Widex IN-9 User Instructions

User’s instructions

The Inteo Series

IN-9

Behind-the-ear

2

Your hearing aid, earmold and accessories may not
look exactly the same as in these user’s instruc­tions. We furthermore reserve the right to make
any changes considered necessary.

Hearing aids and their accessories
should not be disposed of with normal
household waste. Please consult your
hearing care professional for advice on
how to dispose of your hearing aid.

3

Contents

Your new Inteo hearing aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Inteo (IN-9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Battery type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Inserting the battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Changing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Turning the hearing aid on and off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Left/right identification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Placing Inteo on/in the ear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Possible settings when turning on your hearing aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Removing Inteo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Automatic adjustment of loudness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Fine tuning loudness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Listening programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Switching between the listening programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Keeping Inteo clean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Cleaning accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

The hearing aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The earmold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Caring for your hearing aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Good advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Audio input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

FM systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

In case of malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

4

Your new Inteo hearing aid

Thank you for choosing a Widex hearing aid. Inteo
is a hearing aid that allows you to be part of the
process of tailoring the sound to your individual
hearing loss and lifestyle requirements.

We recommend that you read the entire booklet to
get full satisfaction from your new Inteo hearing
aid.

We hope you will be pleased with your new Wi­dex hearing aid.

5

Inteo (IN-9)

1. Microphone openings- where the sound

enters the hearing aid.

2. Volume control is available in some Inteo

models. It makes it possible to fine tune the
automatically adjusted loudness.

3. Program button - allows you to choose

between different listening programs.

4. On/off switch.

5. Battery drawer with a nail grip for easy

opening.

6. Earhook.

7. Plastic tubing.

8. Earmold.

9. Sound outlet.

10. Relief vent for

aeration of the
ear canal.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

1.

9.

10.

6

The battery

Battery type

The recommended battery type for your Inteo
hearing aid is:

Zinc Air battery type 13

To obtain replacement batteries, please consult
your hearing care professional. Please note the ex­piration date and the recommendations regarding
disposal of used batteries on the battery pack. To
ensure proper battery function, do not use batter­ies past the expiration date. Because they are Zinc
Air type batteries, they need air to work. There­fore, do not remove the adhesive tab until just be­fore inserting the battery in the hearing aid. Once
the tab has been removed, the battery will start
functioning after a few seconds. The battery life
will depend on a number of factors, such as the set­ting of your hearing aid, how many hours you use it
daily and the listening environments in which you
use it.

7

Inserting the battery

Before inserting a new battery in
your hearing aid, remember to re­move the adhesive tab. Do not use
batteries on which there is a sticky
residue from the tab or other un­wanted substance.

8

Push the nail grip upwards to
swing open the battery drawer.
The nail grip is located on the op­posite side of the on/off switch
at the bottom of the hearing aid.

The plus (+) sign of the battery must face upwards.
If the battery drawer does not close easily, the bat­tery is incorrectly inserted.

9

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 ex­hausted, the hearing aid will be completely silent.
Exactly how long the hearing aid will function after
the beep-tones varies from one case to another.
We recommend that you always have a spare bat­tery with you.

For adjustment of the beep-tone level or disabling
of the function, please consult your hearing care
professional.

Never leave an exhausted battery in the hearing
aid. Exhausted batteries may leak, which could
damage the hearing aid. When changing batteries,
it is a good idea to hold the hearing aid over a table
or a carpet, in case you drop the hearing aid or bat­tery.

10

Turning the hearing aid on and off

The battery drawer is placed at
the bottom of the hearing aid.
The battery drawer also func­tions 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.

The word “OFF” is clearly vis­ible on the switch when the
hearing aid is turned off.

Please remember to switch the hearing aid off
when it is not in use. Remove the battery if the
hearing aid will not be used for several days.

11

Left/right identification

If you wear hearing aids on
both ears, your hearing care
professional can put color
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).

12

Placing Inteo on/in the ear

Insert a battery in your hearing aid. First insert the
earmold in the ear canal while holding the lower
part of the tubing. It may also help to pull the outer
ear backwards and upwards with the opposite
hand.

13

Once the earmold has been inserted, you place the
hearing aid behind the ear, so that the hook rests
comfortably on the ear, close to your head.

14

Possible settings when turning on
your hearing aid

Your hearing aid can be set to start up in two diffe­rent ways. In the standard start-up setting your
hearing aid may whistle slightly while you insert
the earmold in the ear. An alternative is a setting
where the hearing aid actively suppresses whistling
while the earmold is being inserted in the ear. To­gether with your hearing care professional you can
choose the start-up setting that suits your needs
best.

15

Removing Inteo

Turn off your hearing aid before removing it. Re­move the hearing aid from its position behind the
ear. Carefully pull the earmold out of the ear canal,
while holding the lower part of the tubing. If it is
difficult, it may help to try to move the earmold
carefully from side to side while pulling it out. It
may also help to pull the outer ear backwards and
upwards with the opposite hand.

16

Automatic adjustment of loudness

Inteo adjusts loudness automatically in accordance
with your sound environment. Several thousand
times per second, Inteo analyzes the surroundings
and tailors its sound accordingly. With Inteo you
do not have to think about adjusting the volume –
it happens quite automatically.

Important: If the volume in your hearing aid is too
loud or too weak, or if the reproduced sounds are
distorted, or you would like any further informa­tion, consult your hearing care professional.

17

Fine tuning loudness

Your hearing aid may be pro­vided with a volume control,
shaped like a small lever. Push
the lever upwards to raise the
automatically set volume.
Push the lever downwards to
lower the volume. Use short

touches for minor corrections
of the volume. Faster adjustments are obtained by
keeping the lever pressed for some seconds.

Each time you operate the volume control, you will
hear a beep-tone. For modification of the beep­tones or disabling of the beep-tone function or vol­ume control, please consult your hearing care pro­fessional.

Any adjustment of the volume setting will be can­celled when your hearing aid is turned off.

18

Listening programs

Your Inteo hearing aid may be provided with up to
five listening programs optimized for different lis­tening situations. Your hearing care professional
will select the programs that are of use to you and
make them available on the hearing aid program
button. If your needs change over time, the combi­nation of listening programs can be changed. In
these user’s instructions, the hearing care profes­sional can list the listening programs that are avail­able in your hearing aid (see page 22). The choice
will be made from the following programs:

19

Inteo Master: This listening program is Inteo’s
standard program. In the Master program all the
automatic functions of the hearing aid work to en­sure audibility, speech intelligibility and comfort in
all listening situations.

Acclimatization program: This listening program
has the same features as the Master program, but
provides slightly less amplification. The listening
program is ideal if this is your first hearing aid and
you want to become used to all the new sounds
gradually.

Music: This listening program is ideal for listening
to music.

TV: This listening program is ideal for listening to
the TV.

Comfort: This listening program is ideal for ensur­ing listening comfort in both noisy and quiet envi­ronments.

20

Audibility Extender: This listening program is
ideal if it is very difficult for you to hear high fre­quency music and nature sounds. The program
uses a special function that moves high frequency
sounds down to an audible frequency region.

M+T: In this listening program you listen via the
hearing aid microphone (M) and the telecoil (T).
This listening program allows you to listen to a spe­cific sound source and still hear surrounding
sounds. (See below)

T: In this listening program you listen via the tele­coil (T) and not via the microphone (M) in the hear­ing aid. The telecoil is used where a loop system or
specially adapted telephone system is installed. Ac­tivating the program allows you to listen to a spe­cific sound source and shut out surrounding
sounds.

21

Listening program form

Program Chosen

programs:

Application:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

22

23

Switching between the listening programs

You can switch between the programs by using the
program button on the back of the hearing aid.
(Note: If you do not have multiple programs and
have no need to use the program button, you can
consult your hearing care professional to have it
disabled.)

Each time you switch to another program, you will
hear beep-tones. The beeps tell you which program
you have chosen:

• Program 1: One brief beep

• Program 2: Two brief beeps

• Program 3: Three brief beeps

• Program 4: One long and one brief beep

• Program 5: One long and two brief beeps.

24

The number of different beeps depends on how
many programs you, together with your hearing
care professional, have chosen to have in your hear­ing aid. The selected listening programs are num­bered 1-5.

If you, in consultation with your hearing care pro­fessional, decide on other combinations of pro­grams later, these can be written on the blank form
found at the back of these instructions.

1.

2.

3.

25

Keeping Inteo clean

Cleaning accessories

The following accessories
are available for your hear­ing aid:

1. Battery magnet
to facilitate insertion of
the battery into the

battery drawer.

2. Wax removing tool for cleaning the relief vent

opening and the earmold sound bore.

3. Soft cloth for drying and cleaning the hearing

aid.

Contact your hearing care professional if you need
additional supplies of accessories.

26

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 after 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.

27

The earmold

Make sure your earmold

is clean and free of ear-

wax and moisture. If it is

plugged, clear the open­ings with the wax removing tool provided with the
aid or by your hearing professional.

If the earmold or tubing contains a large amount of
wax or beads of moisture, consult your hearing
professional regarding further instructions on
maintenance. Depending on the type of earmold
and tubing arrangement, it may be necessary to
disconnect the earmold tubing from the tone hook
of the hearing aid, wash it and/or use an earmold
blower to remove the excessive debris or moisture.
Make sure the earmold and tubing are thoroughly
dry before reattaching to the hearing aid.

28

If there is still moisture in the earmold the next
time you want to use the hearing aid, use a small
blower or the like to blow it dry. Never use alcohol
or other cleaning solutions to clean your earmold.

If your earmold tubing becomes slack, stiff, yellow
or cracked, replace the tubing. For further supplies
of tubing consult your hearing care professional.

29

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:

• Switch your hearing aid off when it is not in
use. Should you not use it for several days, take
out the battery to avoid battery leakage.

• Treat your hearing aid as the valuable object it
is: with care. When your hearing aid is not in
use, keep it in its case in a cool, dry location
where it cannot be reached by children or pets.

• When not in use, do not expose your hearing
aid to extreme temperatures or high humidity.

• In environments with high humidity (includ­ing that created by heavy perspiration), a dry­ing kit may be used daily to reduce the amount
of moisture inside the hearing aid. See the in­structions included with the drying kit.

30

• Do not wear your hearing aid in the shower or
swimming, or when using a hair dryer, hair
spray, or other sprays and creams (e.g. suntan­ing oils).

• Never try to open or repair the hearing aid
yourself.

• Do not wear your hearing aid during x-ray, MR
scans, CT scans, short-wave diathermy, or sim­ilar radiation treatments and never place your
hearing aid in a microwave oven. These are
some of the types of radiation that can damage
your hearing aid. Radiation from, for example,
room surveillance equipment, burglar alarms
and cellular telephones is weaker and will not
damage your hearing aid; however, you may
hear interference noise.

• Widex hearing aids are not certified for use in
mines or other areas with explosive gases.

31

Good advice

• You may notice increased accumulation of ear­wax with hearing aid usage. Contact your phy­sician/ENT doctor if you suspect that a plug of
earwax has accumulated in your ear. Earwax
may not only reduce your own hearing but also
the effect of the hearing aid considerably. It is a
good idea to ask your physician to clean your
ears a couple of times a year.

• Please be sure to keep your hearing aid and its
accessories out of the reach of children, who
might place them in their mouths. Also keep
batteries out of children’s reach and discard
used batteries carefully. Do not change batter­ies in front of children and do not let them see
where you keep your supply.

• Never put a battery in your mouth for any rea­son as you may risk swallowing it. In case of in­gestion, contact your physician immediately
and the 24 Hour National Button Battery In-

gestion Hotline at [phone].

32

• The hearing aid is made of modern hypoaller­genic materials. Still, in rare cases skin irrita­tion can occur. If you notice skin irritation in or
around your ear or ear canal, contact your hear­ing care professional.

• Please be aware that the use of any type of hear­ing aid/earmold 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. Therefore, we recommend
that you take out your hearing aid/earmold at
night to allow the ear canal to be ventilated.
Make sure that you clean and inspect your
hearing aid/earmold as required. If an infec­tion occurs, you should disinfect your hearing
aid/earmold and seek medical advice. Contact
your hearing care professional for further ad­vice on methods of disinfection. Do not under
any circumstances use alcohol, chlorine or sim­ilar substances to clean your hearing aid/ear­mold.

33

Accessories

Audio input

Your Inteo hearing aid can be furnished with an au­dio shoe. This allows direct connection to different
kinds of accessories (FM and CROS/Bi-CROS sys­tems), as well as external audio equipment (radio,
TV, etc.). In this way the sound from, for example,
a radio or a speaker provided with an FM micro­phone can be sent directly into your hearing aid.

With an audio shoe connected to the hearing aid,
one or more of your standard listening programs
are replaced by dedicated audio programs.

In the form below, your hearing care professional
can make a note of the audio programs you have ac­cess to and where they are located. When you at­tach the audio shoe, the hearing aid automatically
switches to an audio program (see page 36). If you
then wish to switch to one of the other programs,
you must use the program button on the hearing
aid. As soon as you remove the audio shoe, the usu­al program order is re-established (see page 22).

34

Program Program order with audio shoe

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

35

Important: If the hearing aid is connected to an
accessory requiring use of a power outlet, the ac­cessory unit must conform to requirements stated
in IEC (international) or UL safety standards.

Do not connect the hearing aid to sockets that are
labelled with one or more of the following sym­bols:

For more information on the use of audio input
consult your hearing care professional.

36

FM systems

An FM system is an assistive listening device that
can be used as an accessory for Inteo. The FM sys­tem makes it easier to understand speech in diffi­cult listening situations.

A wireless FM system consists of a small radio
transmitter with a microphone placed near the
speaker and a small radio receiver clicked onto In­teo via an FM shoe. The operating range is approx.
49 feet depending on the surroundings.

For help to determine whether you could benefit
from an FM system, please consult your hearing
care professional.

37

Remote control

The remote control is an accessory for your hearing
aid. It provides an alternative way of operating
your hearing aid You can easily operate your hear­ing aid without a remote control, but it gives you a
number of additional options. For help to deter­mine whether you could benefit from a remote
control, please consult your hearing care profes­sional.

38

In case of malfunction

The following pages include some quick advice to
follow if you experience problems. Before contact­ing 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
battery drawer, which functions as the on/off
switch, is pushed all the way upwards and that
the word “OFF” is not visible on the switch.

• The battery is dead or does not work. Insert a new
battery. Make sure the battery is inserted cor­rectly and that the battery drawer is closed cor­rectly.

• The sound outlet of the earmold is blocked. Block­age of the sound outlet of an earmold is often
caused by earwax. Clean the blocked sound
outlet.

39

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 inserted correct­ly and that the battery drawer is closed correct­ly.

• The sound outlet of the earmold is blocked. Block­age of the sound outlet of an earmold is often
caused by earwax. Clean the blocked sound
outlet.

• Your ear is blocked by earwax. Contact your ENT
doctor/physician.

• Your hearing may have changed. Contact your
hearing care professional.

40

If the hearing aid whistles continuously, it could
be because:

• Your ear is blocked by earwax. Contact your ENT
doctor/physician.

• The tubing is broken. Contact your hearing
healthcare provider regarding replacement.

• The tubing is yellow and stiff. Contact your hear­ing healthcare provider regarding replace­ment.

• The tubing often comes off the earmold or hearing
aid hook. Contact your hearing healthcare pro­vider regarding replacement.

• The hook or elbow is cracked. Contact your hear­ing care professional regarding replacement.

• The earmold is not correctly placed in your ear ca-
nal. Take the earmold out and reinsert it. It is
important that the earmold is placed correctly
in your ear canal.

• The earmold fit is too loose. Contact your hearing
care professional.

41

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.

42

Listening program form

Program Chosen

programs:

Application:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

43

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