Can these Hearing Aids be any good?

NotTooOld

My only disappointment is that the NHS aids come in only one colour- grey - and I would have liked silver.

My mums are NHS and they are champagne colour

Nonogran

See yr GP for audiology appointment. Whatever the wait, you’ll get there eventually & in reality might be quicker than you assume.
Meanwhile waste money on newspaper ad ones.
NHS is the route to go & it’s free.
Use sub titles for the telly.

Its an 8 month wait in NE where me Mum is....all things considered, I don't think that's too bad

My only disappointment is that the NHS aids come in only one colour- grey - and I would have liked silver.

We paid a £1,000 each for DH's hearing aids and then £££ for the batteries every couple of months. This was via a private Audiologist who was recommended via our optician. When he lost one, he had to wait a month for a replacement to arrive from Germany and even longer for our insurance to pay the £1000+ fee. When he was in hospital on end of life care, his aids 'disappeared' along with his teeth! We were told that if he had NHS aids they could have been replaced in a day as his prescription would have been in their records.

This was why I opted for NHS aids, which sit unseen under my 'long bob'. When I lost one (during lockdown whilst wearing glasses, mask and aid - always difficult) I had a free replacement within the week. I can collect batteries free from the library, or attend the weekly, volunteer run clinic for help with new (free) tubes etc. I would advise anyone to go the NHS route for great friendly service.

I also have NHS hearing aids, as others have said they are really good now and can't be seen. The waiting lists vary I waited about 8 months.

When you get new hearing aids, it can take your brain a good few days - upto a fortnight to adjust to them. Far too many people get these, put them in, and find it difficult and then decide that 'these are not for them'. THis is very silly and short sighted.

If you have not had any of hearing aid previously, then start off with just having it in for a couple of hours at the most on the first two or three days, slowly lengthening this period they are worn.

Even when existing aids are adjusted - it can take two or three days for your brain to catch up - so things like ticking clocks, footsteps, etc suddenly sound very loud. But within a very short time this will cease.

I have needed to wear aids for hearing for about twenty years now. ALways NHS ones, and I am so very appreciative of this wnderful audiology service, which is still part of the NHS which operates in the way it should - totally free at the point of use. I have seen these aids get smaller and smaller and at the same time more and more effective.

My recent regular check-up showed further loss of clarity and all the technician needed to do was to re-progamme my existing aids which took just a few minutes. Wonderful.

*from

I have NHS hearing aids. They are fantastic and even have Bluetooth. They are certainly not visible unless someone is looking for them. In any case, I have no problem with people knowing l wear them - after all, how different is it fr wearing glasses?

So pleased to read all these positive reviews of NHS hearing aids. I paid a lot of money for private ones from Specsavers earlier this year but could not get on with them and returned them. Since then I have done without but lately I realised I do need some and decided to go the NHS route.

I phoned the hearing aid centre (no GP referral required) on a Monday and got an appointment for Wednesday of the same week. The test was very thorough, it took 45 minutes, and the audiologist was lovely. My NHS hearing aids arrive next week, so the whole thing has taken less than three weeks from start to finish.

NHS for me and DH-absolutely brilliant!

Thank you so much everyone, I have 40% hearing loss so will have a think as to which route to take, it helps to learn of the experience of others.

I think it would very much depend upon your hearing loss, not just volume but time too. An audiologist is really crucial for some people to make adjustments to help you get the most out of your hearing aids and most comfortable (fit and sound) for success wearing them.

I have both nhs and spec savers (private) hearing aids. The nhs I use if I’m scared of possibly losing / damaging my spec savers (while doing certain activities)

However, I do think having success with hearing aids also has a lot to do with your commitment to making them work. Get through the sometimes painful period if getting used to fit and increased sounds (running water, wind, crumpling paper etc). I think If you’re determined to be successful wearing these diy type, then in all likelihood you’ll be successful with them.

Specsavers in certain areas can provide NHS aids. You would need to check with your Health Authority. My Authority doesn’t subscribe to that scheme so I had to join a waiting list. I think it was a 16wk wait before an appointment for hearing test and then a further 3wks waiting for the actual aids. I’ve had them a year now. They are very unobtrusive and I forget I’m wearing them even though my ear canals are very sensitive.

I think it’s different for everyone. I started off with NHS hearing aids. The care was excellent and I felt I was in safe hands. Unfortunately for me they didn’t help that much so after repeated return visits I went to Boots for a free test and consultation. The audiologist explained why the aids weren’t helping and gave me time to think about getting private ones. The difference was marked and I’ve been very happy with them. Of course my bank balance was less than happy but I paid monthly with interest free credit.

See yr GP for audiology appointment. Whatever the wait, you’ll get there eventually & in reality might be quicker than you assume.
Meanwhile waste money on newspaper ad ones.
NHS is the route to go & it’s free.
Use sub titles for the telly.

My hearing aids are NHS. When I tell people that I have hearing aids they are always surprised because they have never noticed that I wear them. So no need to worry about NHS aids being large. Mine are exactly the same as those of a friend and she paid £5,000 for hers. I've had private aids in the past but they were not as good as my five year old NHS ones.

The OP seems to have some strange ideas about nhs hearing aids. They are virtually invisible, so no idea what they mean by their last comment.

If they have not yet had a proper hearing test, how do they even really know if they need any such aids at all?

Hearing Aids are extremely individual. Could never use anyone elses. They are programmed and tuned exactly to my hearing in each ear. Most definitely would not risk something that is generic.

Yes the modern NHS type are almost invisible.

Nanoo15

Thank you for your comments. I have always got on well with cheaper reading glasses and rather hoping the same principle might apply to hearing aids. I know NHS ones are said to be good but there is quite a long waiting list at the moment and I really would like some that are less visible.

I think my Specsavers hearing aids aren't very visible, they just sit behind my ear with a thin tube into my ear, and that's it.

I have my hearing aids on the NHS and they're from Specsavers. The first time I went home with them in I couldn't work out what this very loud noise was in my lounge and it turned out to be the clock ticking! I'd never heard that before I had the hearing aids; it was so loud I had to put it in a different room as it interfered with me hearing the TV.
I've had no problems with my aids, I get the batteries free and every 6 months or so the tubes are replaced free of charge. If you can get them on the NHS I would go down that route; if it doesn't work out for some reason then try something else, but do try the free route first.

Thank you for your comments. I have always got on well with cheaper reading glasses and rather hoping the same principle might apply to hearing aids. I know NHS ones are said to be good but there is quite a long waiting list at the moment and I really would like some that are less visible.

That sounds a bit on a par with DIY false teeth - not something I'd be tempted to try.

Yes I would be interested to know that as well

Why not save your money and go NHS? DH finds them very successful!