SOMERSET, NJ March 9 – More than 1100 U.S. hearing care professionals participated in A Revolution for the Senses, Oticon’s three-day knowledge-sharing event held in Orlando, February 27 – March 1. Presentations by experts from around the world, hands-on workshops and informal discussions challenged participants to transform their thinking on a range of topics related to their patients, their practice and their professional goals and expectations.
Oticon President Peer Lauritsen; Marija Baranauskas, AuD, Director of Education and Training for Oticon, Inc. and Expert Presenter Jeff Salz, PhD, anthropologist, author and Discovery Channel personality.
“Our aim is to empower hearing care professionals to revolutionize the way their patients think about and experience the benefits of hearing care and hearing solutions,” says Oticon President Peer Lauritsen. “Innovative technologies play a central role in achieving that transformation. Equally importantly is the practitioner’s ability to re-focus the conversation from a technology choice to a health-driven decision based on true patient benefit.”
A mind-set change to Hearing Care is Health Care™ was a recurring theme as presenters shared new research and insights into the human experience of sound. Julian Treasure, chair of the Sound Agency and author of Sound Business, discussed the effects of sound and its impact on health, productivity and relationships. Helen Amieva, PhD, professor of Psycho-Gerontology at the University of Bordeaux, France, shared new research on how hearing, hearing loss and the use of amplification contribute to overall cognitive health.
Oticon VP of Marketing Sheena Oliver, AuD/MBA and Oticon’s Mike Irby, Midwest Regional Manager; Kelly Cedor, Northeast Regional Manager; Jason Dria, Business Development Manager; Ronda. Condie, US Education and Training Specialist and Steven Myhre, US Education and Training Specialist.
In his presentation, Donald Schum, PhD, Oticon’s vice president of audiology and professional relations, emphasized the importance of providing technology that can make auditory input reliable again so that people with hearing loss can make sense of the world around them. Psychologist Anne-Mette Mohr, director of House of Hearing and Interdisciplinary Healthclinic, Copenhagen, Denmark, discussed the psychological dimensions associated with tinnitus and hearing loss and shared new resources to help patients with tinnitus move forward.
Vice President of Marketing Sheena Oliver, AuD led a team discussion on the next generation of Oticon’s proven BrainHearing™ technology. Participants were introduced to the newest additions to Oticon’s Performance Line, the first to be powered by the new Inium Sense Platform. The sophisticated sound processor increases real-time processing by 30% to deliver the purest possible sound signal for a more natural listening experience with less effort and an up to 20% improvement in soft speech understanding.
Jeff Salz, PhD, anthropologist, author and Discovery Channel personality, offered his unique leadership perspective on the challenges and opportunities hearing care professionals face today – from a competitive marketplace to rising consumer expectations and goals. Workshop sessions gave participants practical experience with the new Oticon Drive marketing program and innovative tools including Tinnitus SoundSupport™, a new feature available in select Performance Line solutions. Tinnitus SoundSupport™ is the first integrated sound generator to provide ocean sounds, a popular category of sounds that have shown great promise in decreasing tinnitus annoyance.
For more information on Oticon, the new Inium Sense-powered Performance Line and Tinnitus SoundSupport™, visit www.OticonRevolution.com. You can also learn more about Oticon by visiting the Oticon Expo Page on AudiologyOnline.
