Every Voice Matters: How New Hearing Aid Technology Addresses Acute Social Challenges for Patients
Key Points:
- Conversation and socialization are cornerstones of mental health and total wellbeing. Without them, people of all ages risk isolation, depression, and other health consequences.
- To be truly engaged in a conversation, patients need to be able to hear each participant clearly and consistently amidst background noise. The hearing technology we share with patients needs to support this.
- New innovations address this need head on, and manufacturers like Rexton are taking it a step further with hearing aids that are simple to wear, durable, and easy to fit – delivering a simple and seamless experience for HCPs and breaking down barriers of entry for their patients.
- Convenience is just as important as sound quality when it comes to supporting patients. Easy on-the-go rechargeability and long-lasting battery power are essential for modern patients.
- Hearing aids have evolved to encourage trust and reliance from patients – eliminating hassles related to damage, charging, and low quality.
AudiologyOnline: Why is hearing loss so closely linked to conversational ability, socialization, and quality of life?
Kerrie Coughlin: HCPs know well that hearing loss can often prohibit patients from fully participating in social events or conversations, which can in turn impact their ability to converse, socialize, and enjoy life. Finally, solutions exist to better support patients in these busy, social environments.
Giving patients support in these previously challenging scenarios is of critical importance. Positive social experiences stimulate mental health, personal confidence, and ultimately quality of life for individuals. In fact, according to the CDC, when people are socially connected they are more likely to make healthy choices, leading to better health outcomes.
But, when a group of people are involved in a conversation, hearing can get complicated. Not everyone speaks the same way – some voices are louder than others, voices overlap, and people move around. Despite this, hearing every voice is important so that patients feel able to participate in conversations easily and confidently.
It’s crucial that HCPs are aware of the newest hearing technologies available, so they can support patients in all kinds of social scenarios, enhancing their conversational ability, engagement, and overall wellness.
AudiologyOnline: How do modern hearing technology solutions support patient wellbeing and socialization?
Kerrie Coughlin: New hearing aids are more capable than ever of supporting patients completely – allowing them to have greater agency over their mental health, physical health, and social lives. For example, Rexton recently launched Rexton Reach, a powerful hearing aid platform that allows patients to truly participate in group conversations and hear multiple voices at the same time, even in background noise.
To be truly engaged in a conversation, patients need to be able to hear each participant clearly and consistently amidst background noise. Otherwise, a lack of seamless hearing and communication can often lead to patients avoiding these kinds of social settings and withdrawing altogether. This poses dangerous risks to physical and mental health – without social stimulation, patients are at greater risk of isolation, depression, and other health consequences.
Tackling this challenge of hearing better in noise was critical. Until recently, catching every single word in these scenarios has been a challenge for patients. New technology like Rexton Reach enables patients to hear individual voices in conversation clearly, ultimately encouraging easier socialization and reducing the risks associated with isolation and withdrawal.
AudiologyOnline: What technology from Rexton do HCPs have available to them when helping patients hearing in noisy, loud, social settings?
Kerrie Coughlin: The first hearing aid model built on the Rexton Reach platform is Rexton Reach R-Li T, a rechargeable receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid that ensures every voice within a conversation is clear and recognizable. We developed Rexton Reach to provide HCPs and their patients with a solution that is reliable in all conversations – even in tough environments like restaurants, construction sites, and medical facilities.
AudiologyOnline: How does Rexton’s technology work specifically to tackle this challenge of hearing in noise?
Kerrie Coughlin: Rexton Reach leverages Multi-Voice Focus (MVF) technology that leverages four focus beams that scan the surrounding environment 1000 times a second, monitoring for changing positions of speakers and their changing voice volumes. The technology constantly adapts to the changing dynamics of the conversation, boosting the prominence of those in the group who are speaking while keeping track of those who are silent – all without switching modes or delaying.
When tested, Rexton Reach using MVF with Voice Stabilizer technology delivered an overall output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 11.8 dB, which was nearly 8 dB over that of the unaided KEMAR condition. 90% of the participants demonstrated an improved SNR with MVF active.
Additionally, testing subjects compared their current hearing aids in challenging group conversations against the Rexton Reach, and 82% of respondents wearing the Rexton Reach hearing aids found that they did not have to withdraw from group conversation, compared to only 51% of those wearing their own hearing aids. Together, these results strongly suggest the Rexton Reach platform with Multi Voice Focus and Voice Stabilizer supports users in dynamic conversation environments.1
AudiologyOnline: How does Rexton Reach technology differ from previous generations?
Kerrie Coughlin: For almost 70 years we’ve been committed to developing durable and powerful hearing aids that patients can rely on. Rexton Reach really takes this goal to the next level by empowering patients to confidently engage in every conversation, regardless of where the conversation is taking place. Rexton Reach doesn’t just facilitate communication, it strengthens connections and ensures that every voice is heard.
AudiologyOnline: How do new hearing aid form factors support modern patients who are on-the-go at work, home, and in social settings?
Kerrie Coughlin: Rexton Reach R-Li T offers patients peace of mind that their rechargeable hearing aid will get them through the day. Its wear time is up to an impressive 39 hours, or 34 hours with 5 hours of streaming. It also boasts a four-hour standard charge time or 30-minute fast charge.
Reach R-Li T also features a robust Lifeproof® design that can withstand the drops, splashes and scratches of everyday life and is built with rugged components that are extensively tested to ensure they can withstand whatever life throws at them. Patients can rely on them to be durable and to stand up to everyday challenges and harsh environments.
Additionally, Reach R-Li T incorporates MFi and ASHA protocols for seamless smartphone connectivity and is future-proof, needing only a straightforward firmware update to connect via Bluetooth® LE audio.
AudiologyOnline: How does Rexton Reach take hearing in group conversations to the next level for patients?
Kerrie Coughlin: Effective listening is essential for meaningful conversation. It involves more than simply hearing the words spoken – effective listening encompasses recognizing the speaker, the timing, and the direction of the sound. Rexton Reach was created to provide wearers with a solution they can rely on for all of their conversations – even in noisy social environments that were once considered a challenge.
The technology constantly adapts to the changing dynamics of the conversation, boosting the prominence of those in the group who are speaking while keeping track of those who are silent. This means that patients can now contribute equally in group conversations to those without hearing loss, hearing the dynamics of the conversation fluctuate in real time and focus on more than one voice at a time, leading to healthier, more active and meaningful conversations and lives.
AudiologyOnline: How has hearing technology evolved to encourage patients to consistently wear hearing aids, care for their hearing health, and trust the solutions available to them?
Kerrie Coughlin: Hearing technology has undergone significant advancements over the years, making hearing aids more effective, comfortable, and user-friendly.
Modern hearing technology solutions are created to meet the needs of patients and fit into their day-to-day lives seamlessly. Hearing aids like Rexton Reach R-Li T, for example, are designed to be tough against everyday wear and tear and make challenging noisy situations better for patients.
Because modern hearing aid solutions are more equipped to support patients, they also encourage longer and more consistent wear times, prioritization of hearing health, and a sense of trust and reliance.
When a device is created with the patient’s real life in mind by prioritizing long lasting battery power, impressive technology and durable design for active lives, users begin to trust that the solutions provided to them are not only engineered with both their hearing health and holistic wellbeing front and center.
AudiologyOnline: How has research & development evolved to ensure hearing aids meet the developing needs of HCPs and their patients?
Kerrie Coughlin: Rexton’s innovations are driven by the most important challenges facing people with hearing loss:
- Improved Speech in Noisy Situations: Our MVF technology enhances speech clarity, making conversations in noisy environments easier and more enjoyable.
- Addressing Stigma and Encouraging Early Adoption: Our designs are compact and discreet, designed to reduce stigma and promote earlier adoption.
- App-Based Control and AI-Powered Personalization: The Rexton Assist, our cloud-based AI assistant integrated into the Rexton app, empowers users to personalize their hearing aid performance in real-time. This feature eliminates the need to wait for in-person or virtual appointments, allowing adjustments whenever and wherever challenges arise.
- Durable and Quality Components: Our hearing aids are built to withstand the knocks, drops, spills, and moisture of everyday life. They undergo rigorous testing to ensure durability, providing peace of mind for wearers who just want to live their lives without worrying about their hearing aids.
AudiologyOnline: What industry challenges will Rexton address next with future iterations of its hearing aid technology?
Kerrie Coughlin: We will continue to listen to the voices of our customers and consumers, to deliver solutions designed with their needs and wants in mind. Our focus will remain on helping patients hear every voice in every conversation – even those in noise.
Furthermore, our Lifeproof products will continue to offer a terrific value add to our features. We know our wearers want hearing aids that are built tough, using the highest quality materials, and tested rigorously to make sure they can answer all the challenges that life throws at them.
Citations
1 Sampaio (2024). Rexton Reach Every Voice Matters. Rexton White Paper
Kerrie Coughlin
Kerrie Coughlin is Vice President Marketing Key Accounts at WSAudiology, where she leads marketing and brand strategy to build and grow key commercial and retail businesses. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the consumer/retail industry to WSAudiology. She joined them in 2020 from Pandora Jewelry where she led all advertising, sponsorships, promotions, and public relations for the brand in the US. Before Pandora, Kerrie was Director of Women’s Marketing for JCPenney where she oversaw the creation of the brand’s strategic vision, product, and consumer marketing activities including oversight of Sephora Inside JCP. She has also held senior leadership positions at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Calvin Klein, and J. Crew.