The invisible player on the Danish EURO 2004 squad

The invisible player on the Danish EURO 2004 squad When the Denmark coach Morten Olsen trains the Danish national football squad during EURO 2004 in Portugal there'll be an invisible player on the team: Senso Diva, the virtually invisible most advanced digital hearing aid from Widex. For years, the noise from the huge crowds at internationals was Denmark coach Morten Olsen's greatest adversary when he entered the international stadia to coach the red and white army. A wall of noise surrounded him both on the bench and on the pitch. And he was unable to hear the questions put to him by journalists at the back of the room at pre- and post-match press conferences. Morten Olsen has suffered from hearing loss for many years. The inherited disorder otosclerosis has been his opponent since the 1970s, and it has significantly affected his quality of life both in his professional career as a football coach and in his private life. Now Morten acknowledges his life would have been much easier if he had acquired his Senso Diva CIC hearing instruments a couple of years sooner. The hearing loss affected my quality of life Being a national coach requires intense concentration, control and strong commitment. The eyes of the entire nation are upon Morten Olsen when the Danish red and white team enters the football field. There is no room for misunderstandings and miscommunication - neither outside nor on the field. The pressure from the public is large and expectations are huge, and the comments in the media after a match are very direct. Morten Olsen has always delivered a top performance despite his hearing loss - but not without a physical and psychological cost. People with hearing loss use many resources on listening and trying to hear all that is being said. So Morten Olsen not only had to be 100% focused on the football field, he also had to use extra energy in concentrating on hearing what he wanted to hear - or the sound would disappear in the wall of noise from the cheering crowd. The many post-match press conferences were challenging: "It was often difficult to fully catch the essence of the many questions asked. If the journalist was sitting at the back of the room, his words would drown in background noise, which gave me the feeling of being lost in the communication", explains Morten Olsen. Morten Olsen's hearing loss also affected his private life. As his hearing loss increased, social interaction in situations with a lot of people and noise became difficult. "You often laugh at times when you shouldn't have laughed, simply because you haven't heard what was said, or because what you wanted to hear disappeared in voices and background noise, and you end up feeling socially isolated", tells Morten Olsen. My invisible team player Morten Olsen's everyday life became increasingly affected by his hearing loss, and finally it was such a big problem that he decided to deal with his adversary and take action. He wanted to regain his full quality of life both on and outside the football field. The solution chosen was Senso Diva - the virtually invisible completely-in-canal hearing aid from Widex. As a result of Senso Diva, Morten Olsen could again function on equal terms with other people both privately and professionally - something he had dreamt of. "It was like getting new ears, tells Morten Olsen, "suddenly I could hear sounds that I had not heard for years. I could function optimally again - both in training and other social situations - so well, actually, that I quite forget that I am wearing hearing aids", he adds enthusiastically. Don't wait too long Looking back at the time with untreated hearing loss and knowing what he knows today about modern digital hearing aids, Morten Olsen regrets that he didn't do anything about his hearing loss sooner. There are many reasons why he waited so long, including vanity and the many prejudices associated with hearing loss. "Modern hearing aids are so small and effective that there is no excuse for not doing anything about hearing loss - especially when considering the difference that hearing aids can make", says Morten Olsen, and encourages others not to wait so long before getting help. With Senso Diva, the noise from the huge crowds is again a welcome sound for Morten Olsen, and he will now be able to benefit fully from the many coming press conferences. How the Danish national team will do in Portugal is anybody's guess - but there is no doubt that Senso Diva is an important "player". You can meet Morten Olsen and hear the full story throughout EURO 2004 at www.widex.com . ------------------------------------------------------------ Ytterligere informasjon kan hentes på følgende hjemmeside: http://www.waymaker.no Nedenstående filer kan lastes ned: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/06/14/20040614BIT21370/bild.html Bilde