Summer brings some specific challenges for hearing aid wearers, most of which are easy to manage once you know what to watch for. Here is my practical guide to keeping your devices in good shape through the warmer months.

(Image: Widex Hearing Aids available at Meadows & Wood)

How robust are modern hearing aids?

More robust than many people expect. Modern behind-the-ear and receiver-in-canal hearing aids from the leading manufacturers now carry an IP68 rating, which is the top of the international scale for dust and moisture protection. Tested to withstand submersion in clean water to one metre depth, these devices are built for active daily life.

The leading manufacturers go further than the standard requires. Prescription hearing aids are subjected to saline mist testing over 28 days and must come out fully functional. That is a meaningful test of real-world durability, far beyond what a walk in the rain or a sweaty afternoon in the garden represents. One of my patients came back from holiday having accidentally jumped into the pool with his hearing aids in. He was braced for the worst. They worked perfectly. He was surprised; I was not.

Where IP68 has limits

IP68 is tested in clean, still, fresh water. It does not account for sea water, which is corrosive and works its way into components over time. It does not account for dynamic wave pressure, or the chemical properties of sunscreen, hairspray and other products we use every day. The rating is reassuring, but it is not a green light for swimming.

Remove your hearing aids before entering any body of water. After a day near the coast, a gentle wipe down with a dry cloth before storing your devices overnight is a good habit worth forming.

Before you go out

One of the simplest rules I give patients is this: hearing aids go in last. Hairspray, perfume and sunscreen all send fine droplets into the air, and the microphone ports on hearing aids are remarkably good at catching them. Aerosol hairspray is particularly problematic because the spray lingers. Perfume is less obvious but the alcohol and oils in many fragrances can affect the casing seals over time. Apply everything first, let it settle, then fit your hearing aids. It takes an extra two minutes and saves a lot of problems.

A word about in-canal hearing aids

Patients wearing in-canal styles, including completely-in-canal and invisible-in-canal models, need to be particularly attentive in summer. These devices sit in the warmest, most humid part of the ear, and unlike behind-the-ear models they cannot carry the same moisture resistance ratings. Their smaller casings are more vulnerable to the combined effects of heat, humidity and earwax, which summer tends to increase. If you wear an in-canal device, a routine clean and check every three to four months is the baseline recommendation. I would also suggest coming in before and after the summer if you are planning to be active outdoors. A small build-up of earwax or moisture is straightforward to address when caught early. Left unattended it can affect sound quality significantly. In-canal hearing aids remain a genuinely excellent option, offering discretion that other styles cannot match, and the technology continues to advance. Summer is simply when their care routine matters most.

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Happy New Year from Mia, Claire, and Toby at Meadows & Wood Hearing Care Specialists.

We hope you all had a restful holiday period and enjoyed time with family and friends! We cannot overstate how important the good times spent with loved ones are for our mental and physical well-being. With this in mind, we aim to create a warm and welcoming environment within our clinics, making the journey towards better hearing a more comfortable experience.

Welcoming you to our clinic in Worle is our new member, Charlie. He’s a very shy pup, but welcoming our lovely clients is really helping him grow in confidence from his very difficult start in life. As we look to resolve your hearing issues at one of our clinics, Charlie plays a very important role in helping our clients relax and feel at ease for what can be a worrying topic for many.

We are also operating out of Clevedon Hospital for those who need somewhere a little closer to home. This complements our Portishead and Worle clinics. The new year is a great time to take action on things you may have been putting off, so take charge of your hearing today!

If you’re worried about your hearing, we are here to help you – either at home or in North Somerset’s only full-time and fully independent audiology clinic. Book a consultation with us to speak with one of our friendly audiologists.

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With the days now being shorter and evenings longer, we might be forgiven for looking back fondly to the long sunny days of summer. It turns out that spending time outdoors could have been benefiting you more than you realised.

Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient that helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. Recent studies have shown that vitamin D also plays a vital role in maintaining hearing health. According to one study, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with higher rates of sudden sensorineural hearing loss as well as higher rates of hearing loss. Another study showed that the odds of bilateral hearing loss were increased by 45% in older adults when compared to their peers with normal vitamin D levels.

The good news is that higher vitamin D intake can result in reduced odds of hearing loss. In fact, studies have shown that adults who ate oily fish twice a week (e.g. sardines, salmon) had a 42% lower chance of facing age-related hearing loss than non-fish eaters. Vitamin D plays a vital role in promoting good hearing health. It is essential to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D through proper diet or supplements to prevent hearing loss. So, make sure you get your daily dose of vitamin D to keep your ears healthy and happy!

If you, or a loved one, are struggling with hearing and would like to know how we can help, please get in touch to book a consultation. We are here for you at home or in North Somerset’s only full time and fully independent audiology clinic.

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It’s the time of year where many of us will be spending more time with family and friends in cheerful environments. All the chatter and laughter is lovely but it also means NOISE. For those struggling with hearing loss, it can be a time of frustration and discomfort. Here are some tips that can help you hear better in noisy environments:

• Reduce background noise: Try to reduce the background noise as much as possible. If you’re in a restaurant, you can ask the staff to turn down the background music. If you’re in a noisy room, try to sit in the corners of the room, where it can be easier to hear than in the middle.
• Choose the environment: You can manipulate your environment to make it more conducive for hearing. Soft furnishings, even using rugs and tablecloths, can reduce echo or harsh sounds in a room. Considering a different arrangement might help with your hearing ability.
• Communication tactics: If you are struggling with your hearing, don’t stand too far away from the person speaking. Make sure to face them so that you can see their lips and watch their expressions. Don’t feel embarrassed to ask people to slow down just a little, or to grab your attention before speaking! Telling someone at the start of the conversation that you struggle with hearing, or you lip read, can really help.

Remember, these tips are not exhaustive, but they should help you get involved in conversations.

If you or a loved one are struggling with hearing, and would like to know how we can help, book a consultation with us today. We are here for you at home or in North Somerset’s only full time and fully independent audiology clinic.

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Whilst on a care home visit last month I was discussing challenges that carers experience when attempting to chat with their residents. It’s easy to imagine a situation when the person that they care for might have limited mobility as well as poor hearing. The busy carer is often juggling tasks and alarms all while attempting to brighten the day by having a conversation with the resident. 

It occurred to me that some helpful advice on how to communicate well would be very useful. Not only for our professional carers, but for anyone who may also be caring for relatives with hearing issues. Here’s our 5 top tips: 

1. When speaking to a hearing-impaired person, it is important that you should attract the person’s attention first, perhaps by saying their name or making eye contact. 
2. Speak clearly by not going too fast and saying each word fully. Also don’t cover your mouth, its important they can see it as well as your facial expressions. 
3. Try to minimise background noise when speaking. 
4. Make sure you are not too far away from the person.  
5. Don’t shout!  If someone is still struggling, then shouting won’t really help. Louder but still controlled and clear speech is what will be more successful. When someone loses their hearing, they also lose the ability to tolerate loud sounds, so a shout is likely to seem distorted or even painful. 

If you or your loved one is struggling with hearing clearly, and you would like to know how we can help, we are here for you at home or in North Somerset’s only full-time and fully independent audiology clinic. Contact details are below. 

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We’ve all been looking for creative ways to stay in touch with everyone, and we thought it was a good time to pass our ideas on to you. As well as friends and family, you can even use these tips to speak to us!

Using technology to bridge the gap

One of the first things we did was to start looking for a technological solution to the problem. We spoke to lots of people and found that video conferencing software, like Zoom, was becoming a popular way to have face-to-face conversations with anyone.

We were recommended Zoom and decided to try it. It’s a program that you can download on your computer, laptop, or phone that allows you to video chat with anyone. You can chat to 8 people at once, so it would be a great way to host your next book club.

It’s free too, so you don’t even have to worry about paying for the service. As with a lot of technology, though, it can be a little bit tricky to get set-up, so we’ll walk you through it…

How to get started with Zoom

First, you’re going to want to decide where to download Zoom to. This could be your computer, your mobile phone, or your tablet.

If you’re on the computer, open your internet browser and navigate to the Zoom website. Once you’re there, click the big “Sign up, It’s Free” button in the top right and follow the instructions. The steps are quite simple. First, you’ll enter your email address and it will ask for some simple information. Once you’re signed up, you can download the program, install it, and login with the email address and password that you set up.

If you’re on your tablet or phone, you’ll need to open whichever app store your device uses. For example, if you’re using an Apple product, you’ll need to open the App Store. For an Android product, you’ll need to open the Google Play Store. Search for Zoom in the app search bar and download it. Once the app has been downloaded, you can create an account through the app, sign in, and get started!

Now that you’ve got Zoom installed and ready to go, you can start chatting to friends and family. To create a ‘room’, simply press ‘New Meeting’ and then ‘Start Meeting’. To invite people, press ‘Participants’, then ‘Invite’ in the bottom left, and finally ‘Copy URL’. You can then send this URL to your friends and family so they can join the ‘room’ and start chatting to you.

If you have any problems, feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll see if we can give you a hand. Zoom have a great starting guide, though, if you’re stuck at any stage, just click here.

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How the pursuit of perfection began

“We met in the evening at the home of Christian Tøpholm to talk about the future over a bottle of Red Martini. When the bottle was empty, we shook hands and said, “We’ll do it!” – Erik Westermann

Widex was founded in 1956, by Christian Tøpholm, a gifted electronics engineer and Erik Westermann, a successful businessman. To this day, the company remains under the ownership of the two families.

In 1949, both men joined Oticon, a Danish hearing aid manufacturer. Tøpholm, as a factory manager, responsible for technical development; and Westermann as an export manager, responsible for sales outside of Denmark. With Tøpholm’s vision to compete through technology and in-house manufacturing capabilities, and Westermann’s success creating contacts in markets through Europe and America, the two of them became a dream team, forming a strong friendship. Oticon’s annual production saw a tenfold increase from 1,000 to 10,000, whilst exports rose from 20% to 90% of the company’s turnover.

By 1955, the two men were becoming disillusioned, feeling their valuable work was not being appreciated by management, and mutually decided to resign.

On 30th November 1955, they shared a bottle of Red Martini, the only drink Tøpholm had available at his home that evening. Neither was enamoured by the prospect of returning to their respective industries and fuelled by the boldness served to them from the contents of the bottle, resolved to set up their own company.

In January 1956, they were ready to begin their plan. The cellar beneath Christian Tøpholm’s suburban home in Naerum was taken into use as a combined development laboratory, workshop and production hall. Funds were tight in the early days, and the company’s first year was a bit of an uphill struggle.

However, through hard work, dedication to quality, ground-breaking technology, gifted craftsmanship, and some goodwill from family and business associates, Widex successfully released their first hearing aid mid-way through 1956, the Widex 561, an elegant pocket model. From there, the rest is history.

Today, Widex is renowned for producing exceedingly natural sounding hearing aids through a commitment to innovation, focus on quality craftsmanship, and dedication to being the only CO2 neutral hearing aid manufacturer. They are also proud to offer their hearing aids exclusively to independent hearing practices like us!

Widex through and through

Key to Widex’s ability to continually produce quality, innovative solutions that few can match, is the dedication to Christian Tøpholm’s vision to manufacture equipment and components to keep every process in house. From nano coating and electronics mounting to rubber moulding and coil-winding, Widex is committed to producing all the components of their hearing aids, to ensure that every part of the hearing aids adhere to their stringent quality standards. Nothing is left to chance.

Sustainability

Widex has always been committed to corporate social responsibility and ethical standards. In 2010, Widex took its passion for advanced engineering and social responsibility one step further with the construction of their completely CO2 neutral headquarters in Lynge, Denmark.

Innovative, energy-efficient, wind-powered, Widex’s headquarters reflect the proud Danish tradition of environmental awareness, making them the only CO2 neutral hearing aid producer in the world.

The design of Widex headquarters utilises a combination of old and new technology to provide a truly unique building. These include a geothermal system that uses groundwater as a heat reservoir to store an entire years’ worth of heating and cooling, the first of its kind in Denmark, as well as the use of solar cells and recycling of rainwater.

But the most visible contribution is the windmill which delivers more power annually than Widex uses. The windmill also means that Widex is a WindMade certified company – the first global consumer label for companies that use wind energy.

Striving for perfection

From the very beginning, Widex has been dedicated to its vision of providing perfect sound to everyone. Christian Tøpholm’s ability to see possibilities others had overlooked and his attention to detail, was what set Widex instruments apart from the beginning. Widex’ pursuit of natural sound has always guided everything the company does. Leading audiological research, quality craftmanship and the unique technology behind natural sound have always set the company apart. Widex led the shift to digital, while persevering the warmth and range of analog. They pioneered the use of new processors, improving sound quality while eliminating latency. And with AI they have made sound uniquely natural for every owner. Now, with their most recent technology, WIDEX MOMENT they have achieved the ultimate goal – a sound so natural, it doesn’t sound like a hearing aid.

Supporting independent hearing professionals

Widex have always had a slightly different way of doing business, and now they are really setting themselves apart by making their hearing aids exclusively available to independent hearing practices, meaning that their products are not available in high street stores or the NHS.

Premium plus

With the launch of their new hearing aid, Widex Moment, Widex have repositioned themselves to become the only premium plus hearing aid manufacturer in the industry. This is a reflection of the superior level of quality, design and service which Widex are renowned for.

Widex Moment will be available for demonstration to our wonderful clients when we reopen. If you’d like to be one of the first in the country to try the new Widex Moment, register your interest with us on 01277 264938 or info@meadowswood.co.uk.

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