A new mobile app developed by SEC’s Dr Anna Kam helps the elderly to check their hearing without the fuss and cost of going for a check-up.
The app helps people to identify hearing loss much earlier than had been possible before.
As Dr Kam explains, "In the past people had to visit a hearing clinic for the screening test. The machine is bulky, complicated, and must be operated by a medical professional. Everything is done manually; when the client cannot hear a tone, the examiners must adjust the tone themselves. Most importantly, the test has to be performed in a soundproof booth. By using noise-cancelling headphones, the test can be done in most quiet places”
“The use of a speech-in-noise test is another highlight of the app - most hearing loss in elderly patients is related to cognitive decline. They cannot hear well particularly with background noise. Our app simulates such noise to examine speech recognition in difficult environments.”
"The app allows us to collect and monitor the user’s hearing test data, so we can keep close eye on their progress and needs,” Dr Kam said. “The data will be helpful for large-scale research.”
The innovation earned Dr Kam the Bronze Award at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva recently.
“I can’t hear very well now that I’m older,” said one user. “But it was costly and difficult for me to monitor my situation in the past. Now I can check any time I want.”
As Dr Kam’s award illustrates, FEHD encourages innovative research. We strive to make lives easier for the elderly and their family members. We seek to take speech, hearing and communication science to the NEXT LEVEL.
