LAFAYETTE — A new program is helping Indiana veterans improve their hearing.
Redux, a Carmel based company, and the Indiana Veterans Home took part in a pilot program to decrease the number of times veterans have to be without hearing aids due to repairs.
Typically when veterans send their hearing aids to be dried or fixed, it can take a month to return them.
Redux has a system that allows hearing devices to be dried in about 15 minutes.
The company's technology creates a vacuum to lower the evaporation point of water and remove moisture quickly.
At least 17 veterans at the Indiana Veterans Home got the service for free, according to the company.
"We dry any veteran's hearing aid right here at Redux on Hancock street in Carmel," said Reuben Zielinski, Redux president and co-founder. "We also have plans to expand to a number of hospitals here in Indiana and the US."
Redux funded the pilot program, so tax dollars were not used.
"Many veterans rely heavily on their hearing aids, and any amount of moisture in the aid can make communication extremely difficult," said Dennis Wimer, director of the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA). "Veterans who have trouble communicating can feel disconnected, isolated, and even depressed. Because of this, the staff at the IDVA and the IVA were excited to see the how the residents would benefit from the new service provided by Redux."
