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Hearing aids and their accessories should not be disposed of with normal house- hold waste. Please consult your national Widex distributor for advice on how to dispose of your hearing aid.
Contents Your new Bravissimo élan hearing aid ....4 A world of new sounds ......5 The road to better hearing and a more active everyday life 6 Help to help yourself .
A world of new sounds Becoming a hearing aid user can be an exciting challenge. Your hearing aid does not restore normal hearing, but it brings back sounds that you may not have heard or thought about for years - everyday sounds such as a ticking clock, dripping water, the television, the car, footsteps on hard floors, children’s voices, music, doors banging, laughter, tools, machin-...
The road to better hearing and a more active everyday life Your hearing aids may help you regain the pleasure of communicating with other people and increase your quality of life. So, although it may feel like a big chal- lenge in the beginning, it will be worth the effort.
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Make a note of the situations where you are not satisfied and why. Is the problem related to low frequency, high frequency, weak or loud sounds? Is it all the time or only in specific situations? Try to describe your experiences as detailed as possible so that you and your hearing care professional have something to go on when you meet again.
Bravissimo élan 1. Microphone opening, where the sound enters the hearing aid. 2. Volume control, which makes it possible to fine tune the automatically adjusted loudness. 3. Program button, which allows you to choose be- tween different listening programs. 4. On/off switch. 5.
The battery Battery type The recommended battery type for your Bravissimo élan is: Zinc Air battery type 13 For acquisition of batteries, consult your hearing care professional. Please note the expiry date and the recommendations regarding disposal of used batteries on the battery pack. To ensure proper bat- tery function, do not use batteries past the expiry date.
Inserting the battery Before inserting a new battery in your hearing aid, remember to re- move the adhesive tab. Do not use batteries on which there is a sticky residue from the tab or other un- wanted substance. Push the nail grip upwards to swing open the battery drawer.
Changing the battery If you hear four rapid beep-tones while wearing your hearing aid, it is an indication that the battery is nearly exhausted. Once the battery is totally ex- hausted, the hearing aid will be completely silent. Exactly how long the hearing aid will function af- ter the beep-tones varies from one case to another.
Turning the hearing aid on and off The battery drawer is placed at the bottom of the hearing aid. The battery drawer also func- tions as the on/off switch. The hearing aid is turned on when the switch is pushed upwards, and off when the switch is pushed downwards.
Left/right identification If you wear hearing aids on both ears, your hearing care professional can put coloured marks on your hearing aids so you can easily see which is for the left ear and which is for the right ear (red mark = right and blue mark = left).
Placing Bravissimo élan on/in the ear Insert a battery in your hearing aid. We recommend that you turn off the hearing aid before placing it on the ear. First place the hearing aid behind the ear, so that the earhook and tubing rest comfortably on the ear, close to your head.
Removing Bravissimo élan First remove the hearing aid from its position be- hind the ear. Then, carefully pull the é-tip out of the ear canal, while holding the lower part of the tub- ing.
Automatic adjustment of loudness Bravissimo élan adjusts loudness automatically in accordance with your sound environment. Several thousand times per second, Bravissimo élan analyses the surroundings and tailors its sound accordingly. With Bravissimo élan you do not have to think about adjusting the volume – it happens quite au- tomatically.
Fine tuning loudness Bravissimo élan is also provided with a volume control, shaped like a small lever. Push the le- ver upwards to raise the automatically set volume. Push the lever downwards to lower the volume. Use short touches for minor corrections of the volume.
Listening programs Your Bravissimo élan behind-the-ear hearing aid may be equipped with a number of listening pro- grams optimised for different listening situations. Your hearing care professional can help you select the programs that are of use to you and make them available on the hearing aid program button.
Listening programs: M: “M” stands for Microphone and is the standard setting, which means it is the listening program for ordinary listening situations. T: “T” stands for Telecoil. The telecoil can only be used where a loop system is installed. Activating the telecoil will enable you to listen directly to the source of speech while excluding surrounding sounds.
Switching between the listening programs You switch between the programs by using the pro- gram button on the back of the hearing aid, just above the battery drawer. To switch between programs 1 and 2, press the but- ton briefly once (approx. 1 second). To switch from program 1 or 2 to program 3 you also press the but- ton once, but for a longer time (approx.
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Each time you switch to another program, you will hear beep-tones. They tell you which program you have chosen; one brief beep-tone for program 1, one brief deeper beep-tone for program 2 and two brief beeps for program 3. The number of different beeps depends on how many programs you –...
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Listening programs Program Chosen Application: programs:...
Keeping Bravissimo élan clean Cleaning accessories The following accessories are available for your hear- ing aid: 1. Battery magnet to facilitate insertion of the bat- tery into the battery drawer. 2. Wax removing tool for cleaning the élan ear-set. 3. Soft cloth for drying and cleaning the hearing aid.
Cleaning the hearing aid Never wash your hearing aid with water, cleaning solutions or other liquids. Instead, clean your hearing aid with a dry soft cloth af- ter use. When the hearing aid is not in use, it is a good idea to leave the battery drawer open, so as to ventilate the hearing aid and allow it to dry.
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If the élan ear-set tubing is plugged, it must be cleaned. Hold the earhook with two fingers while holding the hearing aid with the opposite hand. Lift the élan ear-set off in a slanting, backward move- ment. Then clear the opening with the wax remov- ing tool.
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If necessary, the é-tip can be washed in lukewarm water. Disconnect the é-tip from the élan ear-set and rinse the é-tip thoroughly. Allow it to dry over- night. Make sure that the é-tip and the ear-set are clean and dry before you use them the next time.
Changing the élan ear-set The élan ear-set should be changed on a regular ba- sis. The life of an élan ear-set is individual and de- pends on a number of factors, such as how much the hearing aid is used and the type of earwax produced in the ear.
Individualising the élan ear-set The élan ear-set can be adjusted to fit your ear ex- actly. Your hearing care professional will choose the correct size for you the first time. In these user’s in- structions, your hearing care professional can circle the sizes selected for you (see page 32).
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Choice of é-tip: The é-tip is available in four sizes. It is important to choose the correct é-tip in order to ensure a good and comfortable fit. The é-tip must be positioned comfortably in the ear canal. The é-tip is replaced by pulling the é-tip off the rest of the élan ear-set.
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Adjusting the anchor: The an- chor should form an appropri- ately sized loop to ensure the comfortable retention of the é-tip in your ear canal. It is formed by pulling the tip of the anchor through a small hole on the side of the élan ear-set.
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Circle the sizes selected for the élan ear-set. Left ear Right ear é-tip Tubing é-tip Tubing...
Caring for your hearing aid With proper care, your hearing aid will give you years of reliable service. Here are some things you can do to prolong the life of your hearing aid: • To ensure the proper shape of the élan ear-set, be careful not to twist or squeeze it out of shape when your Bravissimo élan hearing aid is placed in the case.
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• Treat your hearing aid as the valuable object it is: with care. When it is not in use, keep it in its case in a cool, dry location where it cannot be reached by children or pets. • It is important to wipe the ear-set and é-tip thor- oughly and keep them clean of wax, etc.
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Radiation from, for example, room surveil- lance equipment, burglar alarms and cellular tel- ephones is weaker and will not damage your hear- ing aid. • Widex hearing aids are not certified for use in mines or other areas with explosive gases.
Good advice • The use of hearing aids increases the risk of accu- mulation of earwax. Contact your physician/ENT doctor if you suspect that a plug of earwax has accumulated in your ear. Earwax may not only re- duce your own hearing but also the effect of the hearing aid considerably.
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• Please be aware that the use of any type of hearing aid/é-tip may involve a slightly increased risk of infection in the ear canal. An infection can arise as a result of inadequate ventilation of the ear. There- fore, we recommend that you take out your hear- ing aid/é-tip at night to allow the ear canal to be ventilated.
Accessories Audio input Your Bravissimo élan can be furnished with an au- dio shoe. This allows direct connection to different kinds of accessories (radio, TV, FM systems, CROS and BiCROS). Important: If your hearing aid is connected to equip- ment which is connected to the electrical mains, this equipment must meet the safety requirements stated in the international standard IEC 60065.
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FM systems The FM system from Widex can be used as an ac- cessory to Bravissimo BV-8 élan. The FM system makes it easier to understand speech in difficult lis- tening situations. The system consists of a small radio transmitter placed near the speaker and a small radio receiver clicked onto Bravissimo BV-8 élan via an audio/FM...
In case of malfunction The following pages include some quick advice to follow if you experience problems. Before contact- ing your hearing care professional, please follow the advice below: If the hearing aid is dead, it could be because: • The hearing aid is not turned on. Make sure the bat- tery drawer, which functions as the on/off switch, is pushed all the way upwards and that the word “OFF”...
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If the hearing aid volume is not powerful enough, it could be because: • The battery is nearly exhausted. Insert a new battery. Make sure the battery is placed correctly and that the battery drawer is closed correctly. • The sound outlet of the é-tip is blocked. Blockage of the sound outlet of an é-tip is often caused by ear- wax.
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If the hearing aid performs intermittently, it could be because: • The on/off switch is dirty. Push the switch back and forth a couple of times.
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Listening programs Program Chosen Application: programs:...
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