Tag Archives: video

Pastor Ross Feels Like Himself Again With Ponto 5 SuperPower

Ross Wiseman, pastor and avid hiker, struggled to engage with his congregation and enjoy his leisure time after losing his hearing in one ear suddenly. Treating his hearing loss with a Ponto™ bone anchored hearing system was a life-changing experience. Recently, Ross upgraded to the Ponto 5 SuperPower, and in this new testimonial video, shares how much he loves this next-gen technology.

#

The hair cells of my auditory nerves died over a weekend. Friday night, I felt like my ear was stuffed up. Didn’t feel sick at all. Saturday morning I was fine. Was coaching soccer later that day and it happened again. By evening I was fine. Sunday morning, I preached, went home, and took a nap. When I woke up, I couldn’t hear anymore. I thought maybe I was getting a cold or had an ear infection. I called the ENT. When that visit ended, he told me that I was permanently deaf in my left ear. They scheduled a CAT scan to see if I had a tumor. I did not; it was single-sided deafness (SSD) with no explanation.

For over 10 years I lived unaided and was miserable. I couldn’t hear my wife on dates when we would eat out, or when we hiked. She hikes in front of me and when she would speak it was useless to try and communicate. I struggled to enjoy watching tv with my kids or hear at events like ball games. Teaching would make me sick to my stomach as I had to turn my head back and forth to try and hear everyone at the table or in the room). I would often sit with others and just smile because I was lost by the conversations that were going around me. I never could tell what anyone was saying, so it created a disconnect.

When I got my first Ponto, we had our church’s tenth anniversary party. I had so many people come to me who had been with me before I went deaf and say it felt good to have their pastor back. I was out in the open talking to everyone rather than in a corner with one person talking. I was also smiling a lot because I was engaged. I didn’t realize that, during those noisy events, I used to zone out and my face showed it. My Ponto changed everything!

If your audiologist doesn’t use Oticon Medical devices, demand that they reach out to Oticon Medical or find an audiologist who will. I was my doctor’s first Ponto user and implant surgery. Oticon Medical was amazing in sending them a product representative, and when it was time, a surgical rep to explain minimally invasive Ponto surgery (MIPS). Now the majority of their patients who need a bone anchored option go with a Ponto.

 

Professional. Sport Enthusiast. Ponto 5 SuperPower Wearer

Advocate Jay Wiecheta wants you to know how Ponto™ 5 SuperPower supports his busy, active lifestyle. 

Jay Wietecha lost the hearing in his right ear at the end of July 2018 due to a 1.8 cm acoustic neuroma that was surgically removed. Despite his surgeons’ best efforts to leave the hearing nerve intact, it still went out and he was left with single-sided deafness (SSD).

Jay spoke to a treatment coordinator post-op who also happened to have become deaf on one side following removal of an acoustic neuroma. She was a Ponto user and advised Jay that it was his best option and worth looking into. In October of 2018, Jay went through the minimally invasive Ponto surgery (MIPS) and had his first Ponto activated in November of that year.

Jay was inspired by his coordinator’s advocacy to pay it forward and advocate for others who might benefit from bone anchored hearing technology. He shares, “As an active member of the Acoustic Neuroma Association, I have been involved with several support groups over the years in which I openly share my experiences and successes with others who are on the same journey, including my decision to have a bone anchored hearing device. I have developed a close relationship with my local ENT who originally diagnosed my tumor and have shared with him how well my device has improved the quality of life, so he can help his patients become informed of the benefits. I often have open discussions with my own patients about the many benefits to having a Ponto and how well it has served me. Whenever someone asks me about the device, even when I’m out in public, I will stop and chat with even strangers about how great the device is and how it benefits me.”

Recently, Jay decided it was time to upgrade to the new Ponto 5 SuperPower. The following are his thoughts and experiences with a device he says has, “A very vibrant and robust sound quality!”

Miss Lucy Brown — Still Tumbling with Ponto 4!

Our favorite Ponto 4-wearing gymnast, Lucy Brown, is able to hear clearly despite the hustle and bustle surrounding her. Check out her moves in this short video, provided courtesy of her proud mom, Georgene Brown:

Hearing in noise is one of the most difficult challenges people with hearing loss face. Whether its other people’s conversations, background music, or other ambient noise, the strain to hear what you actually want to listen to all day can be frustrating and exhausting. As a competitive gymnast, Lucy cannot afford to let either get in her way. Fortunately, thanks to her Ponto 4 bone anchored hearing system, she is able to focus on her coach’s important directions and executing her challenging gymnastic routines.

Go, Lucy Brown, indeed!

Demant: One corporation. Many companies. One Mission.

As you may or may not know, Oticon Medical is part of a much larger global organization: the Demant Group. Beyond bone anchored hearing systems, Demant as a whole provides end-to-end hearing healthcare, from diagnostic equipment – used to identify hearing loss in the first place – to a host of treatment and supportive technology.

More than a century of experience in hearing health

For more than 115 years, the Demant Group of hearing and technology companies have helped people with hearing loss enjoy more of what life has to offer: music, the voices of children and grandchildren, and natural sounds like birds singing.

It all started when Demant began importing hearing aids into the Danish town of Odense more than 100 years ago. The import business transitioned over time into production of Demant’s own hearing aids. Even further down the line, Demant expanded into hearing care, diagnostics, hearing implants, audio solutions, and headsets. And the corporation continues adding to its core competencies, with exciting new technological advances and hearing health-related offerings planned for the future.

End-to-end hearing healthcare

Today, Demant is one of the world’s leading – and largest – hearing healthcare companies in the world, offering the broadest selection of treatment for people living with hearing loss. Besides Oticon Medical, the businesses under the Demant umbrella include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Hearing aid brands Oticon, Inc. and Philips HearLink
  • Diagnostic companies Interacoustics and MAICO
  • Assistive sound field system provider Frontrow

The purpose of the entire business and its employees remains the same across the various units: life-changing hearing health.

With that in mind, we encourage you to take a moment to reflect on all the sounds around you and consider how important they are to your daily life. Those without hearing challenges take sound for granted as they carry on with their routines. But almost 500 million people in the world – more than the population of the United States – live with some level of hearing loss. Like all the companies that make up the Demant Group, Oticon Medical is proud to offer the finest hearing technology to everyone who needs it around the globe.

Demant is seeking to highlight the importance of hearing health and keeping sound in your life with the launch of this new corporate video, I am sound. We hope you enjoy it!

Nathan’s journey to his Ponto 3 SuperPower

Nathan Anderson is 7-years-old. He was born with Treacher Collins syndrome and bilateral conductive hearing loss. His hearing journey began when he was 6 months old with a bone anchored hearing system (BAHS) on a softband.

While his mother, Liz Anderson, was happy her son had the device, they were never happy with the feedback that occurred when someone or something would come in contact with it. Through online communities such as the “BAHA Kids Club World Hearing”, Liz began to learn about other bone anchored hearing options and came across Oticon Medical and the Ponto.

When it came time to decide whether or not he would continue with his device on a softband, Nathan who prior to his BAHS surgeries had had 7 other medical procedures, was unsure about the decision. He spoke with a friend who had gone from a softband to an abutment and received reassurance that the surgery was an easy process.

“When it came time for deciding on whether or not to have surgery for implantation, Nathan made the decision himself. One day at the dinner table, he let us know he was ready.”

In the video below, Nathan’s Ponto 3 SuperPowers are activated!

 

“When I saw videos of adults trying the new Ponto 3 SuperPower, it helped me make the decision that that was the direction we wanted to go. The clarity that people spoke of and children in middle school spoke about trying different BAHS devices but ultimately chose Ponto – that cemented our decision.”

Interested in learning more about our newest Ponto – the Ponto 3 SuperPower? Click the button below to be connected to a representative from our team.
Learn more

The Power of Conversation with the Ponto 3 SuperPower

Every Ponto user has their own story about their upgrade day and we love hearing about them! The latest comes from one of our advocates, Ross Wiseman, as he shares his experience upgrading to the Ponto 3 SuperPower earlier this week!

Here’s what he had to say:

I upgraded on Wednesday to the Ponto P3SP. It was great having present Lindzee Weeks and Justin Pfeiffer from Oticon Medical along with my Audiologist Lesa Kagan from Wellstar ENT. These are truly “People First” representatives in the world of the hearing impaired.

I waited a couple of days to post because I wanted to test it out in two challenging environments. Wednesday night we had a dinner event at church and the P3SP worked great. Last night I had a meeting with 7 people at a very noisy and packed restaurant. I was seated to the far side of the table with my deaf ear to everyone. In these situations my Ponto Power Plus would do a decent job, but there would be a sense that i needed to focus to really hear what was going on.

Last night I was blown away by the P3SP. During the course of 2.5 hours I completely got lost in the conversation and totally forgot that I was being aided to literally hear everything at the table except for the person directly across from me. The speech recognition was on point and deciphered through all the noise to deliver an experience like I never thought possible again.

I didn’t think Oticon could improve on my last device, but the clarity and naturalness was remarkable. People need to give themselves a chance to try out this device before choosing their solution. Oticon Medical’s products and service are making me a fan for life for sure!

Check out Ross’ video below for a sneak peek of his reaction after hearing with his Ponto 3 Super Power for the first time!

 

Want to learn more about the Ponto 3 SuperPower? Click the button below to be connected to a representative from our team.

Learn more

Meet Ponto User Dee Inman!

We asked Ponto users to share their experience with us about what life is like with their Oticon Medical Ponto. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing their responses and hope it inspires you to choose sound, choose Ponto.

Our next user video comes from Dee Inman, who talks about the difficulty of social situations and how her Ponto has made a difference.

“I have worn other devices and whenever I did I would still isolate myself from situations when I had to be around other people. But with my Ponto, I’m able to have conversations with those around me in a restaurant, when it’s noisy, I can converse with those at my table. Family situations, I don’t shy away from those, I don’t isolate myself anymore.” 

Listen to the full story below:

If you would like to know more about the Ponto system and speak to an audiologist, click the button below and we will connect you.

Speak to an Audiologist




Meet Ponto User Winslow Pipes!

We asked Ponto users to share their experience with us about what life is like with their Oticon Medical Ponto. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing their responses and hope it inspires you to choose sound, choose Ponto.

This weeks user video comes from Ann and Winslow Pipes who share their journey of selecting the Ponto Pro Power.

“We didn’t notice any feedback at all and the TV wasn’t getting turned up as loud anymore. Once he (Winslow) had it implanted, he was so pleased with the clarity and volume we decided to implant his left side as well as his right”

Listen to the full story below:

If you would like to know more about the Ponto system and speak to an audiologist, click the button below and we will connect you. 

Speak to an Audiologist




Ideas Worth Spreading: Best TED Talks on Sound

As you may have heard, “sound matters” is what we believe most.  It’s great to hear so many people feel the same. Today, we wanted to share some of the best  TED talks that focus on—you guessed it—sound.

TEDBelow you’ll see inspiring talks from three amazing individuals. Bernie Krause devoted almost a lifetime to recording sounds in the wild. He feels that the sounds around us can provide evidence of the health of the land and its habitat. Daniel Kish takes advantage of sound to see and is training others to do the same. And Meklit Hadero lets ordinary everyday sounds inspire her to create beautiful music.

Continue reading

Here’s How Ponto Users Show Their Advocacy with Today’s Top Online Tools (Plus: Meet the Winner of the Patient Advocacy Contest)

At our Patient Advocacy Workshop this year, we left our advocates with a challenge: utilize the tools we shared to create a designed social media post or video that expresses how you feel about your Ponto.

We were so incredibly impressed as the submissions rolled in. Here are some of the submissions from our incredibly creative community members—including the first place winning submission below!

Continue reading