With the Ponto, I can hear my own voice much better. I can hear cars behind me again and a dripping tap. Before I had the Ponto, I couldn’t hear any of these things.

Irene is 90 years old and a number of different illnesses contributed to early hearing problems. Her hearing loss has become more pronounced in recent years. Because of the outstanding results achieved by the Ponto 3 SuperPower from Oticon Medical in bone conduction hearing and severe hearing loss, Irene Wolf switched to the Oticon Medical SuperPower version.  Irene’s goal was to have the best possible quality of life that her advanced age would allow.  

With the Ponto, I can rediscover my enjoyment of life. Long may it last.

Bone conductors for severe hearing loss

Irene is 90 years old. She lives with her son in Roßwein in Central Saxony. Her daughter lives nearby. Irene’s partner is a few years younger than her and lives in a retirement home in Döbeln. When she moved from Silesia to Saxony in 1946, Irene contracted diphtheria and this left her susceptible to middle-ear infections. This permanently affected her hearing. Now she has severe combined hearing loss in both ears and wears a Ponto 3 SuperPower device in both ears.

How Irene came to use the Ponto Pro SuperPower

Irene’s hearing loss was diagnosed early, but the system in place in the GDR years meant that it was not satisfactorily treated. It was not until 1995, after the "Wende", that she started to wear one of the first bone conduction hearing processors in her right ear only. Unfortunately this was not a satisfactory solution for the long term, as Irene’s hearing loss deteriorated further in both ears and after a while, the device was no longer adequate. Therefore she switched to the Ponto system and also decided to have an implant in the left ear as well. Since then, she has been wearing the Ponto 3 SuperPower in both ears.

Back in the thick of things

With the Ponto 3 SuperPower, Irene has much more enjoyment and variety in her life again. She enjoys going to the hairdresser, shopping at the market with her son and of course spending time with and going on outings with her partner. Irene Wolf has also noticed that she can concentrate better, for example when solving puzzles. And she can enjoy music again. She likes Mozart’s Kleine Nachtmusik or Joseph Haydn’s symphonies. Irene says: "With my hearing aids I am a different person, I see the world through different eyes and feel involved again."

Everyday life with the Ponto

Before deciding to use the Ponto devices, Irene Wolf made sure that she know exactly how they work and how to use them. It is especially important to her that the hearing aids work all the time. She changes the batteries herself and needs no help with using, cleaning or looking after the devices. The only exception she makes is when she goes to the hairdresser. Irene has to wait until after she’s had her hair done to put the Pontos in, so that her hairdo stays intact.