10 Years of Hearpeers by MED-EL: A Decade of Global Hearing Support and Inspiration
January 17, 2025 – (Innsbruck, Austria): What started with a handful of volunteers in the UK in 2015 has now grown into a thriving global community of almost 200 Hearpeers Mentors across 34 countries. These inspiring individuals, including both those living with hearing loss and parents of children with hearing loss, are committed to supporting, inspiring, and empowering people navigating their own hearing loss journey – offering not only guidance but hope and connection.
With 1 in 5 people globally experiencing hearing loss, the need for awareness and support has never been more needed. What makes the Hearpeers initiative unique is its human touch. Each volunteer – known as a Hearpeers Mentor – has walked the path of hearing loss personally or alongside a loved one so can share their experiences and stories with honesty and passion.
A Growing Network of Inspiration
The global Hearpeers network is now active in 34 countries, with Mentors representing diverse backgrounds and experiences. Despite their differences, all Mentors share a common goal: to inspire others by showing that life with hearing loss and hearing technology can be rich, fulfilling, and connected.
Kylie from Australia, who uses cochlear implants to hear, shares her motivation for joining Hearpeers: “I decided to become a Hearpeers mentor because it is something that I would have really loved to have access to when I was going through that journey myself, both before I had my surgery and also after, because there are so many things that you do not understand until you are kind of going through that experience. And so I really love to pay that forward to other people who are going through their own experience and provide some reassurance and some ability to relate to someone in a similar situation.”
A Family Across Borders
Hearpeers has never been more dynamic. In 2024 alone, Mentors from 13 new countries, including Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and Costa Rica, joined the ranks. Their stories and expertise are now part of a global community dedicated to helping others reconnect with the world of sound.
Last year Hearpeers also became more than just an online community. With live Mentor Meetups in the UK, the USA, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as a heartfelt gathering at MED-EL headquarters in Innsbruck, Mentors from across the globe came together to share stories, strengthen bonds, and renew their commitment to helping others.
Gavin, a cochlear implant user from the United Kingdom, shares his top tip for anyone living with hearing loss: “Speak to other people who been through the process, and ask as many questions as you like because that is the best way to learn what the experience would be like.”
The Power of Peer Support
Recent research1 highlights the significant benefits of peer-to-peer conversations, especially in the healthcare context, where they can help individuals navigate health conditions and make informed decisions. Peer support programmes provide essential psychosocial support, reduce isolation, and offer practical advice from those with lived experience. These insights perfectly align with the Hearpeers initiative, where Mentors help individuals facing hearing loss by sharing their personal experiences and offering guidance based on what they have learned along their own journeys.
As part of its mission to support both individuals and professionals, MED-EL now offers Hearpeers counselling specifically as a resource for professionals. Mentors provide non-medical insights based on their personal experiences, addressing questions that professionals may not have the time to answer. This peer-to-peer support is particularly valuable for individuals making significant, life-long decisions about hearing technology, while also complementing the guidance provided by professionals.
Looking Ahead
With a focus on the future, Hearpeers is committed to expanding this network further, bringing together even more voices to support, inspire, and empower those living with hearing loss. “Mentors like Kylie and Gavin remind us that hearing loss is not the end – it is the start of a new chapter,” says Dr Patrick D’Haese, Director of Awareness and Public Affairs at MED-EL. “Through their courage, compassion, and stories, they show the world that life with sound is possible again. Hearpeers embodies what MED-EL stands for: innovation with a human touch.”
Visit the Hearpeers website to learn more about this inspiring project, connect with Mentors, or join the community forum.
1Joo JH, Bone L, Forte J, Kirley E, Lynch T, Aboumatar H. The benefits and challenges of established peer support programmes for patients, informal caregivers, and healthcare providers. Fam Pract. 2022 Sep 24;39(5):903-912. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmac004. PMID: 35104847; PMCID: PMC9508871.
About MED-EL
MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has more than 2,900 employees from around 90 nations and 30 locations worldwide.
The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 137 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined electric acoustic stimulation hearing implant system, auditory brainstem implants as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices. www.medel.com
CEO
Doz. DI Dr DDr med. h.c. Ingeborg Hochmair
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