MED-EL presents: Together for a Hearing Future - Hearpeers Initiative Goes Global

• A mentoring community designed to support people with hearing loss is now available globally
• MED-EL's Hearpeers initiative connects people with hearing loss and their families with a community of hearing implant users
• The new Hearpeers platform launches today, July 27^th

SHEFFIELD, England, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today MED-EL, a global leader in hearing implant technology, has made its mentoring initiative Hearpeers available worldwide. Under the theme "Together for a Hearing Future," the initiative connects people living with hearing loss to an online community of volunteers who themselves are hard of hearing and use hearing implants such as cochlear implants.

In the UK, there are 12 million people living with hearing loss and this figure is estimated to rise to 14.2 million by 2035, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNID). Hearing loss can be seen as an invisible disability, and public awareness is relatively low. However, the consequences of permanent hearing loss are extensive and, if left untreated, have a significant impact on quality of life, employment and health.

The Hearpeers initiative: connecting people worldwide

MED-EL first launched the Hearpeers mentoring initiative in the UK to support people living with hearing loss and their families. The initiative offered the opportunity to connect with local volunteers, who share similar experiences, and get answers to individual questions about life with a hearing implant. Since it's initiation in 2015, the number of volunteers has grown considerably, with mentors worldwide, 12 of which are based in the UK. This growth has made possible to launch the new global community that connects people regardless of where they live.

"Experiencing hearing loss and selecting a hearing solution can be challenging, and some may need additional support during this time. This is where the Hearpeers initiative can help. Our Hearpeers mentors are dedicated to supporting those considering a hearing implant, those who have already chosen a hearing solution and are available at all stages of surgery, offering support every step of the way,'' says Charles Dippenaar, Managing Director ? UK and Southern-Africa, MED-EL.

The Hearpeers mentors: the core of a global, vibrant community

The Hearpeers mentors provide one-on-one support to a range of people, including those recently diagnosed with hearing loss, their relatives and people who have just started using a hearing implant.

All mentors are volunteers who are eager to give something back to improve the lives of others. The mentors differ in age and all have different, individual stories about life with hearing loss and hearing implants.

Colin, a cochlear implant user from the UK, explains how his personal experience inspired him to become a Hearpeers mentor: "During my assessment process, I had the opportunity to speak to a cochlear implant recipient. This was an invaluable experience and really supported me as I adapted to living with hearing loss, so I wanted to offer other people the same opportunity."  

Mentors like Colin live in 15 countries including, the UK, the US, India, Australia, the Philippines and Germany. The mentors speak multiple languages and with a new interactive website, connecting to someone who understands more about life with hearing loss has now become even easier.

"Our mission at MED-EL has always been to improve the quality of life for people around the world. By setting up the Hearpeers initiative, we want to expand the community, build new relationships and provide support, especially in countries with limited access to hearing solutions," says Patrick D'Haese, Corporate Director of Awareness and Public Affairs, MED-EL.

If you think that you have hearing loss, you can connect to the global MED-EL Hearpeers community or Mentors in the UK at www.hearpeers.com.

About MED-EL:

MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world's first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has more than 2,400 employees from around 80 nations and 30 locations worldwide.

The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 134 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL's hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined Electric Acoustic Stimulation hearing implant system, auditory brainstem implants as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices. www.medel.com

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