Audiologist offers ideas on the future
HONESDALE - “The industry is moving towards giving the patient more control over a lot more than just volume with hearing aids,” says Robert Gwyn. The Wayne Memorial Hearing Solutions’ audiologist recently was invited to join a symposium on future hearing aid technology. Gwyn was one of only five outside professionals asked to be at the conference in Allentown sponsored by GN ReSound, one of the largest hearing aid corporations in the world. Gwyn brainstormed with the company’s Research and Development experts on patient benefits, engineering feasibility and timeliness of new hearing aid technology. “Patient devices in the future will focus on features such as advanced directionality,” Gwyn says, “and on coupling devices like your telephone or television with your hearing aid. Using blue-tooth technology, a patient may be able to communicate on the telephone directly through the hearing aid, while the phone remains in the patient’s pocket. “ Gwyn said that future hearing aids may appeal to the non-hearing impaired as wellfor example, bartenders. “They may use hearing aids to block out or reduce background noise so they can better hear customers in very noisy environments.” GN ReSound spokesperson Ed Anthony says Gwyn was invited because of his “expertise in hearing science, prominence and his reputation for achieving high patient satisfaction.” Anthony told Gwyn that the results of approximately four meetings such as the one in Allentown will be held worldwide in the next few months and will help shape the direction of the next generation of hearing aids. Wayne Memorial Hearing Solutions, located in the Stourbridge Mall on Maple Avenue/Rte 6, Honesdale, uses state of the art equipment to help customers choose the right hearing aids. “Using computers, we can place our customers in the middle of a variety of different listening situations enabling them to become active participants in their hearing healthcare,” says Gwyn. “We offer a 30-day no money down hearing aid trial period. This way our customers have an opportunity to try various aids at no cost. Patient satisfaction has been our goal for the twenty years of the program’s existence.” For more information about hearing aids or hearing aid technology, Gwyn can be reached at WMH Hearing Solutions (570) 253-7323.