PurTone Hearing Centers: Premier Arizona Hearing Aid Source

February 2nd, 2008

 PūrTone Code of Conduct

 · We always tell you what you need to hear.

· We will help you if you have a desire to hear better.

· We will treat you like a respected and valued family member.

· We will listen with genuine concern and will work to find common interests.

· We educate you so you can make informed decisions about your hearing.

· We empower you to enrich your personal communication to capture cherished moments with family, friends and other associates.

· We offer hearing aids at a fair market price that can stand the test of time.

· We provide adjustment periods longer than any local competitor.

· We never “sell our souls” for the “almighty” dollar.

· We respect your privacy and will ensure the safety of your records.

 

At PūrTone You Will Have Four Options After Your Evaluation & Test-Drive

1. Do nothing to improve your hearing;

2. Do something yourself (like cupping your hand around your ear);

3. Work with another hearing healthcare professional; or

4. Work with our experienced staff of hearing healthcare professionals.

The choice is up to you!

 

Realistic Expectations

 · Adjusting to hearing aids can take weeks. You will hear a lot better, but it is not realistic to expect to hear as clearly as you once did many years ago.

 · A hearing aids should help you hear sounds that are difficult to hear without amplification (i.e. women’s and children’s voices, birds chirping, conversations in noisy places, etc.)

 · Your own voice may sound different when you’re wearing some hearing devices.

 · You will notice new sounds – such as the refrigerator humming, footsteps, newspapers rustling—sounds that have gradually disappeared from your awareness over the years.

 · Hearing aids may improve speech understanding in noisy situations; but they cannot totally remove background noise. Listening in background noise will still be challenging – ask anyone that has perfect hearing.

 · To get the most out of your new hearing aids, you should learn as much as you can about active listening strategies and good communication habits.

 · Follow-up sessions to fine-tune your new devices will be very important. Based on your impressions, your hearing care specialist may make some fine tuning adjustments in order to improve performance even further. 

Posted in Hearing Loss, PurTone News & Events | No Comments »

Hearing in the Emergency Room with my Oticon Delta Hearing Aids

January 2nd, 2008

Oticon DeltaFor people who tune into the hit television series ER, it will come as no surprise that Emergency Room physicians need to hear and react quickly and accurately to nurses, medical technicians and other doctors when caring for sometimes critically ill patients.

 

Dr. Stanley Lobitz, a 47-year-old physician in private practice who also works part-time in a busy hospital Emergency Room, worried that a gradual hearing loss would cause him to miss important communication with staff and patients.

 

“In the emergency room, clear, concise communication is critical.” Dr. Lobitz explains. “When activity would heat up and I had to call out with time for medication or a physician update with a patient, I was always nervous that I was missing important information.”

 

Dr. Lobitz admits that he was “sloppy” with hearing protection around loud noises. “I had started wood working and I like loud concerts,” he notes. “But I procrastinated forever in treating my hearing loss until I was obviously hampered at work.” He was pleased with his first pair of hearing instruments but had difficulty adjusting to the in-the-canal models he selected. Eventually he switched to behind-the-ear hearing devices. He found that he couldn’t function as a doctor with two hearing instruments in place because they interfered with this stethoscope. Eventually, he began wearing one hearing device and using a high-end amplified stethoscope. “Needless to say, I had less than optimal acoustics with the stethoscope. I just couldn’t get good sound quality – because I usually wore just my left hearing instrument while I was working, it was like I was using just one ear.”

 

His “Ah-Ha!” moment occurred when his audiologist, recently returned from a professional conference in Denmark, introduced him to the new Oticon DELTA. “My audiologist, who had my recent audiogram and knew my specific hearing needs, sent his assistant over to my office with an already programmed DELTA for my right ear for me to ‘try’,” he said. “The hearing device was so new, my audiologist was able to bring only one back from his conference. I tried not to look disappointed because I only used my left hearing aid at work. But from the second his assistant put it on my ear, there was no way I was going to let her take it back! Now I wear two DELTAs all the time.”

 

Dr. Lobitz reports that the sound quality he experiences with DELTA is dramatically better than what he could achieve with his previous hearing devices. “They’re extremely comfortable and the sound quality is fabulous. I don’t even have to use my amplified stethoscope any more. My stethoscope can easily fit my ears right along with my DELTAs.”

 

“I used to joke with my audiologist that he could hang a toaster off the side of my head if it would give me good sound quality,” he adds. “My new hearing instruments have improved my lifestyle markedly and they’re so unobtrusive that people don’t even know I’m wearing them.”

 

Dr. Lobitz encounters a number of people in his family practice who are reluctant to consider hearing solutions. “I’m fairly open with them about my hearing loss,” Dr. Lobitz explains. “They get up really close, stare at me and still can’t believe I’m wearing hearing devices.”

 

His new hearing devices have gotten him back into conversations he was missing. “I hear much better in crowds and in restaurants. My friends notice that I’m less detached during group conversations. Before if they wanted to include me in the conversation, they’d have to ‘aim’ at me and even then, I was missing parts of what was being said. I like the natural sound quality I have now. My DELTAs help me in the frequencies when I need help but let other natural sounds come in.”

 

Another advantage Dr. Lobitz noticed with his new DELTAs occurred on a recent amusement park trip with his daughter. “Before, when I was active and being jostled around, I was never quite sure my hearing instruments wouldn’t fall out. My DELTAs were very secure – even some of the wild rides by daughter managed to get me on!”

 

“I have a friend who is a family doctor and after I got my new hearing instruments, he asked it he could borrow my amplified stethoscope because he was having trouble hearing with his hearing devices on. I told him that before he spent money on a new high-end stethoscope he should try DELTAs. The next day, he went to his audiologist, left the office with them on and has been delighted with how well they are working for him.”

 

Dr. Lobitz notes that it took him some time to get used to his first pair of hearing instruments. ”The DELTAs have been much better right out of the gate. There has been next to nothing that bothered me about them. The sound quality is more open and natural and that was very easy to get used to. They changed my life. I encourage everyone whose hearing loss is affecting their quality of life to see their audiologist and give them a try.”

 

Stanley Lobitz, MD

Family Practice & Emergency Medicine

Kingston, Pennsylvania

24 Years Practicing Medicine

 

Reprinted from www.oticonusa.com.

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BHI Study on Hearing Loss and Income Loss

July 2nd, 2007

 

          In March of this year the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) completed an extensive study on 44,000 households, which demonstrated that untreated hearing loss has a significant impact on earnings, as much as $23,000 per year on average, depending on severity of hearing loss.  Use of hearing devices was shown to mitigate the effects of income loss on average by 50%.   Additionally, getting a hearing instrument at a younger age may also help reduce the chance of losing income.

 

          Many think of hearing loss as something that happens mainly to older people, but research has shown that two out of three people with hearing loss are below retirement age.  Most people with this problem are in the prime of life, including one out of six baby boomers (ages 41-59) and one out of 14 “Gen Xers” (ages 29-40).

 

          Since only one out of four Americans with hearing problems are getting treatment, it is important that we teach the general public about the consequences of untreated hearing loss on job performance.  Even people with mild hearing loss, who may miss a consonant here or a word there, may lose income if they can’t completely grasp the latest news at the water cooler or a phone message from the boss.

 

          Many people are embarrassed to admit they have hearing problems and might need hearing instruments, experts say.  Some incorrectly think a hearing device will make them seem odd or less able to do the job than their co-workers.  The truth is the modern devices, such as those featured at PurTone Hearing Centers, are not visible to the untrained eye.

 

          “If you seem out of touch because you can’t hear very well, you will be much more noticeable than you would be with a modern hearing device in your ear,” says Dr. Sergei Kochkin, the BHI’s executive director.  In the workplace, he points out, good communication skills are essential, particularly when it comes to understanding what customers and co-workers want.

 

          Other research shows that untreated hearing problems disrupt family life, hamper emotional intimacy and increase the chances of psychological problems.

 

          To learn more about ways to prevent or treat hearing loss, call 1-888-614-HEAR, visit www.ArizonaHears.com or drop by a PurTone Hearing Center near you.  The Better Hearing Institute can be visited at www.betterhearing.org.

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Oticon Epoq Hearing Aid System Takes Sound to a New Dimension

May 28th, 2007

First Hearing Instruments that “Talk” to Each Other

Take Sound to a New Dimension for People with Hearing Loss

 

“Most people don’t realize that we hear in three-dimensions,” stated Edward Maznio of PurTone Hearing Centers in Phoenix.  “The ability to hear in 3-D allows us to identify where sounds are coming from when someone calls to us or the direction of an approaching car.”  The ability to localize sound is possible because two ears communicating with each other send a single message to that the brain that enable the brain to “see” where a sound is coming from.

 

Until now, people with hearing loss who rely on traditional hearing aids were at a significant disadvantage when it came localizing sound.  “Traditional hearing aids process sound independently.  The right ear hears sound from the right side, the left ear from the left side and each independently sends sound information to the brain,” explains Edward Maznio.  “How accurately the brain is able to ‘see’ the location of the sounds is dependent on the quality of information it receives from each hearing device.”  The result is often difficulty understanding conversation or localizing where a sound is coming from, especially in noisy situations like restaurants and social gatherings — a frustration that motivates many people to seek help from a hearing care professional. 

 

A new hearing aid system, called Oticon Epoq, is changing the way sound is processed through hearing instruments. Epoq’s breakthrough wireless digital technology enables two hearing aids for the first time to work together to process sound, similar to the way the brain receives input from two ears to deliver the best sound picture.  According to Mr. Maznio, this real-time wireless connectivity with voices and other sounds in the immediate listening environment provides accurate, three-dimensional auditory information that enhances users’ awareness of where sounds are coming from.  This spatial awareness is essential to better hearing in all environments, but especially those with surrounding conversations going on, such as in crowds or restaurants.

 

“Two Epoq hearing aids ’talk’ to each other, working as a single system and sending the brain information that it can more accurately interpret,” explains Edward Maznio.  ”The result is a richly dimensionalized sound that is clearer and more comfortable.”

 

Added Benefits

Epoq’s wireless connectivity also enables people with hearing loss, for the first time, to experience easy access to the world of electronically transmitted sounds from Bluetooth-enabled phones and other popular electronic devices such as MP3 players and computers.  With the addition of Epoq’s sleek companion device called a Streamer, Epoq becomes the equivalent of a hands-free intelligent headset without having to attach bulky devices or wires to the hearing instrument.

 

Epoq is available in a range of discrete and comfortable styles.  The wearable Epoq Streamer which allows for effortless audio streaming from devices such as mobile phones, personal computers, and GPS systems, is available in black and white.

 

For information about hearing loss and the new Epoq, contact PurTone Hearing Aid Centers at 1-888-614-4327 or visit www.ArizonaHears.com.  Oticon can be visited at www.OticonUSA.com for more hearing aid options.

 

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Latest Generation of Digital Hearing Aids Feature High End Enhancements at Affordable Prices

February 5th, 2007

PurTone Hearing Centers Is Among First to Offer Affordable Go Pro Hearing Aids in Arizona

 

In the 10-plus years since digital hearing aids were introduced, hearing aid manufacturers have developed a wide array of enhancements to improve the sound quality, reliability and ease-of-use of their hearing solutions.  Until now, the benefits of these added features have been out of reach for many people because of budget considerations.  Edward Maznio of PurTone Hearing Aid Centers in Phoenix reports that owning a new, state-of-the-art hearing instrument that deliver high-end benefits is becoming a reality for more people than ever before.

 

“As a hearing care professional, my first goal is to help my patients get the best hearing solution for their individual hearing needs,” says Edward Maznio.  “Sometimes, patients assume budget considerations mean they have to settle for ‘stripped down’ hearing aids that won’t allow them to take advantage of the tremendous advances in sound quality and comfort.  They are always surprised – and pleased – when I tell them that a new wave of hearing aids from leading manufacturers now include high-end features that are affordable and available right now.”

 

Mr. Maznio points to the new multi-featured Oticon Go Pro, one of the most extensively featured hearing instruments in the affordable range.  Manufactured by Oticon, one of the world’s leading hearing aid manufacturers, Go Pro hearing instruments offer clear, digital sound quality, high reliability and ease of use at a price that makes the many benefits of digital technology an option for more people.  The 100 percent digital hearing aid is designed to make speech audible in both quiet and noisy situations, without sacrificing comfort. 

 

“My patients find Go Pro especially comfortable to wear,” notes Edward Maznio. “Go Pro’s advanced technology helps to preserve a more natural sound quality and reduce or eliminate annoying feedback.”

 

Go Pro is available in a range of colors and styles, from small in-the-ear models to discrete behind-the-ear models featuring an ultra thin tube.  For more information about hearing loss, contact PurTone Hearing Aid Centers at 1-888-614-HEAR (4327) or visit PurTone’s website at www.ArizonaHears.com.

Posted in Oticon Hearing Aids, PurTone News & Events | No Comments »

PurTone Hearing Centers Helps Baby Boomers Look as Sharp as They Hear

June 10th, 2006

Edward Maznio, President of PurTone Hearing Aid Centers in Phoenix aims to change forever the perception of hearing aids among the 50-plus generation. With the help of a new, state-of-the-art digital hearing aid with a groundbreaking new design, he plans to show adults beginning to experience hearing loss that getting the hearing “boost” you need, doesn’t mean giving up on looking as good and as young as you feel.

 

“Every second person over the age of 50 experiences loss of speech clarity in noisy listening situations such as work, social gatherings and crowded restaurants,” Mr. Maznio states. “They may still hear well enough to get by in less demanding situations but more and more, they will find that they are understanding less of what is being said.”

 

A fear that hearing aids will make them look older and out of step with their active, busy lifestyle prevents many adults from taking advantage of the extra edge provided by hearing amplification. Now,  PurTone is offering a new groundbreaking hearing device with sleek lines, hot colors and brushed metallic surface that appears to have more in common with modern high-tech communication devices or fashion accessories than traditional hearing aids. Called Oticon Delta, this state-of-the-art digital hearing device combines eye-catching contemporary design with the most advanced hearing aid technology available today.

 

“This is not your grandfather’s hearing aid,” explains Mr. Maznio. “For the first time, I can offer patients a hearing device that meets the important image and style demands of people in the 50s and 60s and provides the needed boost in listening clarity for mild to moderate hearing loss.”

 

New Oticon Delta comes in seventeen different brushed metallic colour styles, ranging from “Cabernet Red” and “Artic Blue” to “Racing Green” and “Wildlife” that give this sleek and fashionable hearing device a new attitude for a new generation of hearing aid users.

 

Edward Maznio is hopeful that Delta’s innovative good looks will encourage adults experiencing early hearing loss to give hearing amplification another look. “With Delta, even the most image-conscious adults can easily stay active and in touch with their surroundings without having to worry about missing something. They can put Delta on when they need it and just forget about it,” Mr. Maznio states.

 

To see Oticon Delta for yourself and to learn more about hearing loss, contact Edward Maznio at PurTone Hearing Aid Centers, 1-888-614-HEAR (4327) or visit www.ArizonaHears.com for more information on Phoenix hearing aids.

 

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