Tag Archives: Oticon Medical

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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:

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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
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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.

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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.

Four Tips to Help Your Child Succeed in the Classroom

With the right support, children with hearing loss can still find success in school. Parents play a crucial role in this journey, often serving as their child’s biggest advocate. Whether it be fighting to ensure that their child has access to the necessary resources to achieve success or providing support for the child at home, the role of parents in their children’s academic lives is vital. In a recent discussion involving Dr. Michelle Kraskin (Weill Cornell Medicine’s Director of Audiology), Sammie Levy (an educational specialist), Kimberly Szabo (an educational audiologist), and Laurie Winter (a teacher of the Deaf and hard of hearing), they provided four essential tips regarding steps parents can take to help their child flourish both academically and socially. 

Provide copies of your child’s hearing tests to the school.

When asked about how audiologists might help support their patients in educational environments, Kraskin answered, “One of the things we do at our center is provide our patients with copies of their hearing tests that they can provide to the school.” Szabo agreed with this statement, adding that while audiograms are helpful, speech and noise testing is also extremely important, as it “gives a lot of information on how [audiograms] translate into the classroom.”

Providing both tests to the school helps them understand what the baseline is for the child at that moment, rather than having to work with tests from several years ago. Winter re-enforces that while audiograms do give an idea of “the type and degree of hearing loss,” they “don’t tell how that person functions with their hearing.” This is important for teachers and educators to be aware of so they can figure out the student’s educational needs. 

Meet with the school to discuss expectations regarding your child’s hearing loss.

Another thing that the experts agreed was beneficial, especially with younger students, was a conference between parents and educators. When it comes to a small child, who is often unable to fully or accurately express themself, parents understand best how they function and how to manage their hearing loss. Parents can also provide insight into the challenges and struggles their child encounters in the classroom.

Levy adds that for older children, “quality of life check-in’s” work, and that even though “the school day is 8:30 to 2:30, we want to support our patients [and empower them to] enjoy extracurricular activities, complete their homework, and engage in dinner conversations,” like their peers.

These conferences give parents an opportunity to discuss concerns with their child’s educators, and create a game plan for their students. Levy mentions that these conferences help educators develop a “school year bucket list of things that they want to accomplish or enhance at the beginning of the school year,” which can be discussed later in the year, to track growth and success. 

If your child needs something to succeed, don’t be afraid to ask.

If you know that your child needs something in the classroom to succeed, whether it be an FM system, microphone like the EduMic, or something else, Winter states that it is “very helpful for the educator to have that information” so that they “have something available that is geared specifically to [the child’s] needs.” Winter notes that although this is helpful for educators and kids, she rarely hears about parents sharing this information.

The experts agree with Winter, and Kraskin adds that avoiding “wishy-washy terms, such as may benefit,” is also helpful. Rather, use definitive terms, such as “will benefit,” to avoid any “gray area or interpretation,” which frequently results in the student not getting the proper accommodations they require.

Levy continues by giving the example, “We know that X, Y, and Z would be very beneficial for the student because…” The experts agree that this statement reduces a lot of those “gray areas” that may have been left up to interpretation. This avoids the need to leave things up to the discretion of teachers or administrators, who may be completely unfamiliar with working with hard of hearing students, as well as help break down the “lack of willingness to give all the accommodations.” 

Empower yourself with information.

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” Kraskin says. Believing that one of the most important things is empowering the parent with information, Kraskin adds, “A lot of the parents do not know what their rights are, what kind of care and accommodations their child should be receiving, or what the law is.” Whether parents learn from clinicians and audiologists, other families who have already dealt with the same issues, or other trustworthy resources, it is essential that they are aware of what their children are entitled to and how to fight for it.

Winter agrees, stating that from her experience, “parents do not know what their rights are, what’s out there for their children, or what schools can provide.”

Supporting children with hearing loss requires a combination of efforts from parents, educators, and hearing care professionals working together. By keeping these tips in mind, parents can help ensure that they have all the tools and confidence to fully engage in their education and reach their full potential.

Want to learn more? Find the whole discussion on Audiology Online!

 

 

 

 

 

Children in class

Supporting Students with Ponto: A Comprehensive Overview for Teachers

The Impact of Sound on Student Learning

Whether it be the ringing of the bell, the sharpening of a pencil, or the voice of an instructor, every sound in a school environment plays a key role in not only facilitating learning processes but establishing a rhythm of daily activities. Without sound, it is difficult to foster a conducive environment for students and educators alike.

Some students may have conductive/mixed hearing losses or single-sided deafness (SSD). Conductive or mixed hearing loss are the result of issues present in the middle or outer ear. These may include ear infections, problems with the middle ear bones, or malformations of the outer ear or ear canal, such as microtia and atresia. In the case of SSD, the student has one completely non-functional ear, while the other may have reduced or normal hearing.

Having access to sound is a critical element of a child’s success in regular classroom environments. Some students with hearing challenges may have bone anchored hearing systems (BAHS) like Ponto™ to help alleviate possible difficulties keeping up with lessons. A BAHS is a type of hearing device that sends sounds directly into the inner ear, using a process known as bone conduction.

A Teacher’s Quick Guide to Ponto

The Ponto System consists of two main parts: either a softband or surgically implanted abutment, and an external sound processor. The softband/abutment holds the sound processor on the head, while the processor captures sound from the wearer’s surroundings and transfers it through the skull, in the form of vibrations, to the inner ear. Two bone anchored hearing processors

For educators with young students, you should know how to change the Ponto battery, as shown below, if the battery dies during the school day.Open battery door, remove sticky label, wait 2-3 minutes to insert, insert battery in drawer with plus side down, close battery door

If the sound processor falls off, position it vertically with the microphone inlets toward the bottom, aligned horizontally. If possible, avoid letting anything touching the sound processor to prevent a whistling sound known as feedback. If the student is wearing a softband, it should fit snugly but comfortably against the head. You should be able to insert two fingers between the softband and the head. The following photo shows proper softband placement.child wearing softband and bone anchored hearing processor

Supporting students

In addition to supporting device functionality, there are other strategies educators can use to enhance the learning experience for their hard of hearing students, such as:

  • Repeating or rephrasing information when requested
  • Speaking slowly and clearly at a comfortable volume
  • Employing written instructions or visual cues
  • Maintaining good visibility by facing the child
  • Avoiding face or mouth coverage, and ensuring adequate lighting in the classroom
  • Enhancing classroom acoustics by:
    • Closing doors
    • Placing tennis balls on furniture legs
    • Using carpets and wall coverings for sound absorption
    • Positioning desks away from noise sources
  • Adhering to guidelines in the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan, if applicable
  • Using an EduMic or similar microphone

 Using the EduMic in the Classroom

The EduMic is an extremely helpful accessory that provides Ponto users with an even better experience with their BAHS. It serves as a bridge system providing wearers with microphone, FM, audio jack, and telecoil modes. Microphone Mode is a powerful tool, carrying the teacher’s voice directly into the student’s Ponto, reducing background noise interference between the student and teacher.

To achieve the best results in Microphone Mode, clip the EduMic a maximum distance of eight inches away from the speaker’s mouth. Take care to avoid scratching noises and jewelry clinking against the microphone, as these sounds will also be relayed directly to the student. In order to use FM mode or take advantage of the audio jack mode, insert either the auxiliary cord or the FM connector to the bottom of the EduMic.

For full EduMic instructions, click here.

Set Your Students with Bone Conduction Hearing Devices Up for Success

Supporting students with hearing loss, particularly those using a BAHS like Ponto, requires a combination of technical knowledge and well-planned classroom strategies. By understanding the functionality of the Ponto System, educators can ensure that students are able to not only access sound effectively, but also engage fully in classroom activities. Teachers play a critical role in fostering a supportive and inclusive atmosphere, empowering students with hearing challenges to reach their full potential.

child wearing softband and bone anchored hearing processor

Tips and Tricks for Maintaining Your Softband 5

If you or a loved one uses the Softband 5 with a Ponto™ device, here are some handy tips and tricks to make sure you get the most out of your softband experience!

1. Keep It Clean

  • Regularly inspect and clean the connector plate to keep it free of dust and particles. You can use a soft, dry cloth or lukewarm water with mild detergent for the Softband 5 connector plate.

  • Regularly inspect and clean the sound processor coupling as well. You can use a soft, dry cloth or a dry, soft-bristled toothbrush to keep the coupling free of dust and particles.

2. Minimize Handling

  • Keep the sound processor attached to the softband and only remove it when necessary, such as for battery changes.

3. Replace Worn Connector Pads

  • Check the connector pads regularly and replace them if they appear worn or damaged. The wearing time may vary depending on exercise, environment, and hair and skin characteristics. Make sure to remove the old connector pad completely before attaching a new one.

4. Check Fit and Functionality

  • Parents or caregivers should always verify that the softband is correctly attached and positioned, and that the sound processor is functioning properly before use. The softband should fit snugly around the head, allowing enough space to slip two fingers between the band and the head.

5. Monitor Elasticity

  • Replace the softband if it has lost its elasticity to ensure a secure and comfortable fit.

6. Properly Attach Your Processor

  • When attaching your processor to your Softband 5 connector plate, gently rock the processor back and forth to secure it onto the connector. Avoid pushing or pulling the processor straight on or off.

If you have any questions or need further assistance with your Softband 5, please don’t hesitate to contact your audiology professional or Oticon Medical Auditory Technical Support Services!