Online Hearing Care launches ground-breaking home audiology service for millions of people in the UK affected by hearing loss

News provided by

08 Apr, 2021, 06:00 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, England, April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Online Hearing Care has developed new technology to provide hearing tests, hearing aids and ongoing remote support to millions of people suffering from hearing loss, all within the comfort of their own homes. This radically new service model has been developed with the backing of an advisory board of internationally recognised audiology and digital healthcare specialists.

This image opens in the lightbox — Advanced hearing care from the comfort of your sofa (PRNewsfoto/Online Hearing Care)

Online Hearing Care's innovative Home Hearing Kit allows audiologists to remotely assess a client's hearing to clinic standards. Clients are provided with all the diagnostic equipment that audiologists would use in clinic, with their hearing tested via accurately calibrated headphones and an otoscopic examination of the ear canal and ear drum.

Current online hearing tests using standard headphones and earbuds can determine whether a patient has hearing loss and indicate the severity of the loss, but Online Hearing Care is currently the only hearing care provider in the world to go the extra step and offer a full home examination to deliver a complete audiogram and ear canal assessment. This allows audiologists to remotely programme the hearing aids with pin-point accuracy for each patient and to identify and refer any other conditions onto the patient's GP.

In addition, patients receive full ongoing support by connecting with audiologists via virtual appointments and their hearing aids can be remotely adjusted anywhere in the world.

Professor Shafi Ahmed, Consultant Surgeon, Royal London Hospital, is a pioneer in digital healthcare solutions and expert Advisory Board Member to Online Hearing Care.

Professor Ahmed said: "It's very exciting to see this technology being made available to patients in their own homes, replicating as far as possible a full audiology exam in the patient's home. The last year has seen a real step change in acceptance of remote health assessment and provision, by both professionals and patients, a trend that we see continuing post Covid. Treating hearing loss is at the forefront of this trend and patients' quality of life can be dramatically and quickly improved with accurate assessment and treatment."

Richard Tucker, Chief Executive Officer at Online Hearing Care, said: "Online Hearing Care is dedicated to improving people's lives through better hearing. Around 1 in 6 of the UK population – over 10 million adults – suffer from hearing loss of some kind and, as our population ages, that number will increase. The company's mission is to help people understand that hearing loss should be taken seriously, and that it can be treated very successfully, if addressed early.

"Several research papers** have made the connection between hearing loss with increased rates of depression, social isolation, and risk of dementia and cognitive decline. We intend to tackle the taboo of hearing loss and to highlight the importance and effectiveness of early treatment, providing a service which improves quality of life as we age."

Online Hearing Care hearing solutions are discreet, easily adjustable and effective hearing aids from world-leading hearing aid manufacturer, Phonak.

"Phonak's ground-breaking hearing devices contain advanced technology for increased functionality and superior performance with features including Dynamic Noise Cancellation, Speech Enhancer and UltraZoom for sharper sound quality in a variety of situations, especially in busy social settings," explains Richard Tucker.

"You can make phone calls, listen to music, hear your sat nav instructions, and participate fully in conversations in a crowded room.

"Our hearing aids can be programmed and adjusted via an app available for iOS and Android phones and can even be adjusted anywhere in the world by our audiologists."

The Online Hearing Care service includes a 60 day money back guarantee, annual checkups, remote care service support for any adjustments, and a 3 year warranty. Without bricks and mortar overheads, Online Hearing Care are able to keep prices substantially lower than high street audiologists.

Founded in 2020, Online Hearing Care has the backing of an expert Advisory Board of internationally-recognised audiology and digital healthcare specialists that also includes: Professor Brian Moore, Emeritus Professor of Auditory Perception, University of Cambridge; Dr Josef Schlittenlacher, Lecturer at Manchester University and multidisciplinary scientist specialising in machine learning for auditory science; and James Tysome, Consultant ENT Surgeon at Cambridge University Hospitals.

With a world-leading board of advisors, innovative remote care and superior hearing device technology, Richard Tucker sums up the mission of Online Hearing Care: "Online Hearing Care's advanced hearing care gives those with hearing loss easy and convenient access to audiological services without having to actually visit a clinic. The Covid pandemic has shown that there is an increased demand for remote audiology services and our technology provides the closest experience possible to a clinic visit."

For more information on Online Hearing Care visit www.onlinehearingcare.co.uk or call 0800 054 1138.

Notes to Editors:

Online Hearing Care was founded in 2020 to deliver the very best in remote hearing health care and give people with hearing loss greater access to audiology services. The company, supported by a Board of internationally recognised advisors, has developed the unique Home Hearing Kit which allows clients to receive a full audiological assessment to clinical standards and personalised hearing device calibration to meet their specific hearing profile. This pioneering approach is the first of its kind in the UK. Online Hearing Care's hearing aids are top of the range devices from world leaders, Phonak. Online Hearing Care provides advanced hearing technology - delivered to clients in the comfort of their own home.

For more information visit: www.onlinehearingcare.co.uk
Phone: 0800 054 1138 (UK office hours: Mon – Fri, 9am to 5pm)
Email: info@onlinehearingcare.co.uk

** Hearing loss and incident dementia
Frank R Lin¹, E Jeffrey Metter, Richard J O'Brien, Susan M Resnick, Alan B Zonderman, Luigi Ferrucci
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21320988/