In his newest blog written exclusively for Starkey, Justin Osmond — who was born with a severe-to-profound hearing loss and has been wearing hearing aids since he was two years old — talks about how far and fast hearing aid technology has progressed.
Back in the ‘70s, when hearing aids were linear and analog, the features available were so limited that it made life difficult to satisfy the average hearing aid user, especially me.
Don’t get me wrong, I was always grateful to be able to hear what I could, which allowed me to connect with my family and friends in whatever capacity I could. But there always seemed to be something missing or not quite right. I was thankful for my hearing professionals who went above and beyond for me to ensure I was hearing the best I could. But even back then — when analog technology was at its peak — it still wasn’t producing the full satisfactory results for us deaf and hard-of-hearing patients.
Fast forward to now!
When I reflect and ponder over the 4.5 decades of different hearing aids, models and brands that I’ve worn, all I can say is that I’m so incredibly grateful to be living in a day and age where hearing aids are the BEST they’ve ever been. And, with upgrades and updates to technology continuously getting better and more advanced, I’m always in AWE and count my many blessings every day!
I still can’t wrap my head around how the technical experts can take my hearing loss and compensate for it to the point where it almost sounds normal and natural. Sounds crazy, right!? Too good to be TRUE, yes? And yet, we still take all these unlimited resources available for granted!
Much smarter and much simpler
The funny thing is, even though today’s hearing devices are more out-of-this-world, high-tech, powerful and AWESOME than ever, they’re also easier to use than ever. Starkey has created and manufactured them in such a way that they’re user friendly for ALL ages! They aren’t as intimidating as people make them out to be.
Today, you put your devices in and they are so smart, comfortable and intuitive that you practically forget you’re even wearing hearing aids at all (because there’s so little to adjust or monkey with).
If you feel you’re not so tech-savvy — or for all those who are worried your parents and grandparents can’t figure it out — I’ve got GREAT NEWS! There’s no need to be intimidated or worried anymore!
If you ARE the tinkerer type, there are bells, whistles and features you can control or customize using the THRIVE app on your phone. But if you just want to hear clearly and effortlessly again, you can just put them on and not think about them the rest of the day. Starkey now makes it EASY for every person (no matter the age) to use, operate and understand hearing aids.
Find a hearing care professional and experience them for yourself
We are so incredibly lucky, blessed and fortunate to live in a day and age where hearing aids are much easier to use and operate, convenient to put in and out, have a longer life span, are rechargeable and water resistant, eliminate feedback, have much better sound quality, are hands-free, can stream to other Bluetooth devices, provide the option to personally adjust features with your smart phone, and the list goes on and on.
I’m so incredibly grateful for Starkey and for all the energy, time, talent and resources they pour into research and development so they can help the deaf and hard-of-hearing community like myself to HEAR better, LIVE better and have a better quality of life. THANK YOU!
You can follow Justin Osmond on Facebook at JAOsmond; on Instagram at justin_osmond; on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinosmond/ or at his website www.justinosmond.com
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