Roger On iN – tested in an educational setting
“I’m in my early 50’s and have severe hearing loss in one ear and moderate hearing loss in the other. Rob fitted me with Phonak hearing aids which do a pretty good job, but I was still struggling to hear in lots of situations especially on days when my hearing loss is worse. I was concerned that I was missing out on a lot of conversations especially with my family. I was very keen to try the Roger On as I wanted to try anything that would help me hear even just a little bit better.
I was really impressed from the start – it’s very straightforward to use and helped a lot more than I’d hoped. I tend to use it most for one-to-one conversations and either prop it up using the case it comes in on a table in front of the person I’m speaking to, hold it in my hand and point it at their face or sometimes they hang it round their neck. If I’m out and about with one of my teenage children they usually wear it and it’s made a huge difference to car journeys, shopping trips, dog walks and bike rides as it has meant we can have conversations when we are side-by-side and even quite a few metres away. In restaurants or at parties I tend to point it at the person I’m speaking to, and it means I can have a conversation when there is a lot of background noise. It also means that I can confidently go into situations (e.g. doctor’s appointments) knowing that I will be able to hear. Although it’s unobtrusive I’ve found that using the Roger On and telling people about why I am using it has been a good way for me to start a conversation with someone about my hearing loss and explain to them what helps me (please don’t cover your mouth!).
Everyone has been really interested in the technology. If the Roger On is in a good position, then I’d say the sound quality is as good as taking a mobile call when your phone is connected via Bluetooth to your hearing aids.
Of course, it’s not perfect and I still don’t always catch everything first time and I do have to remember to have it with me, get it out and start using it. And I’m a little less keen on the tabletop setting even when I turn some of the mics off using the app. Overall though, the Roger On has made a much bigger difference than I was hoping for and I can now go into noisy situations with much more confidence and, most importantly for me, hear better when I am out and about with one of my children.”
Anon, March 2024
