Now it is official in Germany, the approximately 14,500 German Hörgeräteakustiker have become designated as Hörakustiker. These long-respected experts in hearing and hearing aids are now officially sanctioned as hearing care professionals by the German Federal Council.
As such, the “equipment” portion of their title is no longer part of the name for their profession. Reason for the adjustment is the dramatically changed profession. On May 12, 2017, the Federal Council, a division of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, decided to adopt the Handicrafts Regulation. The field of activity of the craft sector within the field has changed considerably in recent years where “Not the device is in the foreground, but the complete individual personal service,” explains Marianne Frickel, of the Ministry audit department and President of the Federal Ministry of the Interior – Hearing aids. Now in addition to the section of a device for hearing, German professionals have been
directed to provide tips and solutions for prevention and help with tinnitus and hearing loss care.
In a few weeks it will be time for the largest Audiology/Hearing Device meeting worldwide, The International Congress of Hearing Aid Acousticians this year to be held in Nuremberg, Germany. Often referred to worldwide as the “EUHA Meeting”, this will be the 62nd iteration of the event, to be held October 18-20, 2017 ……and the first under the new German designation, Hörakustiker. Tthe German name of the Congress, Hörgeräteakustiker-Kongress, has been changed to Hörakustiker- Kongress.
There is another novelty: by analogy to the above-mentioned change of name, the new host will be the Europäische Union der Hörakustiker e.V. The event is known for its excellent presenters and lectures and an exhibit hall filled with some 130 
exhibitors showcasing international innovations. Almost twenty specialist lectures, held by renowned presenters from the United States, Australia, Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany, as well as several tutorials will offer the latest in medical, psychological, and auditory aspects of hearing deficiencies, showcase next-generation hearing systems, and present innovative options for hearing aid professionals when fitting hearing aids.
The lectures given on Wednesday will, for instance, be dealing with forward looking topics such as over-the-counter hearing aids and their impact on global hearing care, with multilingual speech tests, and with speech intelligibility. The industry update on Thursday will include reports on directional hearing, connectivity, and cognitive ability. Lectures on Friday will center around hyperacusis, tinnitus, and noise reduction. To supplement the lectures, there will be a number of tutorials, e.g. dealing with 
percentile analysis, cochlear implants, setting and verifying wireless remote microphone systems as well as other topics of interest to Hörakustikers, Audiologists, Otolaryngologists and others.
In 2017, the EUHA Sponsorship Award will be offered for the eighth time. As an association for all persons working in the hearing aid sector for the benefit of people with impaired hearing, The Europäische Union der Hörakustiker presents their sponsorship award for outstanding theses with special relevance to hearing aid acoustics. The organizers would like for all Hörakustikers, Audiologists, Otolaryngologists and others to be on the lookout for young talents that have written a Diploma, Bachelors, Masters thesis with high practical relevance and a forward-looking subject from the areas of audiology, hearing aid fitting, or with a focus on customer orientation. Their talents will be recognized at the 2017 EUHA Sponsorship Award ceremony held on October 18, 2017 as part of the opening ceremony of the 62nd Congress. While these awards must be accepted in person, the prizes monies are awarded as a lump-sum payment. The decision if a thesis submitted within the period stipulated meets the requirements of this award competition, the papers submitted are judged by panel convened by EUHA. Up to three theses may be awarded a prize of 3,000 euros for the first prize, 2,000 euros for the second prize, and 1,000 euros for the third prize.
The Venue: Nuremberg
This year EUHA will be conducted in Nuremberg, Germany; Bavaria’s second largest city. With a history that dates to the 11th century, Nuremberg is distinguished by medieval architecture such as the fortifications and stone towers of its Altstadt (Old Town). Nuremberg is most often linked to the 20th century
(specifically World War II). It first served as the site of many pre-war Nazi rallies, then was nearly leveled by Allied bombing, then was the site of the famous post-war Nuremberg Trials.
The city has much to offer today’s visitors, including the historic medieval Nuremberg Castle, which took 30 years to rebuild, is a monument to the middle ages and German kings of the Imperial period. Among other delights of Nuremberg is the world-famous gingerbread at Hauptmarkt. The Hauptmarkt (central square) contains the Schöner B
runnen, the gilded “beautiful fountain” with tiers of figures, and Frauenkirche, a 14th-century Gothic church. The fame and tradition of Nuremberg gingerbread is mainly due to this old city’s favorable position along the ancient trading and spice routes. The flourishing Zeidler guild, which ran a successful bee-keeping and bee-breeding business in the forests around Nuremberg, provided the bakers with direct access to the coveted honey. In those days, honey was the most important sweetener- East Indian colonial sugar was rare and expensive. Hansel and Gretel would have loved this place.
A Greeting from Martin Blecker, President of the EUHA Congress to the World…..
“The board and management of the EUHA look forward to meeting you in Nürnberg between 18 and 20 October 2017. For centuries, the city has relied on a tradition embracing crafts and up-to-
date exhibition facilities, which makes it an ideal convention venue that also has a lot more to offer, such as a tour of the historic center with its medieval buildings. Welcome to the 62nd International Congress of Hearing Aid Acousticians – continuing the tradition.”
In German his greeting is:
“Präsidium und Geschäftsführung der EUHA freuen sich, Sie vom 18. bis 20. Oktober 2017 in Nürnberg begrüßen zu dürfen! Die Stadt verbindet seit Jahrhunderten Handwerkstradition mit modernsten Ausstellungsflächen und ist damit ein idealer Kongressort, der auch zu einem Besuch der mittelalterlichen Altstadt einlädt. Herzlich willkommen zum 62. Internationalen Hörakustiker-Kongress – neu im Namen, bewährt in der Tradition.”
For a look at the program for this year’s meeting by clicking on the program to the right.
