Advancements in technology are being credited for having a dramatic improvement in a person’s ability to hear. The newest technology on the market was discussed at a hearing expo in Kelowna.
According to NexGen Hearing, which hosted the expo, 10 per cent of all Canadians suffer from some degree of hearing loss. When it comes to seniors, half are said to have a hearing issue. One of those seniors is B.C. Broadcast legend Red Robinson.
Robinson was a guest speaker at the hearing expo on Wednesday. The audience, made up mostly of seniors, heard about the latest technology that’s now helping people improve their hearing. Wireless technology is one example. “We’re now in the bluetooth world, our iPhones, our Samsung tablets, they are all bluetooth, hearing aids are now bluetooth,” NexGen Hearing owner Colin VanBergen said.
“This past summer, a new type of hearing aid was also launched. It can amplify voices all around you, while reducing background noise.”
“They do not use directional microphones, they are no longer focusing sounds,” VanBergen said. “They are reducing sounds from all directions and at the same time amplifying the voices from all directions so rather than living your life in a funnel, just hearing what you are looking at, we are now hearing an open world.”