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Signia’s award-winning ‘Styletto AX’ has been recognised for its exceptional speech clarity, inconspicuous appearance and rechargeability. Its Augmented Focus™ technology comprises of two processors to assist users in separating speech from background noise. A new study has shown that 95% of users were satisfied with this technology, and 100% of users reported excellent speech understanding within their homes.

The Styletto AX is rechargeable, which means you no longer have to worry about constantly buying and changing batteries. Once the portable charging case has been fully charged (approximately 3 hours), its ‘powerbank’ will be able to give your hearing aids 3 full wireless charges. To charge these hearing aids, simply insert them into the charging case. Once fully charged, your hearing aids will last up to 17 hours. The Styletto AX also has a ‘Dry & Clean’ charging case which uses ultraviolet light to clean and dry your aids after exposure to moisture.

This revolutionary earwear can connect to your iPhone or Android via Bluetooth where you can control volume and access a ‘Signia Assistant’ who offers you immediate support. You can also stream your phone calls, music and favourite tv shows in high quality sound.

Beyond 6 feet (2 meters), the effectiveness of hearing aids reduces significantly. With Phonak’s ‘Roger On iN’ microphone, your speech understanding could be dramatically improved within noisy environments up to a distance of 80 feet (25 meters) from the speaker.

Roger On iN’s Multibeam Technology uses four microphones to automatically identify where sound is coming from so you can respond to speech and visual cues quicker. Additionally, the microphone has a ‘Pointing Mode’ where you can manually point it at the speaker so you can focus on them without worrying about the interruption of background noise. You can also download the My Roger Mic app to steer the microphone, mute or unmute. A recent survey showed that 82% of clients found the My Roger Mic app easy to use.

This device comes with accessories including a power supply with a USB cable, docking station, optical audio cable, analog audio cable, lanyard and a case. With the USB cable, you can connect it to your television or computer where the sound will be streamed clearly to your compatible RogerDirect hearing devices.

A recently released survey of United States audiologists ranked Oticon More™ as the best product overall. Feedback from approximately 50 independent audiologists participating in the 2021 Audiologist Survey noted that Oticon More™ had “great reliability, high fitting satisfaction, and excellent sound quality in both quiet and noisy settings.” The audiologists also acknowledged the absence of whistling in many situations where it might normally be expected to occur.

The report highlighted audiologist comments on, “the incredible noise management and processing support for all different types of hearing losses and lifestyles with Oticon More™,” and a description of the hearing solution as “very user-friendly and dependable.” Oticon More™ is “the world’s first hearing aid with an onboard Deep Neural Network.” This network mimics how the brain works and has been trained with 12 million real-life sound scenes, so it can recognise all kinds of sounds in fine detail.  On top of all this, Oticon More™ has recently won several prestigious awards, pictured to the right of the page.

Acoustic Hearing Clinics, as an Independent Audiology Provider, has always been dedicated to fitting the world’s best hearing technology. Don’t cut corners with your hearing by investing in cheaper technology — it’s not worth risking lost opportunities. We would like to offer a free trial of Oticon More™ to people interested in this premium product. Oticon More™ can be trialed at no expense and be returned at trial end if dissatisfied.

Call 5443 6633 to book your free Oticon More™ technology discussion. We can test your hearing free of charge and determine if you are a candidate for this rechargeable hearing innovation! Conditions apply to clients under the

Australian Government Hearing Services Program. Conditions apply. Individual results will vary. Results are dependent on many factors, including degree of hearing loss and sound environment.

74% of Australians aged over 70 are currently affected by hearing loss. Thus, hearing loss has been identified as one of 12 lifestyle risk factors that account for 40% of dementia cases. Notably, a study by Lancet found that out of these risk factors for developing dementia, hearing loss was at the highest percentage (Wolfgang, 2019).

According to data involving Australian men and women from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing’s (CHeBA) Sydney Memory and Ageing Study from 2005–2017, individuals who reported moderate to severe hearing difficulties had overall poorer cognitive performances (attention/processing speed and visuospatial ability). It was also reported that they had a 1.5 times greater risk for dementia or mild cognitive impairment at their six-year follow-up appointment. Professor Henry Brodaty said “over six years, there was a 60% greater risk of developing dementia or mild cognitive impairment, and there was significantly greater deterioration in the group of Australians who had moderate to severe hearing loss than those who had no problems or mild problems” (RACQP, 2018).

In correlation with this, Frank Lin and his colleagues found in a study which tracked 639 adults that mild hearing loss doubled dementia risk, moderate loss tripled the risk and people with severe hearing loss were five times more likely to develop dementia (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2021). Individuals with hearing loss are also more prone to social isolation due to not understanding or hearing conversations. This is consequently also known to heighten the risk of dementia.

Hearing aids can reduce the over-taxing and overworking of the brain caused by hearing loss which therefore makes it easier to process information and socialize. Even if you do not have existing hearing loss, it is important to have regular hearing checks to monitor any changes, reduce background noise and distractions, use visual cues, prompts, gestures and expressions.

The sound of hearing aids has significantly changed and improved over the years as our understanding of hearing loss, listening problems and cognitive processes has increased. The hearing aids that are widely known and available today do not compare to hearing aids from the 1970’s. From analogue linear aids with volume control from the 1990’s to signal processing and BrainHearing, technology has significantly advanced. BrainHearing involves providing the brain all the acoustic information needed so it can make maximal use, or decode the auditory information.

The introduction of the Oticon Opn in 2016 lead to the abandonment of the idea of limiting the sound by prioritizing sound coming in from the front while diminishing sounds from other directions. The Oticon More is another present and prime example of the significant development of aids. The sound from this hearing aid’s microphones is unceasingly examined to estimate how complex the sound image is in comparison with the user’s listening needs. The listening need is previously determined by a variety of factors such as level of hearing loss, age and individual preference. This therefore aims to present the user with a sound that is as clear and uninterrupted as possible. Artificial intelligence is also used to provide clarity; a neural network has been trained with a large diversity of different sounds and scenes in the development of the Oticon More.

Tinnitus symptoms can range from mild to insufferable and can arise very quickly with little warning. People who experience tinnitus have described it as a remorseless buzzing, ringing, clicking, whistling or other similar sounds. The symptoms are then often accompanied by hearing loss. Australian Health Direct stated that about 2 in 3 people in Australia suffer from tinnitus at some point in their life, and about 1 in 10 have tinnitus that harshly affects their quality of life.

People who experience tinnitus may need to visit their GP to rule out any underlying conditions that could be potentially causing the tinnitus symptoms, such as an earwax blockage or side effects from medication. The GP then may make a referral to a further professional such as an audiologist for an additional diagnosis. Hearing aids have been shown to be the most effective solution for most people with tinnitus. As there is unfortunately no “cure” for tinnitus, there is however a number of treatments that may help victims cope with the symptoms. These include: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Progressive Tinnitus Management (PTM), tinnitus masking devices and hearing aids to treat underlying hearing loss. Through hearing aids and other devices, audiologists should offer assessments, provide basic intervention for tinnitus and the provision of accurate tinnitus-care information/referrals for tinnitus-related services.

Furthermore, there are numerous new tinnitus apps accessible by smartphone that offer sound therapies to help ease and lighten tinnitus symptoms. These include apps such as: Diapason, Tinnibot, Pure Tinnitus Group Coaching and Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT). These apps are all created by professionals to aim to provide behavioural-based, evidence-based management techniques and tools for surviving tinnitus.

Am I eligible to receive fully subsidised hearing services?

Eligibility to the program is set out in legislation.  This information is general advice only, you should check your eligibility prior to making an appointment for services.

Voucher component of the program

You are eligible for the voucher component of the program if you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident 21 years or older and you are:

• a Pensioner Concession Card holder (eligibility for a PCC does not include people on newstart who are single or couples with no dependents or carer responsibilities).
• a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card holder
• a Department of Veterans’ Affairs White Card holder (hearing specific conditions)
• a dependent of a person in one of the above categories
• a member of the Australian Defence Force¹
• referred by the Disability Employment Services (Disability Management Services) Program

Please note that a Seniors Health Card does not provide eligibility for the program.

If you are a young adult aged 21 to 25 (inclusive) you can choose to receive services through the Voucher Program (if you meet one of the eligibility criteria listed above).

Voucher services are provided by a network of hearing services providers throughout Australia.

[1] For the purpose of eligibility to the program, a member of the Australian Defence Force is considered to be:

• a current member of the Permanent Navy, the Regular Army or the Permanent Air Force or
• a current member of the Reserves who is rendering continuous full-time service.

The new Sennheiser RS 195 TV headphones have been rated the best for overall satisfaction in Canstar Blue’s 2020 ratings for headphones, receiving five-star reviews for sound quality, practicality, comfort, design and value for money.

The headphones have been refined to offer simple and intuitive settings that enhance speech intelligibility. The excellent sound delivered from the headphones can be fully personalised to your hearing by simply choosing the most adapted setting from the seven profiles available to improve and optimise your sound experience. There is a balance control (left/right) which allows you to adjust the volume in each ear. The RS 195 headphones also offers a choice of listening modes. The “Speech Mode” reduces unwanted noises in the background and enhances speech fluency and intelligibility; alternatively, the “Music Mode” reproduces music with an increased dynamic range to perfectly preserve the sound image.

The Sennheiser RS 195 TV headphones are also fitted with high quality transducers that produce superior and detailed sound. The wireless transmission technology delivers a clear signal within a range of up to 100 metres. The RS 195 transmitter also supports analogue and digital audio inputs with the option of toggling. This means you are free to unrestrictedly stroll around multiple rooms of the house whilst enjoying listening to TV shows, movies or music with the headphones. They also have an ergonomic design making them comfortable enough to wear for hours. The new Sennheiser PS 195 TV headphones are derived from a collaboration between two specialists: Sennheiser (leading acoustics expert for over 70 years) and Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT). From this, unique sound settings that are perfectly adapted to the needs of individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss were able to be built.

Starkey has recently introduced a new hearing aid called the Starkey Liveo Edge AI. The power of artificial intelligence is now at your fingertips with this aid, giving you a more personalised and adaptable experience. The Starkey Liveo Edge AI offers superior sound quality in noisy environments with the new ‘edge mode’ which conducts an AI-based analysis of the environment to make immediate adjustments designed to improve speech audibility issues caused by background noise and even face masks. IntelliVoice is another feature which helps improve speech understanding for those with significant hearing loss. Improvements to the usability and performance of the ‘Thrive Hearing Control’ app have been made. There are also features such as being able to answer phone calls streamed to the Starkey Liveo Edge AI with the touch of a button, a remote control to change volume easily in the Thrive app, and enhanced streaming performance for music or TV and an auto on/off feature to automatically and conveniently save battery power when the aids are not in use.

The Livio Edge Al is also the first hearing device to provide you with ‘Healthable Technology’. This includes body tracking which tracks your daily steps and movement, brain tracking which monitors the brain-health benefits of wearing aids through tracking active listening and fall detection and alerts which detects when you fall and sends an alert message to contacts selected by you. There is also a 2.4 GHz Table Microphone included in the Livio Edge Al with eight built-in microphones to help users enjoy group settings. This means Livio AI is now available in the 2000, 1600, 1200, and 1000 technology tiers. The Starkey Liveo Edge Al also includes an intelligent assistant which features hearing care anywhere, find my phone (locate your lost or misplaced phone), find my hearing aids, audio streaming tap control, self-check hearing, language translation, transcription of conversations and setting up personalised reminders. The Starkey Liveo Al comes in a range of different styles such as the Behind-The-Ear receiver, Receiver-In-Canal, In-The-Ear and In-The-Canal, which all have the option of being a rechargeable aid. Additionally, there is a variety of different colours including: black, slate, sterling, bright white with sterling, espresso, champagne and bronze.

Starkey President Brandon Sawalich states “we are proud to be leading the hearing industry at the speed of innovation. Livio AI broke records by becoming the first hearing aid to use artificial intelligence to monitor body and brain activity. TIME Magazine even gave the Livio Edge Al a high-profile recognition, but, at Starkey, we don’t rest on our successes. We continue to push ourselves to make the impossible possible, so we can help people live better lives through better hearing.”

Phonak’s newly released Phonak Audéo Paradise is designed to provide “the next level of excellent sound quality” through its new PRISM (Processing Real-time Intelligent Sound Management) sound processing chip which includes approximately double the memory of Phonak’s chip in previous devices. Therefore, the Phonak Audéo Paradise will deliver a crisp natural sound, have brilliant speech understanding, personalised noise cancelling, voice assistant with a tap, and a wide variety of colours.

It also contains universal connectivity options (smartphone, TV, myPhonak app) which allows you to control your hearing aids, access useful features and personalise your settings. Additionally, a new fitting formula (designed for better fits), reduced reverberation, greater dynamic range and reduced listening fatigue in noise are also included. A new version of AutoSense OS (ASOS 4.0) is also being introduced by Phonak; which is the fourth-generation of its successful operating system that enhances the existing feature set found in a previous aid (Audéo Marvel) with a new speech enhancer, dynamic noise cancellation, and motion-sensor hearing technology – allowing even better performance in noisy environments. Not only does the integrated motion sensor detect when the wearer is moving and having a conversation, but it also supports hands-free conversations while connecting with Siri®, Google Assistant™, or Amazon Alexa® via a simple double-tap to the ear.

There is also a wide range of charging options including: the Phonak Charger Case Combi, the Phonak Powerpack and the Phonak Mini Charger Case. A significant feature included in the Phonak Audéo Paradise is the new Tap Control. Paradise users are able to activate Siri or Alexa (double tapping the ear), answer or reject calls and even pause and resume audio streaming by tapping the outer ear (pinna). The Phonak Audéo Paradise also features RogerDirect, which allows the Roger microphones to stream directly to Paradise hearing aids without having to attach to an external receiver – further allowing ease of listening in noisy environments. The Speech Enhancer also boosts soft-level speech so you are able to enjoy conversations with friends and family. The Phonak Audéo Paradise will be offered in all performance levels across four models, all Roger compatible, including the Audéo P-RT, a lithium-ion rechargeable model with telecoil.