CAMBRIDGE, England,
April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Online
Hearing Care has developed new technology to provide hearing tests,
hearing aids and ongoing remote support to millions of people
suffering from hearing loss, all within the comfort of their own
homes. This radically new service model has been developed
with the backing of an advisory board of internationally recognised
audiology and digital healthcare specialists.
Online Hearing Care's innovative Home Hearing Kit allows
audiologists to remotely assess a client's hearing to clinic
standards. Clients are provided with all the diagnostic equipment
that audiologists would use in clinic, with their hearing tested
via accurately calibrated headphones and an otoscopic examination
of the ear canal and ear drum.
Current online hearing tests using standard headphones and
earbuds can determine whether a patient has hearing loss and
indicate the severity of the loss, but Online Hearing Care is
currently the only hearing care provider in the world to go the
extra step and offer a full home examination to deliver a complete
audiogram and ear canal assessment. This allows audiologists to
remotely programme the hearing aids with pin-point accuracy for
each patient and to identify and refer any other conditions onto
the patient's GP.
In addition, patients receive full ongoing support by connecting
with audiologists via virtual appointments and their hearing aids
can be remotely adjusted anywhere in the world.
Professor Shafi Ahmed, Consultant
Surgeon, Royal London Hospital, is a pioneer in digital healthcare
solutions and expert Advisory Board Member to Online Hearing
Care.
Professor Ahmed said: "It's very exciting to see this
technology being made available to patients in their own homes,
replicating as far as possible a full audiology exam in the
patient's home. The last year has seen a real step change in
acceptance of remote health assessment and provision, by
both professionals and patients, a trend that we see continuing
post Covid. Treating hearing loss is at the forefront of this
trend and patients' quality of life can be dramatically and quickly
improved with accurate assessment and treatment."
Richard Tucker, Chief Executive
Officer at Online Hearing Care, said: "Online Hearing Care is
dedicated to improving people's lives through better hearing.
Around 1 in 6 of the UK population – over 10 million adults –
suffer from hearing loss of some kind and, as our population ages,
that number will increase. The company's mission is to help
people understand that hearing loss should be taken seriously, and
that it can be treated very successfully, if addressed
early.
"Several research papers** have made the connection between
hearing loss with increased rates of depression, social isolation,
and risk of dementia and cognitive decline. We intend to tackle the
taboo of hearing loss and to highlight the importance and
effectiveness of early treatment, providing a service which
improves quality of life as we age."
Online Hearing Care hearing solutions are discreet, easily
adjustable and effective hearing aids from world-leading hearing
aid manufacturer, Phonak.
"Phonak's ground-breaking hearing devices contain advanced
technology for increased functionality and superior performance
with features including Dynamic Noise Cancellation, Speech Enhancer
and UltraZoom for sharper sound quality in a variety of situations,
especially in busy social settings," explains Richard Tucker.
"You can make phone calls, listen to music, hear your sat nav
instructions, and participate fully in conversations in a crowded
room.
"Our hearing aids can be programmed and adjusted via an app
available for iOS and Android phones and can even be adjusted
anywhere in the world by our audiologists."
The Online Hearing Care service includes a 60 day money back
guarantee, annual checkups, remote care service support for any
adjustments, and a 3 year warranty. Without bricks and mortar
overheads, Online Hearing Care are able to keep prices
substantially lower than high street audiologists.
Founded in 2020, Online Hearing Care has the backing of an
expert Advisory Board of internationally-recognised audiology and
digital healthcare specialists that also includes: Professor
Brian Moore, Emeritus Professor of
Auditory Perception, University of
Cambridge; Dr Josef
Schlittenlacher, Lecturer at Manchester University and multidisciplinary
scientist specialising in machine learning for auditory science;
and James Tysome, Consultant ENT Surgeon at Cambridge University Hospitals.
With a world-leading board of advisors, innovative remote care
and superior hearing device technology, Richard Tucker sums up the mission of Online
Hearing Care: "Online Hearing Care's advanced hearing care gives
those with hearing loss easy and convenient access to audiological
services without having to actually visit a clinic. The Covid
pandemic has shown that there is an increased demand for remote
audiology services and our technology provides the closest
experience possible to a clinic visit."
For more information on Online Hearing Care visit
www.onlinehearingcare.co.uk or call 0800 054 1138.
Notes to Editors:
Online Hearing Care was founded in 2020 to deliver the very
best in remote hearing health care and give people with hearing
loss greater access to audiology services. The company, supported
by a Board of internationally recognised advisors, has developed
the unique Home Hearing Kit which allows clients to receive a full
audiological assessment to clinical standards and personalised
hearing device calibration to meet their specific hearing profile.
This pioneering approach is the first of its kind in the UK. Online
Hearing Care's hearing aids are top of the range devices from world
leaders, Phonak. Online Hearing Care provides advanced hearing
technology - delivered to clients in the comfort of their own
home.
For more information visit:
www.onlinehearingcare.co.uk
Phone: 0800 054 1138 (UK office hours: Mon –
Fri, 9am to 5pm)
Email: info@onlinehearingcare.co.uk
** Hearing loss and incident dementia
Frank R
Lin 1, E Jeffrey
Metter, Richard J O'Brien, Susan M
Resnick, Alan B Zonderman, Luigi
Ferrucci
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21320988/
Hearing loss in older adults: who's listening?
Frank R Lin 1
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22436953/
Hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults
Frank R Lin 1, Kristine Yaffe, Jin
Xia, Qian-Li
Xue, Tamara B Harris, Elizabeth Purchase-Helzner, Suzanne Satterfield, Hilsa N
Ayonayon, Luigi
Ferrucci, Eleanor M Simonsick, Health ABC Study
Group
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23337978/
Association of hearing impairment with brain volume changes
in older adults
F R Lin 1, L
Ferrucci 2, Y An 3, J O
Goh 4, Jimit
Doshi 5, E J
Metter 2, C
Davatzikos 5, M A
Kraut 6, S M Resnick 3
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24412398/
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