Hearing Aids

Another problem you'll find CountessFrosco is the complete lack of soft furnishings in lots of restaurants, coffee shops, etc. & this makes hearing so much worse when you're wearing aids because there's nothing to absorb the sound so everything echoes, which in turn, makes for a tinny reception. You also have to see people's lips even if you don't lip read. Covid was dreadful with everyone behind masks - it's purely psychological. There are so many new things to get used to.

grammargran Those soft masks were terrible. Everyone reads lips to an extent & those of us who don't hear well rely on it. Fortunately in my village there are many of us who aren't so young, & nearly all the shops switched to transparent visors within a couple of weeks.

Polly7
Free on NHS. They are miniRITE (receiver in the ear) which gives a better sound experience. The part behind the ear is pretty small and discreet to the extent that people are often surprised that I have hearing aids. They don’t interfere with specs like some of the larger ones do. I put them in first thing and keep them in until bedtime and can honestly say I’m not even aware of them except for the improvement to my hearing! I have an active lifestyle and they certainly do not interfere with yoga, mPilates or pump classes. I only remove them for swimming!!
Sadly, I have heard of many people having an unsatisfactory NHS experience perhaps because they don’t realise how it should be.
Unfortunately if hearing loss is not properly addressed it can affect you mentally because fundamentally you hear with your brain.

I must have been lucky my rechargeable ones were fine from day one. Slight irritation in one ear but that's all. I can make an appointment to have them adjusted whenever necessary.

loopyloo

Nhs ones? Can you link them to your phone? Sometimes you can adjust themselves.
Also on the aids you can sometimes press button and adjust the volume.
Yes it can take a while to get used to them . All best wishes.

Personally I think that is normal. I had to have mine adjusted several times before I got them as good as it gets. If you have the digital ones, you can adjust certain things yourself both on the aid themselves and on the app on your phone. but the basic settings, need to be as good as you can get them. It depends on what type of hearing loss you have and if your cochlear is damaged. Min e is badly and I only have 5-6 letters I can decipher clearly the rest could be anything. As you will understand aids cannot correct that only make it better. I can't do men's voices at all, so rely on a one to one for that which makes it much clearer. The volume is different you can adjust that yourself and yes it does take time to get used to all these noises you have not heard for years. Please don't turn down too much as your brain needs to get used to the volume you really need to hear clearly. Your brain gets used to it eventually and adapts and your hearing aids have a memory in them so the stay at that volume unless you adjust it manually. Good luck, I love mine, but it has taken quite some time to get to here.

cookiemonster66

I was born deaf, so have worn nhs hearing aids for decades, I can't stand wearing them, my ears sweat, i get sore where the tube goes over my and behind my ear, and i love the silence when i do not wear them, so i only ever put them on if someone is in the house with me to save them the frustration of communicating with a deaf person. so my advice only wear them when you need to!

That is so against all advice because the brain never gets used to the sounds. They recommend you start a few hours a day for a week, them wear them all day long. No wonder you don't like them, you never give your brain a chance. Use some vaseline where they hurt and you will not feel that any longer.I have the same problem and use either vaseline of some other form of lubrication.

With hearing loss our brain has got out of the habit of filtering out background sounds. It takes a while to get your brain to function properly again with hearing aids.

Do persevere though because deafness is a major contributing factor to dementia in old age.

It took me a while but now I love mine. I only have basic NHS battery aids but have asked for an upgrade and after waiting 6 months I have an appointment for new ones. I'll have Bluetooth and all the bells and whistles 🤣

DM has had hearing aids for about 2 months. She has had to go back a couple of times to have adjustments made - we have been quite amazed by the sophistication of the technology used to set them and the range of adjustments that are possible.
She has found certain sounds quite startling, simply because she’s not been hearing them properly for such a long time. She thought her washing machine was broken because it seemed to be making so much noise - she had previously thought it was very quiet (it wasn’t!).
She is finding some local irritation, but generally enjoying the experience of being able to better hear what people say to her, and hear the speakers at WI meetings.

I had to pay £3k for mine (nobody mentioned NHS ones) and whilst the improvement is great I have four issues. One is that I have tiny ear canals and they (the aids) are always dropping out. I thought I had lost one for ever till I found it in a strawberry pot in the garden - unscathed. The second is that pairing them with my phone is hopeless to me cos if I put my phone down in another room/leave it in the car or handbag, I can't hear a thing. The third is that I really don't know how to use half the features as despite my best efforts I am hopeless with reading foreign instruction manuals translated into English - and I don't "do" modern diagrams. And finally, the improved hearing means I can hear DH scraping his feet along the kitchen floor cos he can't (or won't?) pick them up - it is like torture to me.

But yes, you do need to persevere with them until your brain learns to process the "new" sounds, or you are wasting your time (and in my case, money).

Oh, and make sure they are insured against loss or damage. More cost!

I don’t understand why you can’t hear anything if your phone isn’t with you, Madmeg. My aids are paired as well & I can hear all the time. The downside with having your phone as the remote control for your “ears” is that people think you are more interested in your phone than you should be at inappropriate times when, in fact, all you are doing is adjusting the volume!

I have just had a (free) hearing test with a a reputable private company as the chances of new NHS aids are far away on a long waiting list and my hearing is deteriorating rapidly. However, I was shocked at just how bad hearing is, even though I have been deaf for most of my life. Apparently, part of the problem is that I have a conductive loss, which I knew, as well as a sensorineural loss and it has not been treated properly. He also thinks l have signs of otosclerosis as well as everything else. However, trying out the new aids and the possibilities they afford, especially for music, was amazing. If I go down this route, l would have six monthly hearing tests, as opposedo three yeaŕly tests on the NHS. I have been exhausted for quite a while over the past few months as I have had ear infections but also the sheer effort of concentrating on listening and relying lipreading. I am looking forward to more energy as my brain won't have to work as hard to decipher what is being said. Now to find the £££s...

Madmeg the audiologist pairs my hearing aids for me. He also changes the filters every three months if I pop the aids into Specsavers. I call back in around half an hour and they are done.

I purchased private, rechargeable hearing aids nearly a year ago, from Amplifon. I have had hearing loss all my life, but it has got worse as a I have got older (78 now). M hearing loss is moderate to profound at different registers - typical ski slope pattern. It has made such an amazing difference, I can hear bird song, the door bell, and countless other sounds denied me before.
I put them in first thing in the morning and take them out at bedtime, and was advised to wear them constantly from day one, which I did.
To begin with, sounds were quite annoying! Paper rustling, crockery rattling etc., but our brain adjusts so that they become a normal part of your life, and I wouldn’t be without them now.
They were expensive, but are really small and unobtrusive, and I got a discount which I think most private Audiologists offer.
Perseverance is the key, only took me about a week to get used to them.

They do irritate ears, something I swear by in summer is earcalm it's a vinegar spray. Vaseline is good all year round but Earcalm does soothe my itchy, sweaty ears in summer.
You have to use the mister from the chemist, don't just use vinegar- it won't do aids or ears any good.

I have a question .... If you go for a hearing test at Specsavers say, if you are found to have a problem, what happens then ? Do you have to refer yourself to an audiology dept, or do you try to get an appt with your GP?Sorry if I'm being stupid, I just didn't know how it worked !

Specsavers will give you a choice of NHS hearing aid or pay for them at varying levels of expense. You have to wait a few days before they’re ready, but that’s all.
You’re supposed to keep a diary of differences that you notice, or problems you . Then you get a call back to check if everything’s OK.

rocketstop I have my glasses and private hearing aids from Specsavers.
When having an eye test recently glaucoma was picked up. Specsavers immediately made me a referral to the eye clinic at the main hospital.
I have not needed anything similar regarding my ears, but I think Specsavers would refer me to the hospital audiology department if necessary.

rocketstop

I have a question .... If you go for a hearing test at Specsavers say, if you are found to have a problem, what happens then ? Do you have to refer yourself to an audiology dept, or do you try to get an appt with your GP?Sorry if I'm being stupid, I just didn't know how it worked !

Specsavers don't do NHS everywhere. Here you need to go to audiology.
I had a hearing test at boots. I didn't want to spend on private aids if NHS were good enough.
My NHS ones are fine and I have an appointment for an upgrade next week

Thanks for your answers !

So glad to hear I am not the only one whose expectations of expensive aids has not been met. Just got the app on my phone so trying to work that out. It’s the background noise in cafes that really gets me. And TV - still need subtitles but they don’t seem to be on catchup ?

grannymo123

So glad to hear I am not the only one whose expectations of expensive aids has not been met. Just got the app on my phone so trying to work that out. It’s the background noise in cafes that really gets me. And TV - still need subtitles but they don’t seem to be on catchup ?

I had this problem for a long time until I was shown what to do on YouTube and worked it out on other channels. Basically, there is a speech bubble icon that you switch on with your remote control. For BBC iPlayer it is at the bottom of the screen. Google is very helpful here.

I recently read that hearing aids cannot replace your lost hearing, they only amplify whatever hearing you have left. This makes sense and explains why my aids are useless.
I can hear the traffic, the fridge, the kettle, I can’t hear a conversation in a busy venue.

watermeadow

I recently read that hearing aids cannot replace your lost hearing, they only amplify whatever hearing you have left. This makes sense and explains why my aids are useless.
I can hear the traffic, the fridge, the kettle, I can’t hear a conversation in a busy venue.

Some hearing aids do much more than that. Mine were expensive but they have several different "modes" which they automatically switch to according to what sort of environment I am in. They also adjust volume automatically . Don't ask me how - they have some sort of magical chip in them.
I put them in when I get up, don't touch them all day, and take them out when I go to bed. I got them 2 months ago and adapted to them quickly but I am getting lots of support from the private audiologist who makes small adjustments each time I see her to give my brain chance to adapt.

eddiecat. Your hearing aids sound amazing. Are they private ones ? if so would you mind saying where from.

Hearing aids like glasses are prescribed for the individual - and yes they do take some getting used to. I've worn hearing aids virtually all my life and even new hearing aids take a bit of getting used to.
If you are having issues then write down all your problems and then ask for an appointment so that a technician can adjust your hearing aids. They are miniature computers in your ears so a lot of adjustments can be made personally for you. Too loud for one thing but can't hear for something else? Too tinny, too bass, even too quiet? I always have the issue that the technicians will set my hearing aids to the prescribed level at which I cannot hear anything as it is too quiet. They say if I have it too loud then I will damage my hearing - erm!! my hearing is buggered anyway so at least let me hear life at a volume I can hear!! So now when hearing aids are updated I ask that the previous settings are put into my new aids as otherwise I'm just wasting their time and mine.
Don't be afraid to keep going back to have tweaks done - you have to live with the hearing aids and they are there to improve what hearing you have and are not a cure all as many people seem to think.