Keynote speaker for the conferences was Dan Buettner, author of the best-selling The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest. Buettner shared insights gains from his travels across the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity found in places in the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives. Key among the strategies he discovered is the importance of maintaining social connectedness.
Buettner pointed out that hearing loss presents a major impediment to staying connected, citing studies showing that as people lose their hearing, they are more prone to depression. "It becomes harder to stay connected with family, with friends and you volunteer less," said Buettner. "If you're starting to lose your hearing, something you can do pro-actively right now is to get the technology you need so you can hear well. It stacks the deck in your favor for more connectivity."
The two-day conference featured a series of presentations on the latest research and trends data on the new generation of end users and their focus on maintaining their edge in social and business situations as they age. Discussions explored the new audiological concepts in Agil that are designed to preserve the natural characteristics of speech, while enriching the sound quality to enable the brain to use fewer of its resources for listening purposes. When speech understanding becomes more immediate, more cognitive energy is readily available to engage in day-to-day interactions. As a result, users should have more residual for other important tasks such as full social interaction.
Workshops gave practitioners an opportunity to experience first-hand the ways in which Agil's advanced technology could enable users to stay connected to modern life through today's high-tech communication and entertainment devices. Agil connects wirelessly and seamlessly to mobile phones, MP3 music players and a variety of other communication and entertainment devices.
For more information about Oticon Agil, visit www.oticonusa.com or the Oticon Web Channel on Audiology Online.
Oticon, Inc. recently held conferences in Phoenix and Orlando that looked at the impact of hearing loss on cognitive function and the ability to stay fully engaged in everyday activities. The conference featured keynote speakers Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest. (l-r) Jim Kothe, Oticon Vice President of Sales, Dan Buettner, Oticon President Peer Lauritsen and Don Schum, PhD, Vice President of Audiology and Professional Relations.
Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest, delivered the keynote address at recent Oticon conferences exploring the impact of hearing loss on cognitive function and the ability to stay fully engaged in everyday activities. (l-r) Dan Buettner and Oticon President Peer Lauritsen.
