Question
How is wireless connectivity used with bone anchored hearing solutions?
Answer
Are wireless systems appropriate for children with bone anchored hearing systems?
Yes, there are many advantages of children using Ponto Streamer and ConnectLine devices. Even young patients can operate Ponto Streamer as a remote, hear mobile phone calls through their sound processor, connect to a computer’s audio at school, and watch television and movies at home.
I have seen kindergarten-age children that are able to quickly learn the functionalities of the Streamer. We see the same things happen as when children are handed an iPad… I am amazed that they know what to do, but devices like Ponto Streamer are pretty intuitive for them. I have also met with some older children who have motor coordination issues. For them, reaching the volume control on the sound processor, for example, was difficult, and they needed assistance for that task. In this case, it became much simpler to use the Ponto Streamer as a remote for the volume control, and gave the patient some increased independence.
If you so desire, the audiologist can also set up Ponto Streamer so that it is restricted to certain uses. This is done by selecting the most appropriate configuration in the Streamer Settings tool in Genie Medical.
How does Ponto Streamer work for bilateral fittings?
For patients fit with two Ponto Plus sound processors, Ponto Streamer will send signals to both the left and right devices.
For patients using a Ponto Plus Sound processor on one ear and an Oticon hearing aid on the other, the patient would have to select which device to use for wireless streaming. Ponto Streamer cannot be used with Oticon hearing aids, nor can Streamer Pro be used with Ponto Plus sound processors. However, both of these hearing devices use the same ConnectLine system, which includes the TV adapter, landline phone adapter, and microphone.
Ponto Plus users with Single-Sided Deafness (SSD) have normal hearing in one ear. Will they benefit from using Ponto Streamer?
SSD patients might not initially think that wireless technology will make much of a difference for them, but once they try the system, they often realize it does. It is common that SSD patients develop coping strategies for certain listening situations without realizing it- for example, always sitting in a specific spot when watching television. Only after they try Ponto Streamer and the Connectline TV adapter do they realize how much effort they were using to watch TV. Many SSD patients also appreciate the ability to talk hands-free on the phone, and being able to monitor what’s happening in the room around them while on the phone.
This Ask the Expert was adapted from the Oticon Medical recorded course, Introducing Ponto Plus, presented by Jaime Leigh Westbrook, AuD. For more information about Oticon Medical and the Ponto System, visit www.oticonmedical.com or the Oticon Medical Expo Page on AudiologyOnline.
