Annual Report 2010/11 - Sonova

StraiGHt From real liFe
– cowboy hat meets high tech
Art Furrer is a Swiss original: mountain guide, ski instructor,
the father of ski acrobatics and a dedicated hotelier.
Nearly every evening he walks around the restaurants of
his hotels. A conversation here, a greeting there – this is Art
Furrer at his best. And on his head he always wears his
trademark cowboy hat, a reminder of the 13 years he spent
in the US teaching the Kennedys, among others, how to ski.
Talking to people and having a chat are almost as important
to Art Furrer as the air he breathes.
But the time came when he was forced to admit that it was
becoming increasingly difficult to understand the guests in
his crowded restaurant. High-pitched sounds were also
becoming ever more challenging: as a nature-loving alpinist
and mountain guide, he especially missed hearing birds
and crickets chirping. When his hearing care professional
diagnosed age-related hearing loss, he knew he had to do
something.
High-performance, user-friendly, small, and ergonomic
– Art Furrer was surprised to see what today’s modern
hearing instruments have to offer. He decided in favor of
Ambra IX from Phonak, an in-the-ear hearing instrument
that is prac-tically invisible externally. Since wearing it,
he has been able to thoroughly enjoy concerts, lectures, and
the sounds of nature again. And he even feels completely
confident and at ease during conversations in noisy settings.
Those affected by hearing loss wait an average of ten years
before doing something about their condition. This is a
serious problem, because during that time the brain forgets
how to hear and the ability to hear has to be painstakingly
relearned. This was reason enough for Art Furrer to talk openly
about his hearing loss and to encourage others to take
action early on.