Top European Audiology Prize won by AIHHP Vice Chairman.

Harpenden based AIHHP Vice Chair Robert Beiny, really listens to people. In fact, his patients are so impressed with his dedication to their hearing healthcare they have helped to crown him UK and, now, European Audiologist of the Year.

The UK and European Audiologist of the Year Awards were set up by battery manufacturer, Rayovac, with hearing magazine, Audio Infos and are judged by an expert panel working from written submissions from patients. The Awards are open to private hearing healthcare practices, retail chains and public health organisations, (in the UK, the NHS), and give patients the opportunity to recognise those who go beyond the call of duty to provide outstanding service. Having been awarded the UK Audiologist of the Year accolade, Robert Beiny went forward to represent the UK in the European finals held in Nuremberg, Germany, alongside regional winners from all across Europe. And it was at the end of October at the largest hearing event in Europe, the European Union of Hearing Acousticians (EUHA), that he was crowned overall winner – Europe’s best hearing aid audiologist.

What brings Annie Lennox, Mick Jagger and Amy Winehouse under one roof? Answer, the Hear the World Ambassadors photography exhibition by leading hearing system manufacturer Phonak in cooperation with musician and photographer Bryan Adams, which is being sponsored by the Association of Independent Hearing Healthcare Professionals (AIHHP).

AIHHP is sponsoring the London leg of the Hear the World Ambassadors exhibition, which will be showcased at London’s Saatchi Gallery and is open free to the public from 22nd to 24th July 2009. The exhibition has previously visited New York, Berlin and Zurich.

Bryan Adams has taken a series of exclusive photographs of renowned personalities for Hear the World, a global initiative which raises awareness about the importance of hearing and the impact of hearing loss, which was launched by Phonak in 2006. As official photographer, Bryan Adams captured each of the celebrity supporters with a hand cupped behind their ear to convey conscious hearing.

Hearing should be checked routinely throughout life. The Association of Independent Hearing Healthcare Professionals (AIHHP.org) recommend the following as guidelines for adults, although your Hearing Care Professional may advise you differently depending on your own individual circumstances.

At first glance, the idea of buying hearing aids online off the Internet may seem like a good one, whether its from a website like eBay or an online retailer, especially when they appear to be low cost or budget hearing aids. But unfortunately it's based on a number of important misunderstandings that the online retailer will conveniently neglect to tell you about.

So read this first, to you understand how to avoid falling into the same trap others have.