Audionom Magazine - Wind-Free for People on the Go

Bike, horse, or boat—it doesn’t matter. Niki Westerberg is a fast-paced communications manager who has tried Windfree. We meet her to hear what it means to live with hearing loss and in which situations Windfree can help…

It’s Friday afternoon, and outside the window, I see Niki coming running. We have arranged to meet at the restaurant I Mamadou for a late lunch. Mamadou is a popular lunch spot, and even though it’s 1:00 PM, we have to chase away one of Niki’s colleagues to get a table.

Niki talks about her hearing impairment. Even as a small child, Niki had reduced hearing. It was discovered early that she heard 80 percent in her left ear and 60 percent in her right ear. Over time, it got worse, and surgery was considered. But the mere thought of the risk that her hearing might get worse instead made them decide against it.

“You can get surprisingly far by sharpening your other senses,” says Niki, describing her ability to read lips and the importance of positioning herself strategically in a room to catch what is being said.

Over time, her hearing worsened, and eventually, it was Niki’s family who got tired and thought it was time for hearing aids. The county council didn’t have many models to choose from, so it ended with a visit to Sophiahemmet. After 38,000 SEK and two fantastic hearing aids, Niki’s life changed dramatically.

“WOW, what a feeling to hear EVERYTHING. Suddenly, I could hear the sound of a hand brushing fabric… Or a private conversation five rows away on the bus. Hearing has its downsides too… I was allowed to get used to it gradually,” Niki explains.

At that time, Niki worked as a press secretary. With the help of a telecoil connected to the phone, she could get her calls directly into her ear—without either a headset or Bluetooth.

“It was fantastic to avoid having to read minutes to understand what was said in meetings,” says Niki.

Today, she works as a communications manager at Ledarna. She is an active and driven person who has refused to let her disability become a limitation in life. Besides work, she spends a large part of her time on horseback and in the choir. In the summer, there are also one or two boat trips with the family. Niki likes speed—both in gallop and on the water. But not the noise that the wind creates in hearing aids.

Niki describes:
“Imagine the sound of wind blowing straight into a microphone. At the very least, unpleasant. That’s why I always turned them off on the boat. The problem was that I couldn’t hear what my husband was saying to me.”

“Jump!” he shouted when we were about to dock. I turned around to see what he wanted. BANG. And there we were on the dock…

Niki has tried Windfree both on the boat and on horseback. The result is that she doesn’t have to choose between hearing what people say or avoiding tiring wind noise.

“It’s absolutely fantastic! All wind noise disappears, and I can hear perfectly,” Niki says.

She has also enjoyed her Windfree while show jumping.

“To hear my trainer’s instructions before each obstacle, I have to turn the volume up to max on my hearing aids. Previously, the wind noise that followed was completely unbearable. Now I hear the trainer perfectly and can focus on the horse and the jumping instead.”

When asked what could be improved, Niki has only one wish: a luxury version of Windfree that can be attached directly to the riding helmet. Maybe something for the next model?

Facts about Windfree
Windfree is designed to protect a bare ear from wind or air resistance. The product was initially developed to help cyclists protect their ears from deafening wind noise. Tests have shown that Windfree has many more target groups, especially among people with hearing impairments and tinnitus. Measured effect in wind tunnel = -20 dB.

Published in Audionomtidningen no. 2, 2012