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September 7, 2017

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Helping children hear their futures

Sonova, a leading provider of hearing care solutions, aims to enhance children鈥檚 future prospects and improve their hearing with the help of innovative products and professional talent.

About 70 million people in China suffer from hearing loss, according to data from the World Health Organization. Among this group, children with hearing problems have been the key focus of Chinese society.

鈥淐hina is focusing on the education of children with hearing problems. The number of hearing care programs supported by the country is growing, with government initiatives being launched in more and more regions,鈥 said Li Yaqing, national project sales director of Sonova China.

Sonova is actively working on improving life for children with hearing problems. The company hopes through the use of hearing aids, it can enhance children鈥檚 learning capabilities and cultivate hearing professionals in order to contribute to society.

Children have more problems in concentration than adults when there is loud background noise. Noise in the classroom, distance from the teacher and poor acoustics can cause difficulties.

鈥淗earing is important for learning,鈥 said Yang Xinyi, senior audiologist and director of audiology and training with Sonova China.

鈥淓ven a slight loss of hearing will result in a child鈥檚 difficulty in listening in class.鈥

In order to help children solve these problems and listen more clearly, the company launched an innovative product 鈥 Roger System.

The program can improve listening conditions for children when they are in class.

The wireless Roger System uses a microphone to capture the teacher鈥檚 voice and digitally transmit it to the child鈥檚 receiver.

Background noise is not picked up and the clear signal goes directly to the child, allowing them to follow the lesson more clearly and more easily.

鈥淲ith the use of Roger System, children are able to listen to their teacher鈥檚 speech clearly at an effective distance of more than 20 meters,鈥 said Li.

鈥淚t is also an open platform, which means it can be applied to all hearing products on the market. It is compatible with hearing aids and cochlear implants.鈥

Sonova has carried out 300 demonstration and instruction sessions for students in schools in Shanghai. The company said a total of 425 children have benefited from Roger System.

Roger System has been applied to special education schools that include Shanghai Qiyin School and Shanghai Qiying Kindergarten.

The company has set up a team of research, training and educational professionals to work closely with schools. The team is committed to improving learning efficiency and the comprehension levels of children as they learn. The company hopes it can help improve the quality of life for children and their families.

鈥淭he program can help children learn better and have a better life, and also actively promote educational fairness among young kids,鈥 Li said.

Combined with its innovative products in China, Sonova is also committed to professional training. The company opened a new training center in Suzhou of Jiangsu Province this year which provides hands-on courses for hearing care professionals. In August, the company also held workshops at the center especially for children.

鈥淲e are using our educational work to help raise awareness step-by-step,鈥 said Lukas Braunschweiler, chief executive officer of Sonova AG. 鈥淲e think it is important for our technical staff to extend and refine their qualifications on a rolling basis.鈥

The training team consists of 50 hearing care professionals, and half are global talent. The training center is equipped with soundproof rooms for hearing tests, and workstations where ear molds can be adjusted, so hearing care professionals can immediately put what they have learned during their training into practise.

鈥淭he training center in China provides courses for hearing professionals in the Asia-Pacific region as well as reflecting our commitment to China,鈥 Yang said.

鈥淚t is proof that we hope to cultivate hearing professionals and talent both domestically and globally. Our training courses will help us supply more and more professional hearing solutions to people.鈥

Sonova, headquartered in Switzerland, has been supplying hearing solutions for more than 70 years. The company offers a comprehensive range of hearing solutions to treat all major forms of hearing loss, including hearing aids, cochlear implants and wireless communications.

Sonova insists on the values of innovation, engagement and responsibility. These values are at the heart of the corporate culture and are key to the future success, the company said.

China has long been one of the leading global markets for Sonova, and the company still sees huge potential for growth here.


 

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