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Depression and Hearing link

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Depression and Hearing link

 

Depression and Hearing link, Devon. The Honiton hearing centre are well aware of the link between loss of hearing and depression.

Depression and Hearing link, Devon. Colin Eaton, audiologist, who is based at the Honiton hearing centre knows that Depression and hearing can be linked.

Depression and hearing link found by researchers.

New report into depression and hearing has been published. We at the Honiton hearing centre are well aware of this link and can help with making your hearing a little better.

Exeter hearing and Ear wax removal centre

 

Devon hearing and Ear wax removal centre is at the Honiton hearing centre the independent hearing and ear wax specialist covering Exeter, Tiverton, & Sidmouth.  If you are having issues with hearing in general we can conduct a hearing test at Honiton. The comprehensive hearing test will take around an hour of your time, but the results will be know there and then putting you in control of your hearing. We can then discuss what hearing instrument (hearing aid) you may need if required.  There could be other issues at play if you are not hearing as well as you think you should be. We can before the test look to see if you have any ear wax present. Ear wax isn’t usually an issue, we all need a little for good ear health. However in some cases excessive ear wax build up can become an issue and if you have excessive ear wax we will clear this before any test is conducted.

Depression and Hearing link, Devon

Ear wax removal is very easy and painless. We use the Micro-suction ear wax removal method as this really is the gold standard of ear wax removal. We also can use the older method of ear wax removal called irrigation or some may know this as ear syringing. This method uses warm water to gently irrigate the ear to help release the ear wax out from the ear.

You can learn about our ear wax removal here

 

So if you are having some hearing issues and would like a family run professional ear wax removal service then book an appointment. We can discuss at the appointment any of the issues at length. After all we are all ears!

 

Ear wax removal Devon

 

Honiton hearing News:

Bringing world wide news on hearing to our local area.

 

Study Shows Older Adults with Hearing Loss at Higher Risk for Depression

 

Hearing loss is linked to depression

Honiton hearing centre

The results of a study investigating the connection between hearing loss and depression found that older adults with some form of hearing loss were 47% more likely to also have depression symptoms, according to an article in Reuters. 

Lyme bay Hearing centre

Originally published in The Gerontologist, the research reviewlooked at 35 previous studies encompassing 147, 148 participants, who were at least 60 years old.

“We know that older adults with hearing loss often withdraw from social occasions, like family events because they have trouble understanding others in noisy situations, which can lead to emotional and social loneliness,” lead study author Blake Lawrence of the Ear Science Institute Australia, in Subiaco, and the University of Western Australia in Crawley, was quoted as saying in Reuters. 

Additionally, the article goes on to add that the brain may work harder to interpret sound from a weaker auditory signal, draining resources needed to maintain working memory or other cognitive functions. A weaker signal may also cause the “reorganization” of neural pathways, potentially changing the way depression is regulated in the brain.

Ear syringing East Devon

In a new white paper produced by The Hearing Review and sponsored by Hamilton CapTel, “Depression, Hearing Loss, and Treatment with Hearing Aids,” audiologist and educator Victor Bray, PhD, reviews previous landmark studies as well as more recent research into the complex relationship between hearing loss and depression. The paper helps identify patient populations who might benefit most from hearing devices. Additionally, Dr Bray’s webinar “Depression, Hearing Loss, and Treatment with Hearing Aids,” discusses the risk factors for depression among people with hearing loss as well as why hearing care providers should screen for depression when risk factors are present.

Original Paper: Lawrence BJ, Jayakody DMP, Bennett RJ, Eikelboom RH, Gasson N, Friedland PL. Hearing loss and depression in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Gerontologist. 2019:1-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnz009

Source: Reuters, The Hearing Review, The Gerontologist

New hearing aids Devon

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New hearing aids Devon

 

New hearing aids in Devon at the Honiton hearing centre. We are used to new hearing aids arriving from various manufacturers all year round, but when something is really new and exciting we love to tell you and our existing clients why we are so excited.

Hearing aids have evolved in recent years. Digital hearing aids have made the devices so small and powerful they are no longer what people expect to see. The huge hearing aid of old is getting less visible these days, the new as powerful hearing aids are now tiny. If you are looking for new hearing aids in Devon, we are the place for you!

New hearing aids Devon

The tech inside these little wonders are amazing on so many levels. Take one of the many things they can do. They can connect to your mobile phone and you can talk wirelessly without the phone in your hand as if you were talking to a person next to you. The hearing aid is catching your voice and transmitting this to your phone via bluetooth. You can hear perfectly as your hearing aid is in your ear so you don’t have to really listen hard to get what the conversation is. It’s all done without you doing anything. This tech isn’t new, it has been around for some years, but if your hearing aids are not ”Connected” versions, then maybe when you are next due a new set of hearing aids, you can ask to be told of what’s new in this ”Connected” world.

Devon hearing aid centre

Colin Eaton the lead audiologist at Honiton hearing will be happy to show you and explain all about what is new and on offer. He will also show you how you connect your new digital hearing aid with various tech such as mobile phones, ipads, and the T.V.

make your appointment with Colin now by calling Sam on reception or use the booking form here.

Honiton hearing news:

 

Semtech and Sonova Launch Jointly-Developed Radio System

Digital hearing aids, Devon

Latest Digital hearing aids at the Honiton hearing centre, Devon

Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a supplier of high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, and Sonova, a developer of hearing care solutions, announced a jointly developed advanced radio system. The ultra-small integrated circuit (IC) is said to be a main component for a new generation of hearing aids, enabling support for multiple radio protocols in the 2.4GHz band, as well as effective operation on very low power, according to the announcement.

New hearing aids Devon

“This chip allows Sonova to move in a new direction with our hearing aids,” said Marc Secall, director, research & development, wireless, at Sonova. “The breakthrough radio technology and power management are the game changers for hearing aids. It allows them to support a number of applications that have previously not been possible in a hearing aid, all at low power consumption and low supply voltage. Possible applications span from connectivity to any Bluetooth®-enabled audio device (eg, a smartphone or television) to full duplex audio streaming between hearing aids and connectivity to wireless microphones.”

Ear wax removal Devon

“Semtech continues to innovate and create flexible, reliable solutions for challenging applications associated with the best radio frequency connectivity at the lowest power and 0.8V supply voltage,” said Jean-Paul Bardyn, vice president of research and development of Semtech’s wireless and sensing products group. “Sonova has long been a leader for hearing devices. By implementing Semtech’s technology and enabling access to the Cloud, we believe that these devices will enrich the IoT-connected solutions which Semtech is serving with LoRa Technology.”

Source: Semtech, Sonova

Images: Semtech, Sononva

Hearing solutions near Exeter

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Hearing solutions near Exeter

 

Hearing solutions near Exeter supplied by the Honiton hearing centre. Ear wax removal is available either by the traditional water irrigation technique or the more advanced Micro-suction technique.  Colin Eaton the lead audiologist at Honiton hearing is also a master dispenser of hearing aids for many years. If you are looking for the latest type of hearing test which will accurately tell you what your hearing loss is, Honiton hearing has the very latest digital hearing test equipment on site.  Hearing aids for the Exeter area and ear wax removal for the Exeter area are all at the Honiton hearing centre. Book now for an appointment.

To see how we conduct ear wax removal in Devon please click here to watch the video

 

Honiton hearing news:

GN Hearing Launches AI Personalized Hearing Solutions

Original story by The Hearing review

GN Hearing logo

GN Hearing announced that it has launched “the world’s first” hearing solutions that intuitively adapt to a hearing aid user’s personal preferences in any given sound environment. This breakthrough technology employs GN’s artificial intelligence (AI) solution in tandem with Apple’s Siri virtual assistant. The announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 in Las Vegas.

It follows GN’s longstanding commitment to progressing hearing aid technologies through extensive research and development programs. This new offering follows years of investment in GN’s dedicated in-house AI research centre, investments in AudEERING, and extensive collaboration with other partners and academic research institutes. The launch helps to extend GN’s innovation footprint and partnership philosophy in the hearing care industry by what GN calls an “intuitive and personalised hearing solution.”

“At GN, we believe that technology is at its best when it helps address people’s everyday needs and challenges,” said Marcus Desimoni, CFO of GN and Interim CEO of GN Hearing. “Employing AI technology in GN’s products brings this specific technology and innovation to the hearing aid space and is the first step in the journey to create a seamless hearing experience that will allow hearing aid users to ‘forget’ that they are wearing one. This is core to GN’s purpose of making life sound better.”

The new offering is an added benefit to the company’s latest 2.4 GHz product portfolio from ReSound and Beltone, and it will be reaching users in February 2019. Through the use of AI, GN expects to deliver a continuous stream of new user benefits through future software releases. This will enable users to always be at the forefront of innovation by updating existing GN Hearing instruments with new features.

When GN was established 150 years ago, the company introduced the world’s first telegraph line from Europe to Asia, creating the Internet of its time. It is this same pioneering spirit that is being applied today to transform lives, helping people hear more, do more, and be more than they ever thought possible.

Source: GN Hearing

Exeter hearing centre

Hearing aids, Torquay, Teignmouth & Torbay

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Hearing aids, Torquay, Teignmouth & Torbay

If you are looking for hearing aids or ear wax removal in the Torquay, Teighnmouth & Torbay areas we can help. A refreshing alternative to the local offering of high street stores is the Honiton hearing centre. A family run, high quality but reasonable priced independent hearing centre on your doorstep. We stock the very latest digital hearing aids, and remove ear wax using Microsuction or the traditional ear irrigation if you prefer.  You can watch our ear wax removal video here 

Honiton hearing news:

Widex Announces New Insights into EVOKE Hearing Aid’s AI Function

Original story by the Hearing review

Honiton hearing centre, hearing aids fitted, hearing test Devon, South Hams Devon, Devon hearing

Ear wax removal Torbay, Torquay & Teignmouth

Widex announced the first data gathered from the WIDEX EVOKE™ hearing aid, which is said to achieve “a new level of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” through machine learning, and is helping to bring new insights into how users are taking control of their sound environment to improve their hearing experience, according to the company.

Denmark-based Widex launched the WIDEX EVOKE hearing aid in April. The hearing aid is reportedly the first to give users the ability to employ real-time machine learning that can solve the tricky hearing problems that users face in their daily lives.

Ear wax removal in Torbay

“We launched WIDEX EVOKE with SoundSense technology to put users back in control of the most difficult hearing situations,” said Jens Brehm Nielsen, data science & machine learning architect at Widex. “And we can see that EVOKE users have taken the opportunity to do that and, in the process, are helping us understand more about them. That information will help us to make the EVOKE and future hearing aids even better.”

Living in Torbay

Living in Torbay and you are hard of hearing, but need friendly hearing advice? We can do a very quick hearing test and check  that you are clear of ear wax before consulting on any solutions.

SoundSense Learn is an AI system, because AI is said to refer to systems that solve tasks humans are inherently good at—such as driving a car, doing the dishes, etc. SoundSense Learn expands into entirely new applications by helping end users adjust their hearing aids in the moment, reportedly something that no humans can replicate to the same degree of accuracy, according to Widex.

The SoundSense Learn smartphone app is connected to the EVOKE hearing aids and uses machine learning to guide users in optimizing the settings to their exact needs. The app gathers a variety of anonymous data such as how often they turn the volume up or down, which sound presets they use, and how many custom settings they create—including those made with SoundSense Learn.

Ear wax removal Teighnmouth 

Tagging of custom settings has proved to be one of the interesting pieces of data generated by EVOKE.

“We found that many people have created a setting and tagged it with, for instance, ‘work’ which suggests that it is something that our end users need and want,” said Nielsen. “And from SoundSense Learn we already have an idea of how they like the settings.”

Some hearing aids give users the ability to customize their sound experience by adjusting frequency bands to boost or cut bass, middle or high tones. Adjusting frequencies works well in many situations once the initial settings have been set by a skilled audiologist. However, some situations are so complex that hitting the right combination of adjustments can be difficult.

“Widex hearing aids are well known for the quality of their sound,” said Nielsen. “But SoundSense Learn has added an extra layer of quality sound on top of that by using a machine learning algorithm together with reinforcement learning—the two key ingredients in state-of-the art AI algorithm, that enables the algorithm to learn in the moment.

“The algorithm learns an optimal setting every time a user finds the sound to be a little below expectations in a given sound environment. It learns these settings by simply asking the user to compare two settings that are carefully picked by the algorithm. This allows it to learn an optimal setting in a new environment very fast.”

Ear wax removal Torquay

By collating and analyzing the anonymous data WIDEX EVOKE will continue to become even smarter as time passes.

Source: Widex

Image: Widex

If you are looking for ear wax removal in Somerset, try the Keynsham hearing centre

New hearing aids, Teighnmouth South Devon

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New hearing aids arrive in Teighnmouth South Devon

The latests digital hearing aids have arrived in Devon at the Honiton hearing Centre. The New Starkey

Livio AI Hearing Aid with Integrated Sensors and Artificial Intelligence

The Livio Ai Is a huge step forward for hearing loss.  Colin Eaton the lead audiologist in the Torbay area and Teighnmouth, suggest that even with mild hearing loss having a yearly hearing test could really improve your quality of life. We are all happy to have eye tests as we can clearly see there maybe some deterioration of sight, but hearing is a sense so we really do need to keep on top of hearing also.
Book your appointment at the South Devon hearing centre based in Honiton to discover what is new in the digital hearing world.

Honiton Hearing News:

 

 

Starkey Launches Livio AI Hearing Aid with Integrated Sensors and Artificial Intelligence

Published on 

Tegnmouth, Torbay, Hearing aids, ear wax removal, Torquay, Honiton, South Devon, South Hams,

New digital hearing aids in Teignmouth, Torbay and Torquay area.

Starkey Livio AI.

Starkey® Hearing Technologies is said to have “reinvented both the hearing experience and the hearing aid” with Livio AI. Livio AI is reportedly “the world’s first” Healthable™ hearing aid to utilize integrated sensors and artificial intelligence and the first device to track physical activity and cognitive health as measured by hearing aid use in social situations, Starkey announced.

The launch also includes a brand-new mobile app—Thrive™ Hearing—and three new wireless accessories, the Starkey Hearing Technologies TV, the Remote, and the Remote Microphone +. With the Remote Micorophone+, Livio AI is also the first hearing aid to feature Amazon® Alexa connectivity.

“First and foremost, Livio AI is the best performing and best sounding hearing aid we have ever made,” said Starkey Hearing Technologies President Brandon Sawalich. “What makes today a pivotal moment in the hearing industry, is that with Livio AI, we have transformed a single-use device into the world’s first multi-purpose hearing aid, a Healthable with integrated sensors and artificial intelligence. Livio AI is so much more than just a hearing aid, it is a gateway to better health and wellness.”

According to Starkey, the new Hearing Reality™ technology is said to provide an average 50% reduction in noisy environments, significant reduced listening effort, and newly enhanced clarity of speech, while the use of artificial intelligence and integrated sensors enables it to help optimize the hearing experience.

To see and test this new hearing aid contact us at the Honiton hearing centre

Artificial intelligence and advancements in hearing technology enabled Livio AI to provide the following unique features and benefits, according to Starkey’s announcement:

  • Understand and see the real-time health benefits of using hearing aids
  • Overall health and wellness tracking through the app’s combined brain and body health score (Thrive Wellness Score)
  • Integration of the physical activity data measured by inertial sensors of the hearing aids with Apple Health and Google Fit apps
  • Personalized Control for customizable adjustments to sound and programs
  • Remote programming by users’ hearing professionals to put hearing healthcare in the hands of the users
  • Natural user interface with tap control
  • Unprecedented, natural listening, and speech clarity in the noisiest environments with the new Hearing Reality technology
  • Integrated language translation
  • Dual-radio wireless platform: 2.4GHz radio for streaming of phone calls, music, media, apps, and connecting with various devices including TVs and Amazon Alexa; near-field magnetic induction technology for true ear-to-ear communication and binaural noise reduction
  • Fall detection with inertial sensors integrated within the hearing aids (App support coming soon)

Hearing aids in South Devon at Sidmouth, Exeter, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Torbay, Torquay

Designed to help users live their healthiest life, Livio AI is available as a RIC 312 and BTE 13 in a variety of colors. In addition to the above features, Livio AI also includes Starkey’s feedback cancellation, high-definition music prescription, Multiflex Tinnitus Technology, and Surface™ NanoShield pioneering water, wax, and moisture repellant system to help protect and ensure durability and dependability.

How integrated sensors and AI helped Starkey transform the hearing aid

“Artificial intelligence, coupled with advanced sensing devices, is rapidly changing the world around us,” Starkey Hearing Technologies Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering Achin Bhowmik said. “We are proud to introduce these transformational technologies into the world of hearing aids to both optimize the users’ hearing experiences and enable them to continuously monitor and improve their overall health besides treating hearing loss, reducing the associated risks of dementia, anxiety, and social isolation.”

The integrated 3D motion sensors inside Livio AI enable the hearing aids to detect movement, track activities, and recognize gestures. The hearing aids communicate with each other and compatible mobile accessories to deliver meaningful, real-time feedback about users’ overall body and cognitive health and fitness.

This technology may allow people to take a proactive and personal approach to treating hearing loss, which has been linked to various health issues including dementia, cognitive decline, anxiety, stress, social isolation, and an increased risk of falling.

Ear wax removal in South Devon, Torbay, Torquay, Teignmouth & Exeter

Source: Starkey

To watch our hearing aids video click here