Oldenburg-based Hörtech gGmbH is presenting a hearing test at German Telekom AG's representative office in the capital. Since mid-July 2008, callers throughout Germany can call 09001-217221 to check their hearing abilities.

Everyone knows the feeling that the person you are talking to doesn't seem to be listening, things have to be repeated or even misunderstandings arise. In many of these cases, hearing problems are the cause, as around 15 million people in Germany suffer from impaired hearing.

Now all it takes is a phone call to 09001- 21 72 21 to quickly and anonymously check your own hearing. The test, which was developed as part of the European research project HearCom, is scientifically sound and takes just under 5 minutes. What is new about this procedure is that it deliberately makes the hearing situation more difficult. "The caller has to understand speech in a background noise. This situation is realistic and particularly difficult for people with hearing problems, which makes it ideal for diagnostics. A useful side effect of the procedure is that it is easy to use on the phone, as you can't simply turn the phone up to understand the speech because the background noise then also gets louder," explains Prof Dr Dr Birger Kollmeier, Scientific Director of HörTech gGmbH, which has adapted the test for Germany.

Hearing loss often develops gradually and is often first noticed by those around the person affected. "From an audiological point of view, hearing deficits should be recognised and treated as early as possible, because the ability to process auditory impressions decreases when fewer auditory impressions reach the brain. In a way, you forget how to hear, just as you forget a foreign language when it is no longer actively heard," warns Martin Blecker, Chair of the European Union of Hearing Aid Acousticians.

The hearing test by telephone addresses precisely this point and now enables a quick and uncomplicated initial assessment of hearing and, if necessary, encourages more detailed clarifications to be carried out by specialists. Good hearing is important for everyone at any age. It is extremely gratifying that Dr Annette Schavan (Federal Minister of Education and Research) has taken on the patronage of the hearing test by telephone and that the procedure has been endorsed by numerous associations and celebrities such as Roland Kaiser, Mario Adorf and Anna Maria Kaufmann. "Everyone should develop an awareness of good hearing, because the loss can affect us all," said Schavan.

The test is used in various countries in different languages (Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and soon also France, Poland and Sweden). "The demand for such a test is very high; in the UK, around 377,000 people have already used the hearing test by phone in the last three years to get clarity about their own hearing," confirms Dr Marcel Vlaming, project manager at HearCom.

The charge for a call is a flat rate of 0.99 euros. "As a non-profit organisation, HörTech gGmbH is not allowed to make losses or profits. With a fee of just under one euro and average usage, the test covers its costs. If there are any surpluses, these are invested in research, prevention and quality assurance," explains Stephan Albani, Managing Director of Hörtech.

Further information can be found at www.hoertest-per-telefon.de