My story, Charlotte Weir: How the Roger Pen changed my life

Undergraduate student, Charlotte, is studying History at the University of Chester. 

Diagnosed with a hearing loss in her childhood, Charlotte details her hearing journey and the amazing difference assistive listening equipment has made to her quality of life.

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Understanding my Hearing Loss

“When I was 10 years old, I was told I had a moderate to severe hearing loss in my right ear. I found that the ‘box standard’ hearing aids were making no difference for me. In fact, it took a while for Audiologists to realise I had a conductive hearing loss.”

Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is a blockage of some kind in the outer or middle ear that prevents sound from properly passing through to the inner ear.

A conductive hearing loss may be caused by:

  • chronic infection
  • accumulation of ear wax within the ear canal
  • a growth in the middle ear
  • an abnormal bone growth near the middle ear.

Those who suffer from conductive hearing loss struggle with soft sounds at all pitches, both low and high. Depending on the nature of the hearing loss, this can be successfully corrected with hearing aids. Other types of conductive hearing loss can be treated surgically.

“After my diagnosis, I was given the opportunity to wear a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA). I trialed this on a metal headband for roughly twelve months. My hearing was greatly improved with the BAHA but the headband hurt a lot! I was finally ready to get the more long-term solution which would involve an abutment implanted into my skull so I could attach my Oticon BAHA to it. It was a straight-forward procedure.

Trying New Technology

“I remember leaving the hospital after I had recovered from the surgery and I whispered to my mum “What’s that noise?” and then I realised, for the first time I was hearing the rain pour from the sky and bounce off the ground. I wasn’t just feeling the crunch of Autumn leaves from beneath my feet, I was also hearing it.

“As I moved into secondary education, I used a Phonak hearing loop in my classes for the first time. And, for the first time, I was able to hear my teacher loud and clear. This was around ten years ago. Since then, technology has rapidly developed and by the time I reached college, I was using a radio aid. This gave me the ability to hear my teacher even clearer and had developed further in range of distance.

Introducing the Roger Pen

What really changed my life was the Roger Pen, which I received at university. Typically, the Roger Pen would either be clipped to my lecturer’s shirt or worn on a lanyard. But then I found out what ‘Roger’ could really do. I’m able to place it in the centre of the table and it automatically picks up each person’s voice. I no longer  fear sitting at big, round tables!

With the Roger Pen, I can turn off background noise so it only focuses on the speaker’s voice, or I can turn that off and get a feel for both the speaker and background noise. The Roger Pen is a Bluetooth device which also means I can listen to music through my hearing aids.

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“Using my assistive listening devices, I slowly started to feel like I was an integral part of society. I was able to interact, connect and get involved in activities with my peers. My quality of life has been greatly improved, largely due to the Roger Pen. The sound is impeccable and is received from an impressive distance around me.

Simply, the Roger Pen changed my life.

For more information about the Roger Pen, please click here.

For more information about accessing hearing support, as a student via DSA, please click here.

Comfort DigiSystem Case Study – Susan Sayer

Gordon Morris Comfort DigiSystem Case Study – Susan Sayer

The people in the image above are models, not the actual person.

Mental Health Advocacy Scheme
The Challenge…

I needed a solution for work as it is crucial that I am able to hear accurately so that I can fully represent my clients’ needs regarding their care and treatment. I also struggle in training sessions and group work; my hearing aids were not up to the job.

The Solution…

The Comfort DigiSystem, is a flexible and modular system that can be used in a variety of work place situations to assist the hearing aid user.

The Benefits…

With this system the quality of sound I hear is greatly improved, I am less stressed and feel more involved in my work and training events. Overall I am happier in my work than I have been for a long time.
Susan’s Story

I have a bi-lateral hearing loss, recognised in my teenage years, and have been a double hearing aid user for about 30 years. When I was young people wondered why I was often singing the wrong song lyrics. It seemed I was replacing the words with what it sounded like due to my hearing loss. I always thought Neil Diamond was singing about “Reverend Blue Jean” until a friend pointed out what the lyric actually is.

For the full story download the full case study PDF here

To read some of our other blogs, please click here!

Student and Researcher – Rachael Macleod

Gordon Morris Student and Researcher – Rachael Macleod

Rachael’s Story – Needing a Little More

I am a twin and we both started losing our hearing at three years old. I eventually got hearing aids when I was at school.

What makes me really sad is that I recently had deaf awareness training in my work and the trainer said that there were no deaf PhD students in Scotland. I want to prove to myself and to all the doctors that said we would not achieve a ‘normal’ education. In fact I have surpassed that. I graduated with first class honours after going to university as a mature student, I am just about to finish my masters in research methods and I start my PhD in social policy later this year. I plan on finishing it!

Choosing the Right System

To aid me in finding the best and most appropriate solution for my needs Gordon Morris supplied me with a demonstration kit. We then had a Skype meeting where we went through the units available and selected the best for my needs. I was then allowed to use this for a further 10 days so I could test it out in the variety of situations that it would be required for.

‘The service I received here was fabulous. The team could not have done more to help me and consistently went out their way to make sure I got what I needed from their service and support. Brilliant team and I highly recommend them. They were with me every step of the way.’

For the full story, Download the Full Case Study PDF Here

To read some of our other blogs, please click here!

Adult Social Care, Learning & Development – Tim Luxton

Gordon Morris Adult Social Care, Learning & Development – Tim Luxton

Tim Luxton is a hearing aid user and manager of the Adult Social Care Learning & Development team within the Community Directorate. Tim approached Gordon Morris regarding a system that would benefit a hearing impaired person in meetings and conference situations. Portability was of utmost importance and infrared systems were explored initially.

For the full story download the full case study PDF here

To read some of our other blogs, please click here!