First Hearing Aid to Connect Wirelessly to Cell Phones Gives Hands-Free Advantage to People with Hearing Loss

Article submitted by Elizabeth Cook of Total Hearing Care. For information about the new Oticon Epoq, please contact Elizabeth Cook or any one of Total Hearing Care professional Staff of Audiologists and Certified Dispensers at 1-800-427-4327 or you may visit us at www.njhear.com.

Elizabeth Cook of Total Hearing Care in New Jersey is one of the first hearing care professionals in the U.S. to offer patients a new hearing instrument that enables them to connect to their cell phone - hands free. The new Oticon Epoq is the first of its kind, an advanced technology hearing instrument that uses hyper-speed broadband technology to enhance speech in difficult listening situations such as restaurants and social gatherings. Epoq uses the same technology to connect wirelessly with cell phones and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. “Today, cell phones are an essential component of modern, busy lives,” states Elizabeth Cook “Imagine if hearing conversation on a cell phone was difficult or impossible for you. That is the situation that many hard-of-hearing people face everyday.”

New Epoq provides people with hearing loss easy access to the world of wireless connectivity. With the addition of a Streamer, a sleek, easy-to-use companion device, Epoq becomes the equivalent of a hands-free Bluetooth intelligent headset, without having to attach any devices or wires to the hearing instruments. The wearable Streamer resembles a tiny MP3 player or other trendy electronic accessory.
“Similar to a Bluetooth wireless headset, Epoq and the Streamer stream sounds directly from the cell phone to the hearing instruments,” Elizabeth Cook explains. “The difference is that before delivering those sounds to the patients’ ears, Epoq has processed them to suit the unique needs of the patient’s individual hearing loss.” “I like to say that Epoq is not a hearing aid, it’s a personal communication system that connects my patients to today’s high-speed, active world,” Elizabeth Cook states.

Epoq is available in a variety of discrete and comfortable styles and performance levels to suit a range of hearing needs. The wearable Epoq Streamer is an optional companion device for all versions.