Mr Wen is 80. He used to work in a local hospital. Before retiring, he could hear every word the patients said clearly.
After retiring, he settled in Beijing to be closer to his children. However, his once comfortable retirement life gradually became overshadowed by the worsening of his hearing. When he was told that a pair of hearing aids would cost 60,000 Chinese yuan (≈ US$ 8,800), Mr Wen was ready to give up. That was until he discovered the Incus Smart Personal Sound Amplifier.
"I am lucky that at least my hearing lasted until retirement."
Mr Wen and his wife are from Heilongjiang province in China. They both worked as chief physicians, one in paediatrics and the other in internal medicine, at a local hospital before retirement. Their children settled in Beijing, so the couple chose to spend summers in Beijing and winters in Sanya to maintain a close relationship with their children.
Before retirement, Mr Wen had no hearing problems. He could hear every word the patients said clearly. However, in the year he retired, he suddenly felt that he occasionally couldn't hear what others were saying. As a doctor himself, he understood that it was normal for various bodily functions to deteriorate with age, and he didn't pay too much attention to it at the time.
Increasing Complaints
As Mr Wen's hearing loss worsened, he started to receive complaints. His wife was the first to complain. She was once talkative, but now they spoke sparingly. It was not because she had a change of heart, but because she found having to shout to talk to him exhausting.
Neighbors also complained. Mr Wen was getting older and sleeping less. He often stayed up until 11 pm to watch TV dramas with his wife, and the TV volume was too loud, causing disturbance to the neighbours.
With the increasing number of complaints, Mr Wen realised that his hearing loss was the cause and began to pay attention to hearing aids.
"60,000 yuan?! How many elderly people in China can afford that?"
At the recommendation of an old friend, Mr Wen went to a hearing aid store next to the hospital to inquire about hearing aids. He was shocked when he heard the prices - a good hearing aid cost 30,000 Chinese yuan (≈US$ 4,400) per ear. As is the case for most elderly people with age-related hearing loss, he needed a pair, which would cost 60,000 Chinese yuan.
"Miss, let me ask you, how many elderly people in China can afford such expensive hearing aids?" Mr Wen immediately asked the salesperson in the store. To his surprise, the next day when he returned to the store to try out the hearing aids, the salesperson said that the prices had been lowered by 10 times to 6,000.
Good Product, Transparent Price
As his hearing loss began to affect his quality of life, Mr Wen found it increasingly difficult to find a hearing aid that was both affordable and of good quality. The market was flooded with hearing aids that either had exorbitant prices or were fake amplifiers disguised as hearing aids for as little as 200 yuan (US$ 30).
However, it all changed when Mr Wen discovered the Incus Kite Smart Personal Sound Amplifier through a friend's recommendation. During the trial, a researcher from Incus explained key features to Mr Wen in detail: “Everyone’s hearing profile is unique. Our sensitivities to sounds across different frequencies differ. The Incus Smart Personal Sound Amplifier personalises sounds to deliver a natural and clear listening experience."
In addition to its clear sound quality achieved through the algorithm, Mr Wen was also impressed with the Incus Smart Personal Sound Amplifier’s lack of feedback and comfortable fit during his trial. And not to mention, the reasonable price point of about 2,000 yuan (US$ 290).
Mr Wen Spread Information About Incus Smart Personal Sound Amplifier and Hearing Health
After using the Incus Smart Personal Sound Amplifier for a while, Mr Wen became even more satisfied with it. He even lent it to friends around him from time to time to try it out, and as a result, some friends who originally used hearing aids priced at tens of thousands of yuan decided to switch to Incus.
The reluctance of the elderly to use hearing aids is mostly due to psychological factors, and in this regard, Mr Wen also spares no effort in promoting hearing health knowledge. He compares wearing a hearing aid to wearing glasses, and emphasises that age-related hearing loss is irreversible, so it is important to use assistive devices instead of letting it deteriorate and affect one's daily life.
