African Bible College (ABC), ENT physician Dr. Julia Toman and infectious disease specialist Dr. Zach Porterfield.

Most of all, we’d like to share our deep appreciation of the incredible, very soon-to-be audiologists Mphatso Dube, Enittah Chikuse, Flocy Square, Angella Banda, Peace Chikuniwenda, Micah Mbewe, Mercy Msakwiza, Cuthbert Mbalame, and Jane Iradukunda.

References

1. Chaus, M. (2020). The dark side of doing good: A qualitative study to explore perceptions of local healthcare providers regarding short-term surgical missions in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Journal of Global Health Reports, 4, e2020002. https://doi.org/10.29392/001c.11876
    •  Journal of Global Health Reports
2. Tracey, P., Rajaratnam, E., Varughese, J., Venegas, D., Gombachika, B., Pindani, M., Ashbourne, E., & Martiniuk, A. (2022). Guidelines for short-term medical missions: Perspectives from host countries. Globalization and Health, 18(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-022-00815-7
    •  BioMed Central
3. Melby, M. K., Loh, L. C., Evert, J., Prater, C., Lin, H., & Khan, O. A. (2016). Beyond medical "missions" to impact-driven short-term experiences in global health (STEGHs): Ethical principles to optimize community benefit and learner experience. Academic Medicine, 91(5), 633–638. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000001009
    • ResearchGate
4. Prasad, S., Aldrink, M., Compton, B., Lasker, J., Donkor, P., Weakliam, D., Rowthorn, V., Mantey, E., Martin, K., Omaswa, F., Benzian, H., Calgua-Guerra, E., Maractho, E., Agyire-Tettey, K., Crisp, N., & Balasubramaniam, R. (2022). Global health partnerships and the Brocher Declaration: Principles for ethical short-term engagements in global health. Annals of Global Health, 88(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.3577
    • Annals of Global Health
Group of smilng people

Chicago Advocates Meeting 2025

A Special Weekend with Experienced and New User Advocates

On June 7-8, 2025 in Chicago, IL, Oticon Medical held a meeting for new bone anchored hearing system (BAHS) advocates–which, along with Ponto™ wearers, included Sentio™ wearers interested in joining our advocacy program for the first time

Attending staff included representatives from Marketing, Customer Service, Insurance Support Services, and Auditory Technical Support Services (ATS), along with one of our US territory managers and our Vice-President of Global Sales and Marketing.  We were joined by Canada’s Senior Client Services and Administrative Specialist, as one of our new Ponto advocates is a Canadian citizen.

Seasoned advocate-Ambassadors Angela Sabal, Melissa Tumblin, and Katelyn Harkins joined us to provide additional coaching and support as the new advocates learned what it takes to be an advocate, including in-depth explorations of our products and technology.

The very full agenda covered the following topics:

  • Welcome and Company Overview
  • Audiology Insights: Ponto 5 Family and Sentio 1 Mini
  • Ponto and Sentio Procedures: Understanding the Differences
  • Clinical Data and Supporting Studies
  • Overview of Customer Service and ATS
  • Overview of Insurance Services Process
  • Taking Advocacy to the Next Level: Social Media, Meetups, Phone Support, and Testimonials

We also conducted a fun Jeopardy-style game with categories related to the topics covered above. Additionally, throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, we recorded nine new user stories—five with Sentio users, three with Ponto 5 users, and one including a pre-teen Ponto and a teen Sentio wearer together. All will be released once they are ready through our YouTube channel and elsewhere, so stay tuned!

Group standing in front of shiny bean sculptureAfter the educational portion of the day was finished, we took everyone into downtown Chicago for a little free time to explore.

Group of people wavingGroup eating at restaurantThis was followed by a deep-dish pizza dinner and speedboat ride, which included watching a spectacular fireworks display over Lake Michigan.

 

 

A Heartfelt Thanks from Our Event Organizer

Our Events and Advocacy Manager for the US and Canada, Brendalys Trinidad, sent the following thank you to our attendees after the event. Her eloquent tribute effectively sums up the feelings of all OM employees privileged to have participated in this very special weekend.

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I must confess, usually after an event, I immediately send all attendees a follow-up email.  This time, it took me longer. I will be super honest with you—I just couldn’t find the right thing to say. It felt like anything I wrote just was not good enough!

I can’t express how honored I feel to have met YOU! I’m just so lucky to have the opportunity to meet such amazing people and be a little tiny part of your journey in life. I absolutely love my job and the experiences it brings me.

Girl with hearing device coloringPersonally, seeing how social Ally has become, it makes me wonder how many more sounds she’s able to hear now that she’s been implanted [with the Sentio System].  Direct sound really makes a difference. It has been amazing to witness how many people Melissa and Angela have reached with their advocacy.

 

Litle girl in pink shirtWhat incredible stories we heard about Sarah (Angela’s daughter) and my dearest friend, adorable Isla. By the simple act of love, their lives have taken an astonishing turn and opened so many more opportunities ahead.

 

Older man and older woman holding microphoneIt’s inspiring to learn how Wayne didn’t give up living in a world without sounds, and to know how much he loves hearing his kids and grandkids, and his beautiful bride, June!

 

 

Three teens sittingHow wonderful it was seeing how supportive the Jennison and McClellan families are with their kids, super-sweet Jamison and Danica.

 

 

Older woman profileOur dear Yvonne—age didn’t slow her down when it came to choosing what was best for her.

 

 

Man with long hair and beard holding microphone

 

Loved meeting young Alex, a cool, handsome musician living life to the fullest.

 

 

Learning how brave and powerful Arcella has become—she’s living her best life! Meeting the beautiful and successful Madi, who didn’t just settle for her old hearing device. Getting to know an amazing leader and advocate, Emily. It was refreshing to see young, compassionate, and dedicated Karina, who has chosen a career caring for others with hearing loss. And of course there was Pamela, shining her shiniest!

All of you provide reassurance that cute baby Paxton will be able to become anything he wants to—no limits.

Parents and smiling baby

Thanks to the love and advocacy of his parents, Paxton will do amazing things!

How can I only say thank you? It’s just not enough.

I hope you all left the weekend feeling inspired and hopeful that, together, we can continue to grow our community and open up the world of sounds to many more people!

On behalf of Oticon Medical and myself, we are committed to supporting you as a wearer of our technology. We look forward to supporting your advocacy and finding ways to educate others about solutions like the Ponto and Sentio Systems.

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Our entire Oticon Medical family thanks everyone who helped make our latest New Advocates Weekend such a success! Remember: Our stories connect us!

Want to learn more about becoming an Oticon Medical hearing advocate? Please contact Brendalys directly at [email protected].

Black woman smiling at camera

My Sentio Story | Arcella Latimore

Arcella Latimore lost the hearing in her left ear due to a rare condition that affected her eardrum.  After years of experiencing embarrassing misunderstandings and frustration with her traditional hearing aid, she learned about Oticon Medical’s new Sentio™ System and decided with her hearing care professional that it was the right solution for her. The following is her experience, and we thank her for allowing us to share it!

My hearing journey started with this annoying thumping in my left ear. The doctor diagnosed it as an eustachian tube disorder and told me there was nothing they could do to cure it; I could only manage the discomfort. Seven years later, I went to another doctor and told him that I didn’t want to sound crazy, but it felt like my eardrum was moving. He actually listened to me and began doing several tests. He verified that it really was moving, and believed it was Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTS). Once confirmed, he told me my options, which were either do nothing or surgery. With surgery, I ran the risk of white noise developing as a side effect. I decided that would be better than the thumping. It did happen, and also the hearing in my left ear was affected. When I plug my right ear to hear with my left, people sound like Minnie Mouse talking underwater.

Diagram of ear

I was not ready to accept I was losing my hearing, especially being in my early forties. I was still young, dating and having a social life. Yet, all I did was isolate myself because I was embarrassed to go out and not really be able to hear people. When I forced myself to go with friends, I would laugh with the group while not really knowing what I was laughing at. I was constantly acting like I heard people, but it would be awkward if they asked me a question and instead of answering, I just laughed. They would stare at me wondering why I was laughing at a serious question.

I had to finally admit that I was experiencing hearing loss, but I didn’t want a hearing aid. I convinced myself that it wasn’t really that bad. But I was isolating again, and my friends noticed. I finally went back to the doctor to get a hearing test and found out I had a significant hearing loss— around 76 percent. I decided to get traditional hearing aids, but although I wore them for a few years, they only made my hearing loss manageable, not optimal. I realized I was mishearing words or combinations of words that sounded like something else.

Once again, I convinced myself that it wasn’t bad…until I was at work one day and the supervisor asked me something. I thought they said, “Do you want another assignment?” and I very confidently answered their question but quickly realized by their reaction that was not what they’d asked me. They repeated what they’d said, which was, “Do you want another sandwich?” I embarrassedly said, “No thank you,” and walked away thinking it was time to get another hearing aid.

I went to Kaiser to update my hearing test since my last one had been two or three years ago. I told the doctor how I was mishearing words on top of not hearing well overall. The test results showed that my word recognition had gone down to 96 percent. The audiologist suggested the Sentio™ System, which she believed would improve my word recognition and overall hearing. When she mentioned surgery, all I could think was that it would be a big investment in my hearing journey. Going into my skull and implanting a device that would subsequently allow another piece to be magnetically attached to my head…wow!

However, I immediately remembered the embarrassing moment at work and knew that I never wanted to go through that again. I was further convinced because my insurance considered it surgical, so I only had to pay a small amount out of pocket. For the cost of lunch at work, I would be able to make my life so much better and enjoy my friends and family again without any awkward moments that I had to apologize for profusely later.

The doctor came to visit me before my procedure and asked if I had any questions. I said, “No. Just do a good job.” The surgery went very smoothly, and I had a nurse hold my hand the entire time. I felt very comfortable from beginning to end. My recovery went very well. The aftercare instructions were easy to follow. The left side of my head was a little swollen, but that eventually went away. I was given good aftercare instructions.

Side view of head with hearing device

I went to my scheduled follow-up appointment, and the doctor said I was healing well and quickly, to the point I was able to get my Sentio 1 Mini processor earlier than expected. I chose black to blend well with my natural hair color. Because of the color and size, people don’t even see or notice it.

I was planning to visit my family three weeks after the Sentio surgery but was concerned about flying so soon afterwards. I was told flying would not have an impact. The clinic even provided me with a card stating I had the Sentio implant in case I set off alarms at TSA screening points. I was able to go through the airport without incident and flew with zero discomfort in my left ear.

I really like being able to use my iPhone® for wireless streaming directly into my Sentio and making volume/voice adjustments. At work, I am able to hear better in meetings with the wireless streaming. I do not miss important information, such as action items for me or my staff. I can hear everything, even quiet conversations in other cubicles. It’s amazing because I was never able to hear like this with my old hearing aids.

Sentio has improved my social life because I am no longer isolating. When I laugh it is because I really hear a joke or conversation clearly. I’m not being embarrassed by mishearing words or needing to ask someone to repeat themselves. I enjoy my time with family and friends so much more than before.

Also, Sentio has allowed me to accept that I have a disability and recognize that I have to navigate the world differently than others. This does not make me less of a person; it helps me participate more in the world around me. I appreciate my life more than before because I am more active and engaged with the people I love, and I get to experience the fun of making new friends. No more isolation and retreating from the world. Life is good!

Each person’s reasons for deciding to get the Sentio System are sacred and personal. The decision can’t be taken lightly; you must measure the costs vs. benefits. What is your quality of life? Are you fully engaged in it? If the answer is no, then Sentio will help you participate in life again and you should seriously consider it. Even if you answer yes, Sentio can take your engagement in life to another level.

I’m sharing my Sentio journey in the hope of encouraging those who have experienced similar struggles and feelings. I am an example of what life can look like on the other side. I would tell anyone considering it that it is very much worth it in the end.

Wondering whether a bone anchored hearing system in general or the Sentio System specifically might be the right choice to treat your hearing loss? Use these helpful resources, provided courtesy of Oticon Medical:

Man smiling at camera

My Sentio Story | Lee Rothman

Lee Rothman used to wear a regular hearing aid. However, after he lost most of his hearing in one ear due to Covid-19, it no longer did the job. After looking into alternatives, Lee discovered the new Sentio™ System and learned how this bone conduction treatment could improve his hearing. The following is his story and we thank him for allowing us to share it!

My hearing loss began with an episode that was diagnosed as Meniere’s Disease back in 2013. It caused a loss of the frequencies above 2000hz. Over a period of several years, I had an intermittent loss of my hearing in my right ear that would typically return to some degree (minus the higher frequencies) after less than a week. I lived with that loss until I retired and moved to Idaho.

I had a hearing exam there where they informed me a quality hearing aid could restore that loss of the higher frequencies I was missing. I was an audiophile for nearly 50 years and a musician since the age of 10 with perfect pitch. So, I was fitted with a hearing aid. I was astounded by the higher frequencies I was then able to hear again that I’d missed for so long.

In October of 2023 I had another episode of hearing loss, which was accompanied by severe vertigo that landed me in the hospital. I’d used some antibiotic ear drops that apparently triggered the vertigo. It passed quickly and two days later my hearing returned—of course minus the higher frequencies.

Fast-forward to April of 2024. I had Covid for the fourth time in four years and it was asymptomatic. But once again in June of 2024, I got it again, which was noted by two days of headaches. I then experienced nearly complete hearing loss.

I went to a specialist nearby and he put me on the usual steroid dosage recommended for such events. It did nothing and my hearing loss continued. It was terrible, as I couldn’t hear the TV or my wife well with just the one ear. Having just one operative ear, it became obvious the handicaps it brings. My guitar sounded weak. I could no longer listen to music in my recording studio with headphones or speakers and hear the right channel. I was devastated.

I was referred to Dr. Wilkinson, a specialist in this area of hearing loss. He began with some steroid injections. After the second dose, we felt it wasn’t going to work. He gave me some brochures he’d just received from Oticon Medical regarding a new, FDA-approved type of bone conduction implant that was the next-generation of Ponto™ technologies. I examined it and did a lot of online research into it.

My regular doctor, who I discussed this with as well, happened to own a recently purchased pair of bone conduction stereo headphones. He let me try them and I was shocked that I could hear music in my right ear again. So, my next appointment with Dr. Wilkinson, I said I’d like to move forward with the Sentio offering. He got me on a waiting list, as the nearby hospital was awaiting their approval for the procedure to be done there.

I previously used a traditional hearing aid, mostly to add the lost higher frequencies back into my right ear. The sensorineural hearing loss I had after a Covid attack took a lot more than just the higher frequencies from my hearing. It not only took down the level of what I could hear, but virtually everything above 800hz was gone altogether.

I had no real concerns about the surgery. I’d watched a sample surgery done on YouTube and it looked very simple and straightforward. It went as expected. Quick and painless. Recovery went exactly as stated—three weeks until the application of the external processer and adjustments were made.

I immediately noticed I could hear higher frequencies, far beyond even my good ear. Literally air movement of a heating fan. The audiologist moved away from me speaking all the way to the other end of the room and I heard every word he spoke easily, even with my good ear plugged.

I don’t notice vast differences between the various modes really. I had the audiologist make an adjustment to the Music setting, so when I played my guitar, I didn’t get an annoying warble kind of character when a string was plucked. I was told it was from a noise reduction algorithm that needed to be turned off in the software he set up.

I tested out the Sentio on a high-end music system and noted that I now do hear the full right channel music information that was not there before. At times, I suppose my brain can fool me into thinking it’s hearing a distinct right channel and not just the information being sent to my good left ear alone. I suspect, in time, my brain may get used to it and I won’t feel like my right-side information isn’t actually there on my right side.

Bluetooth® streaming was too low, so the audiologist turned it up with the ConnectClip and then it was very good indeed. I can now hold my cellphone to my right ear area and have a perfect conversation without issues. The clarity is all there. I no longer struggle to hear the TV, as it now picks up the right speaker info, so I can still hear it from a distance. Conversations are a piece of cake.

You may find it funny but when I use the ConnectClip and place it on a table in front of the stereo TV’s external speaker system, I can blend a little bit of the speaker system output with streaming and get flawless clarity mixed with the nice, rich sound of the speakers. I even noted a bit of a 3-D effect, hearing things in a phantom center channel. Pretty interesting and very enjoyable.

The size is simply superb and you can’t ask for more. I don’t even notice it. So far nobody else has either. It weighs virtually nothing and I don’t even know that it’s physically there. I pay no attention to the fact that the Sentio is on me and so far nobody even notices it. When I point it out to folks, they think it is so cool—had no idea it existed.

When I’m in my office at work or having a meeting online, it works flawlessly. I have shaken my head repeatedly and it doesn’t move at all. While I visit a local restaurant, I hear the TV, conversation, and more. It’s great. It is as close to normal hearing as one can imagine. Unlike a typical hearing aid, you literally forget it’s there and it becomes a part of you and how you function. When you remove the Sentio processor, it becomes so much more obvious how vast a change it makes in your hearing quality.

Wondering whether a bone anchored hearing system in general or the Sentio System specifically might be the right choice to treat your hearing loss? Use these helpful resources, provided courtesy of Oticon Medical:

Woman smiling at camera

Meet Today’s Oticon Medical | Henrietta Arocho

This series of posts introduces you to our current roster of Oticon Medical employees in the United States. As you know, we’ve been through a lot of changes over the past few years. We are pleased that so many wonderful new people have joined our team of dedicated employees!

Henrietta Arocho, Senior Customer Service Operations Manager

Please join us in welcoming our new Senior Customer Service team manager, Henrietta!

Background

Prior to joining Oticon Medical, Henrietta was in Pharmaceutical Sales for more than 15 years. As the Associate Director of Client Services/Operations, she was the primary contact for customer needs, issue resolution, and service improvement. Her team managed field team launches ranging from 10-500+ representatives, ensuring seamless onboarding, training, and operational support.

Henrietta has a personal connection to hearing health, which drew her to Oticon Medical. A close family member was born with a severe hearing loss, and Henrietta witnessed firsthand the importance of having the necessary device and support to allow her relative to thrive and reach major milestones. She was excited to join Oticon Medical and contribute to our mission of creating hearing solutions designed with users in mind. 

Current Responsibilities

In her current role with Oticon Medical, Henrietta manages a team of three representatives, who provide excellent customer service support to our field teams, clinicians, and valued patients. The team’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Processing orders
  • Handling customer returns, exchanges, and repairs
  • Managing customer/user communication (via phone and email)

Henrietta isn’t afraid of challenges. She once did an evening climb to the summit of Mt. Fuji, which required hiking through the night. She did this even though she is not a mountain climber and was not very well prepared for the climb. While it was grueling and exhausting, she was able to finish and witnessed the most beautiful sunrise after reaching the summit. It was a wonderful adventure…but one she says she will never do again!

The members of Oticon Medical’s Customer Service team assist our Ponto™ and Sentio™ wearers and candidates by answering questions, placing and managing orders, and helping them find conveniently located audiology clinics. Customer Service is available to assist you by phone during office hours of Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 7 pm ET. Please feel free to call  (888) 277-8014 or you can send them a message anytime via email at [email protected].

Why Are My Batteries So Hard To Open?

Reese’s Law Takes Effect in the US

In 2025, a new law went into effect in the United States. Known as Reese’s Law, its intent is to protect individuals, particularly young children, from accidentally swallowing the small round batteries known as “button” or “coin” cell batteries. Since these batteries are normally used in hearing aids (including bone conduction hearing processors) this law affects many hearing device wearers, because it mandates that their packaging be tamper-resistant. Here is what you need to know about this new law and why you will now have to use different techniques to open your button cell battery packs.

Why this law was enacted

The story behind Reese’s Law is a tragedy. It was named for a toddler named Reese Hamsmith, who swallowed the button battery powering one of her toys in 2020. Sadly, she died after a month-long hospital stay. Her mother then founded Reese’s Purpose, which led to the passage of a bipartisan law to protect children from ingesting these tiny batteries. While the law passed in 2022, we are only now seeing widespread implementation, as it only applied to batteries imported after March 2024.

Thousands of cases involving children swallowing button batteries are reported annually in the United States. While some batteries are swallowed and passed without incident, far too many get stuck in children’s (or pets’) throats. In the case of lithium-ion batteries, saliva might cause an electrical current, resulting in a chemical reaction that severely burns the esophagus. Small children, who are at greatest risk, are often too young to express that they swallowed a battery. Because their symptoms typically present as coughing, drooling, or general discomfort, parents usually have no idea that a button battery is the source of their sudden illness.

Although Reese’s Law was based on a case of swallowing a lithium-ion battery, zinc-air batteries are also included. Although the risk to children and pets is somewhat different, zinc-air batteries still contain trace amounts of poisonous mercury that could potentially be lethal if swallowed. Also, the size of all button batteries poses a danger regardless, in that a child can stick one (or more) up their nose or swallow them easily, creating choking hazards. Therefore, all button batteries are included under the mandates, which includes a requirement to use tamper-resistant packaging.

Challenges presented by childproof battery packaging

The motives and logic behind stronger safeguards against children swallowing button batteries make sense. However, the new law presents undeniable challenges for many hearing device wearers, who depend on these small, round batteries to power their hearing aids or bone anchored hearing processors.

The biggest issue for adults is the change in packaging. All button-sized batteries are required to be contained in approved packaging according to the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA). This packaging is tested to ensure that 85 percent (or more) of children cannot reasonably open it unassisted within a five-minute span and that 80 percent (or more) cannot open it even after receiving instructions from an adult on how to open it.

This tamper-proof packaging is also tested to make sure an adult can open it with “relative ease”. However, this assumption is based on the average, able-bodied adult. It does not take into consideration dexterity, vision, or cognitive challenges that often affect older adults or individuals with conditions that impede coordination, strength, or sight.

Guidance for opening tamper-resistant battery packaging

Here are the steps for safely cutting the new tamper-resistant packaging to access your batteries:

  • Get a pair of scissors
  • Place the battery package on a flat, stable surface. This will help you avoid accidentally damaging the batteries, cutting yourself, or dropping and losing batteries, once freed of their packaging
  • Be careful to only cut where indicated either on the package itself or in these instructions, and not directly over the battery(ies)
  • For a single battery, cut the top off the package to just above the plastic blister containing the battery
  • Peel cardboard backing away from the back
  • Tap the battery out onto the flat surface
  • For a multipack of batteries, cut between the individual compartments until the battery you want to access can be removed as described above

Our friends at HearingLife have put together a short video demonstrating how to cut into the new childproof packaging so as not to damage the batteries. You can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si6aKj-1doQ.

Getting batteries for your Oticon Medical bone anchored hearing system

Oticon Medical stocks batteries suitable for all our available hearing processors. In the United States, you can contact our Customer Service team to order batteries at 888.277.8014 (M-F 8am-7pm ET) or you can place an order anytime via [email protected]. Here is a list of our current processors and the battery each requires (note: all batteries are zinc-air):

  • Ponto 4: Size 312
  • Ponto 5 Mini: Size 312
  • Ponto 5 SuperPower: Size 675 P
  • Sentio 1 Mini: Size 675
Woman with long hair smiling

Meet Today’s Oticon Medical | Shelby Peeler

This series of posts introduces you to our current roster of Oticon Medical employees in the United States. As you know, we’ve been through a lot of changes over the past few years. We are pleased that so many wonderful new people have joined the dedicated employees who remain with us!

Dr. Shelby Peeler, Auditory Technical Support Services

Please join us in welcoming our new Auditory Technical Specialist, Shelby Peeler!

Background

Shelby Peeler, AuD, CCC-A, PASC graduated as a Doctor of Audiology in 2018 from Auburn University. Prior to joining the Oticon Medical team, she practiced as a pediatric audiologist, but also enjoyed working with all ages during her schooling and externship. Her special clinical interests are early intervention, working with oncology patients, tinnitus and hyperacusis, hearing conservation, and of course bone conduction.

Shelby spent five-and-a-half years as a clinical audiologist, including three years at a children’s hospital in South Texas serving a patient population with a high rate of microtia and atresia, which is where her love of working with bone anchored hearing systems (BAHS) was born. She holds a pediatric audiology specialty certification from the American Academy of Audiology.

Shelby’s favorite pastime is going to concerts and music festivals! In the last year she has traveled from her home in Atlanta to Nashville, Baltimore, Chicago, Milwaukee, and even Amsterdam to see some of her favorite artists.

Shelby is a member of the Auditory Technical Specialists (ATS) team at Oticon Medical. The ATS team are dedicated and highly skilled audiologists who assist clinicians and Oticon Medical BAHS wearers and candidates with a broad range of inquiries. They provide numerous services, including:

  • Programming support
  • Answers to candidacy questions
  • Troubleshooting of  Ponto™ and Sentio™ Systems and related accessories
  • Bluetooth® connectivity guidance

The ATS team is responsible for knowing about all things Oticon Medical and enjoys coming up with creative solutions to assist clinicians, patients, and candidates.

Oticon Medical’s Auditory Technical Services team is available to answer patient inquiries during office hours Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm ET. Please feel free to call us at  (888) 277-8014 (choose Option 4 when prompted). Or you can send us a message anytime using this convenient ATS Submission form or send an email to [email protected].

 

 

 

Little girl wearing hearing aid

Miss Lexi is Thrilled After Getting Minimally Invasive Ponto Surgery

We are grateful to share one of our young hearing advocate’s recent experience after getting minimally invasive Ponto™ surgery (MIPS), so that she could wear her Ponto on an abutment. While eight-year-old Lexi has been wearing her Ponto SuperPower hearing processor on a softband for some time, she’s now getting even more benefit from it after implantation.

According to Lexi’s mother Staci, Lexi is absolutely thrilled with how clearly she hears things now! After dropping off her daughter at school following her appointment when her Ponto was snapped onto her new abutment, she headed to her classroom for a quick show-and-tell of her new setup. She even introduced the class to Massie the Monkey, which was such a special moment.

“It’s incredible,” Staci shared. “I know some people might think it’s not a big change since she has one ‘good’ ear, but the difference is truly life-changing. The sound quality improvement after MIPS has exceeded all our expectations–it’s leaps-and-bounds beyond what we could have hoped for.”

Ponto is not only known for leading technology, but also for groundbreaking implant techniques designed to shorten surgery and healing time. Our procedures are called minimally invasive because they’re designed to avoid the need for stitches and can be performed in minutes under local anesthesia. With minimal impact on your skin, they offer excellent aesthetic outcomes and fast recovery. 98 percent of all users report an increased quality of life after Ponto surgery.¹

And what did Lexi have to say after getting her processor snapped on? “Mommy, I can hear sounds I’ve never heard before!”

Children learn and grow by absorbing everyday input from the world around them—including sounds. If your child has conductive hearing loss, a bone conduction solution that provides access to more sounds can help ensure they don’t miss out. Find out if a Ponto worn on a softband or abutment could be the right solution for your child’s hearing loss. Contact your hearing care professional today, or to find an HCP in your area, please contact Oticon Medical at 888.277.8014 (M-F 8am-7pm ET) or by email anytime at [email protected].

 

 

  1. Lagerkvist H, et al. (2020). Ten years of experience with the Ponto bone anchored hearing system – A systematic literature review. Clin Otolaryngol. 45(5):667-680.

The Holidays are for Hearing

With the winter holidays beginning this week, we wanted to re-run this helpful post on how to make sure everyone feels included this season. Enjoy and please share!

Families are gathering. Holidays plans are made. You are heading out on a road trip to see the grandkids. The house is bustling with the sounds of the holidays. Children are laughing, and the dinner conversations are lively. It’s time to join with your family around a festive holiday table to celebrate the season and the start of a new year.

For people with hearing loss, these joyous moments can also bring a host of challenges. A noisy dinner conversation can leave a person with hearing loss feeling tired from the effort they have to spend to understand the message. The dinner table is noisy and voices sound muffled from a distance. Important conversations are missed. These challenges can cause isolation and exhaustion for someone with hearing loss.

Oticon Medical has focused on these challenging situations to present patients with device programming and accessory options that improve communication and quality of life. Our accessories, paired with good communication practices, can positively impact interactions with users of our product portfolio. Here are some communication strategies that we can all practice throughout the holidays that will help make communication easier and the season more enjoyable for people with hearing loss.

How to talk to someone with hearing loss

  • Face the person. Ensure that the person with hearing loss can see everyone’s face. The visual cues will help the person understand the words they didn’t catch.
  • Minimize background noise. Turn off the TV and reduce the volume of surrounding music or television to make communication easier.
  • Make sure the room is well-lit. A well-lit environment can make it easier for the person with hearing loss to see facial expressions, body language, and gestures from across a room.
  • Get their attention first. Get an individual’s attention by saying their name first or gently tapping their arm, and then convey your message to increase the chance that it will be heard and understood.
  • Speak slowly and clearly. Annunciate your words and take your time.
  • Rephrase, don’t repeat. If something isn’t heard the first time, try rephrasing it. Instead of repeating the same sentence louder, try saying it a different way.
  • Don’t speak from another room. Minimizing distance will maximize the chance that your message will be heard and understood.
  • Speak at a normal volume. Shouting during conservation can distort the signal for the person with hearing loss and so, rather than making it easier for a hard of hearing person to understand you, it often has the opposite effect.

Useful tools for communication success

Oticon Medical’s BrainHearing™ philosophy reminds us that we hear with our brains, not just our ears. Our Ponto™ devices are equipped with special noise reduction options that operate with this philosophy in mind. The Ponto family is compatible with a variety of accessories that have streaming capabilities to help people with hearing loss communicate successfully in difficult listening environments. Let’s look at a few scenarios where Ponto users can use these tools to make communication easier in challenging situations during the holidays.

Road trips

A Ponto 5 Mini user and his wife have loaded up the RV for a holiday road trip to see their grandkids. For these two people, a conversation in the car is challenging because of road noise and the lack of visual cues as they face the road. The Ponto user can use the ConnectClip to give themselves a big advantage in this situation and allow for an enjoyable road trip full of conversation. The Ponto user’s wife can clip the ConnectClip that is paired to her husband’s Ponto 5 Mini to her lapel about 6 inches from her mouth. She presses and holds the multi-function button for a few seconds until the lights turn purple and green. This action sends her voice on a wireless journey direct to her husband’s Ponto 5 Mini, allowing for effortless conversation between the two, reducing background noise, and minimizing the effects of distance on their ability to communicate.

Watching a movie

Oticon Medical’s TV Adapter 3.0 is compatible with the entire Ponto product family. You can pair a TV Adapter to your Ponto 3 SuperPower using your Oticon Medical Streamer or to Ponto 4 or 5 Mini directly. This allows you to stream audio directly from your television to your device. You can use your streamer or the Oticon ON™ app to control the volume of the television while your family continues to listen at a level that’s comfortable for them.

Adjustments from afar

You are having difficulty hearing in noise on your holiday vacation, but it isn’t convenient for you to visit your audiologist for programming in person. What can you do? Ponto 5 Mini users can now use RemoteCare to arrange a quick telehealth appointment with their audiologist. During a scheduled RemoteCare visit, an audiologist can log into a private portal which allows them to make the adjustments that their patient needs. The program changes are uploaded to the patient’s device using Oticon’s RemoteCare app and the new settings can be used by the Ponto 5 Mini user right away. This groundbreaking technology opens a new frontier for Ponto patients.        

Family dinner

Oticon Medical has developed OpenSound Navigator™ as a method of noise reduction for those energetic conversations around your holiday dinner table. In this situation, you want to hear the conversation, regardless of its direction. OpenSound Navigator will seamlessly adjust to your environment and reduces the effort it takes to hear. Talk to your audiologist about creating a program in your Ponto 4 or 5 Mini device that utilizes OpenSound Navigator and hear the difference at the holiday dinner table this year. Additionally, you can hand a paired ConnectClip to a relative across the table and their voice can be streamed directly from up to 65 feet away.

Online resources

Oticon Medical is here to support you while you are on the go this holiday season. For product support, videos on how to pair accessories, or in-depth information about the different solutions available to you, visit Wireless Connectivity.

Should you need help from an Oticon Medical audiologist during the holiday season, please contact our Auditory Technical Services support team during the hours of 8 AM and 8 PM, Eastern time at 888-277-8014 or by email at [email protected].

            Oticon Medical wishes you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season!

About the Author

Courtney Smith, M.A., CCC-A, is the Clinical Trainer at Oticon Medical, having just joined the team in October of 2021. She practiced audiology in both medical and private practice settings in Las Vegas, NV. She has experience working with hearing aids, cochlear implants, and bone anchored solutions for adults and pediatrics. She completed her training at the University of Iowa in 2003.

Woman smiling with long hair

Meet Today’s Oticon Medical | Stephanie Gardner

This new series of posts introduces you to our current roster of Oticon Medical employees in the United States. As you know, we’ve been through a lot of changes over the past few years. We are pleased that so many wonderful new people have joined the dedicated employees who have remained with us despite it all!

Stephanie Gardner, Senior Insurance Manager

Please join us in welcoming our new Senior Manager of Insurance Services and Reimbursement Support, Stephanie Gardner!

Background

Prior to joining Oticon Medical, Stephanie worked for an oncology company as their Revenue Cycle Manager. She has more than ten years of experience in the account receivables field and five years of experience in the revenue cycle process, including precertification, eligibility and benefits, oral pharmacy for oncology medicine, patient financial advocacy, and patient accounts receivable.

Current Oticon Medical Role

Stephanie is responsible for managing, leading, and developing our Insurance Support Team, which assists wearers  of our Ponto™ and Sentio™ bone anchored hearing systems (BAHS) and hearing care professionals with insurance and reimbursement inquiries.

Once BAHS candidates have decided on a bone anchored solution, they must determine and verify that their benefits will cover it. While this may seem daunting, the Oticon Medical Insurance Support Team is here to make the process easier for them, hospitals and clinics. They will assist with everything, including:

  • Verification of benefits for new Ponto or Sentio wearers
  • Verification for current BAHS wearers seeking coverage for upgrading their processors to our latest technology
  • Submitting paperwork to insurance providers
  • Requesting and receiving pre-authorization for minimally-invasive Ponto surgery (MIPS) or Sentio surgery

The team does this this in a confidential and private manner to protect candidates and wearers’ healthcare information through each step of the process. 

Fun Fact

  • One of Stephanie’s hobbies is putting together 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles.

Please join us in welcoming Stephanie to the Oticon Medical Team!

If you need to speak to someone in our Insurance Support Services Department, you can reach them anytime at [email protected] or by phone Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm Eastern Time at 855.400.9761.