hearing aids advice for elderly mum please

MinL paid a fortune for private hearing aids which were the same standard as those supplied by nhs. I would hate for you to spend out a considerable sum for little benefit so please do your research. My own ones are nhs - they do definitely help but everything sounds “tinny” and my hearing even wearing them is far from ideal. I have a significant hearing loss.

The NHS ones are excellent, as is the aftercare. Replacement batteries are provided, too. My family member, who uses them, can’t praise them, or the service, highly enough! We know people who’ve paid thousands for private aids, which proved to be ineffective.

My DH has NHS aids and finds them excellent.
Is your mum putting them in and setting them up correctly?
I know people who have had both private and NHS aids, They say NHS aids are excellent. That goes for follow up and problem solving.

Having paid 2,400 for 2 aids for my DH, I decided to try NHS for myself. Originally they helped a lot but at a recent appointment/check I complained that they were not working as well as previously. Consultant explained gently that the aids can only amplify what hearing you have and my 'hearing loss due to old age' will continue to deteriorate no matter which aids I have. She did however remove a quantity of wax from my right ear which has made a good difference for now.

I have used NHS hearing aids for the past nearly twenty years. Over that time, they have got smaller and smaller and more and efficient. I have seen some friends pay thousands of pounds for aids, which appear very little different from the ones I have. AND......as has been said, aftercare is excellent with free provision of batteries, etc.

I accept that my own hearing is getting worse and worse as I age, and that the aids can only work with what they have.

However, couple of things that any user can do to assist this.
Ensure that the little tube in the hearing aids are kept clear, they block up very easily which makes that aid to perform badly. Equally, check that your ears are not gunged up. Think we have to pay, these days, for having ears syringed, but worth the cost if it helps hearing.

All hearing aids are just that - aids, probably not going to give you back perfect hearing. Wonderful in my own home, or on a one-to-one, but I have always found difficulties with these in noisy places (ie: pubs, cafes, large meetings). Background muzak is a total nightmare for me. However, without these aids in my ears I would be much more isolated. Audiology seems to be one of the few NHS services which works in the way it is intended - free at the point of need/use.

Many thanks for your replies. The NHS ones have not worked for my mum and she has been for follow-ups, replacement batteries etc. (in fact they posted the latter to her during Covid).
As mentioned her hearing is poor even in a quiet flat with no background noise. She is not expecting perfect hearing but the level of hearing she has now is isolating.
I will have her check the tubes you mention as well as any potential build-up in her ears.

I have my ears microsuctioned once a year at the hospital, they have offered me twice a year but I can manage with one, which allows someone else to benefit, it’s much safer than syringing.
The nhs are bringing in improved models all the time and my dh is waiting to hear about the latest one, but yes they can only help with what residual hearing someone has. I would not waste so much money privately it’s doubtful they will make any difference.

thanks silverlining, I will get my mum to request microsuctioning at her audiology hospital, I hadn't heard of it

goodgrief I doubt if every audiology hospital does micro suctioning. Maybe if you google you will find somewhere close to your mother. Where I live the charge is around £65 for each ear. Good luck.

goodgrief, I'd suggest that she has vacuum wax removal first. My mother spent over £3000 on aids she 'just couldn't get used to' and lost, left in a taxi (hadn't put on her insurance either).

Next, she bought more, about £2500, and left them in a drawer most of the time. When she went into hospital, she was issued with NHS ones, declared 'The best I've ever had!'

I have used NHS aids for nearly ten years. It took less than 30 minutes for the hearing test and to tune the aids to match each ear.
I left, hearing things that i had not heard in ages; wet grass squelching under my feet; rain on an umbrella.
The latest digital ones seem to use a battery each week, but batteries and tubes are always easily available.
Nothing can completely replace a fully functioning ear, but aids are much much better than having impaired hearing.