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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.

The ReSound ONE is GN Hearing’s newest revolutionary hearing aid. The aid includes an additional microphone inside the ear canal. “For the first time, allowing people relying on hearing aids to experience the world with their own ears while preserving the comfort of an open-fit device” states GN Hearing. The pinna (outer ear) is designed to work like an acoustic antenna, helping the brain localise and tune into a particular sound. Unfortunately, the most popular styles of hearing aids (Behind-The-Ear and Receiver-In-Ear models) capture sound from microphones that sit behind the ear; resulting in “averaged and incomplete reproduction of sound, making it hard for the brain to achieve its natural localisation and noise-cancelling function,” according to GN. The ReSound ONE offers a wide variety of colours such as: bronze, champagne, deep black, espresso, gold, graphite, sparkling grey and warm grey.

The ReSound ONE also includes a new receiver system, combined with all-new Digital Feedback Suppression (DFS Ultra III). Additionally, the ReSound ONE contains ‘All Access Directionality’ which automatically adjusts to your listening patterns, as well as rechargeability and connectivity options to both iOS and Android smartphones for streaming and hearing aid control. You can also get live assistance from your hearing care professional via ReSound Assist Live video calls. “Placing a microphone into the ear with an open-fit hearing aid is something the industry has battled for many years to achieve. This technology will allow people with hearing loss to feel that they are literally getting their own hearing back and hearing the way nature intended. ReSound ONE will boost the communication, relationships, and confidence of every individual” says GN Hearing CEO and President, Gitte Aabo.

The ConnectClip is a new addition to Oticon’s range of devices designed to improve users’ experiences. Sound is streamed directly to the hearing aids and the ConnectClip’s wireless microphone picks up the speaker’s voice and also acts as a high-quality wireless headset. With high-quality 2.4 GHz Bluetooth, the ConnectClip enables you to make hands-free phone calls and stream music right from your smartphone. It also can be used as a discreet remote control for your hearing aids – allowing you to control volume, switch programmes, mute your hearing aids and to tune into someone speaking from a distance (up to 20 metres) and in noisy environments using the remote microphone functionality. The ConnectClip is designed for everyday use and is an additional accessory available for purchase (not included in the hearing aid package). 

The TV Adapter 3.0 allows users to easily enjoy watching TV at their preferred volume whilst the rest of the family can continue watching at the volume level that suits them. The sound quality is clear and natural with no delays in delivery, meaning the sound still matches what is being shown on TV. The TV Adapter 3.0 is designed for everyday use, and the many features, such as volume, can be easily controlled by the Oticon ON app. There is no streamer needed for the adapter, and it also has a sound range of 15 metres. The TV Adapter 3.0 is an additional accessory available for purchase (not part of the hearing aid package).

The Oticon ON app is a compatible smartphone app that can be used to easily and discreetly control your Oticon Bluetooth hearing aids. Some of the great features include: adjusting the volume of your hearing aids, switching between programs, checking the battery level, locating a lost hearing aid, control the sound from Oticon TV Adapter, ConnectClip, and EduMic, stream a person’s speech directly into your ears with the remote microphone function and much more.

HearingFitness is another feature on the Oticon ON app that gives you an overview of your hearing data and provides insights that you can use to improve your health behaviours, allowing you to nurture your own health.

You can start using the Oticon ON app today in 3 easy steps:

• Step 1: Download the Oticon ON App in the App Store or Google Play
• Step 2: Make sure your hearing aids are connected to a compatible smartphone
• Step 3: Begin easily controlling your hearing aids!