Hearing aids

In what way are your hearing aids no use to you?
For many people, they don't wear their hearing aids because of irritation to the ear or because all of a sudden everything is too loud. You need to wear the hearing aids so your brain can acclimatize to what you are hearing. If it's too loud your brain will gradually learn to deal with the increased volume until you suddenly realise that you are comfortable with everything a couple of weeks down the line.
Most hearing aids now are digital and when you are set up with them, they are set to what the computer says. You need to go back with a list of everything you are having issues with. Too much background noise, not able to hear conversations, whatever your issues they need to be made known to your audiologist so they can adjust your hearing aids accordingly. It can take a couple of visits to get things right and yes you are right - hearing aids can only assist what you can hear. They are not the wonderful aid or cure that normal hearing people assume happens as soon as you put your hearing aids in. It is just ignorance on their part.
DH's DD realised this when she had ear problems for a few weeks and was unable to hear properly - she is much more appreciative of the issues that deaf people have now.

Some people have hearing loss in different registers. DH has an unusual hearing loss because of his job.

He opted for private ones as they can be tweeked to help his specific loss.

I have had NHS hearing aids for many years, they are an absolute lifeline. Yes, they took some getting used t. l had no idea how many sounds l couldn't hear - birds singing, rain on metal roof, certain people including a son. I wish l'd had them years ago, l suspect I've had hearing loss since measles in my childhood and it has deteriorated as time went in.

Hearing aids are not useless although it's true many people don't put enough effort into getting used to them and give up.
My hearing loss is unusual but my NHS aids are programmed to my needs.

Deafness is a major factor in loneliness and isolation in ol age and is linked to dementia. It's really really worth persevering. Go back to audiology for help.

Deafness runs in my family, I've had an aid for many years, you have to persevere.

Hearing loss is very under treated in the UK.
Please get a appointment to have your hearing reviewed .
New nhs aids are better but do persist.

I would confirm everything posters have said here. Without my NHS hearing Aids, my life would be very miserable and I would be isolated. Have had these for past twenty years and seen the enormous improvements in them and how the size has got smaller and smaller.

People seem to think that they will get their hearing aids, pop them into their ears and - magically - they will be transported back (hearingwise), to a time many years in the past. It is not like that - as with many other medical miracles, it is down to the wearer to some work with new aids.

Yes, it takes time for the brain to adjust to them, so they need to be worn for increasing amounts of time over, at least, a two week period. If they are not working for any reason,, then need to take them and wearer back to Audiologist for any adjustments.

My Aids, get popped into my ears when I get out of bed each morning, and are taking out when I go to bed at night. We are so fortunate in UK that audiology seems to be one of the few sections of our NHS which still works as it should and no cost to the patient for these wonderful little items.

I can never understand people who quite obviously have hearing loss, happily wear spectacles for their eyes, and refuse to have a hearing test.

Apart from time to get used to them they need the tiny filters replacing from time to time as they get bunged up with wax.

Yes there is quire a lot to the subject.
And if you have sudden loss in one ear see Dr asap or go to A/E as a course of steroids may help you recover your hearing.

Without his NHS hearing aids my husband hears nothing. We have a wonderful clinic locally with friendly and very caring staff. If there’s any problem with the aids he can be seen within a few days. He is given a box of replacement batteries when required. All free - so very grateful for this NHS service.

The OP has nailed it, we expect hearing aids to help us as much as glasses do - but they can't! All they can do is 'only amplify what hearing you have left'.
They are not perfect but they're all we've got.
We have to use out brain to deal with the problem but sadly some people just can't.

Abt 10 years ago I got NHS aids (free I think) that were useless. I can't remember why but even though I persevered I don't think they were very good. Six months ago I paid about £3k for up-to-date ones and they are superb - with one exception in that my ear canals are very narrow so they don't fit as snuggly as they should and can easily drop out. I am researching ways of keeping them safe, and have specific insurance cover for loss or damage. A few weeks after getting them I lost one. I could find it nowhere - until I was taking out the rubbish bins one morning and spotted it in my strawberry bed!!!

Yes you need to persevere for a couple of weeks, I can confirm that I had a lot of buzzing, sounds were strange to me, the volume needed adjusting a couple of times, but now they are fantastic. I don't wear them constantly at home, but make sure I keep my brain "topped up" to avoid reverting back to those first weeks.

The only other issue is that the audiologist tuned them in to my mobile phone. It makes using the phone a lot clearer but I found it a nuisance in that if the phone rang and I had left it in another room/handbag, my ears told me it was ringing but I had no idea where it was, so I switched that function off.

Persevere, and go back to your audiologist for advice if you are not 100% happy.

l am glad this subject has come up because l am fed up of my (very good ) opticien peddling their hearing loss service. My hearing was tested yearly because of my profession in the NHS so l know my hearing was normal until l was in my 40's then technology rendered this checking unnecessary. Fast forward to 68 and l am loosing some frequencies which is normal in old age. l went to my GP for a referral the day the first lock down came. However the hospital sent me a letter to down load a hearing test which gave a number which l relaid to the audiologist for assessment. Out come was l had a moderate loss and an appointment came much quicker than l expected. For reasons that are not relevant l cancelled and a year later l contacted the department and was seen in an outreach clinic in my GP surgery within 6 weeks and assessed. A month later my aids were fitted and l was amazed at the difference. l asked the audiologist fitting them would l get any further improvement by private ones. His opinion was for me, being a common cause,no. NHS aids are not cutting edge but are digital and not "second class" l know mine to buy are £1500 to £2k. To get a new supply of batteries l can either go to the Dr's surgery where a supply is kept or send the department at the local hospital a sae and they will send a 3mth supply of batteries and any other replacement paraphernalia. You are also asked to contact the department yearly in order to have your aids checked and serviced. l never expected for such a good service. l am the weak link in the process due to my disorganisation. My mother had a similar comprehensive service in her part of the country.
l find it frustrating that people sign post to private services when the NHS Assessment are comprehensive and are very good especially when the cause is unusual. My daughter in law's mother has her hearing aids in her glasses because she dislikes ear aids. So l would have no problem for paying for that or the "invisible" dot type. l have to pay £400 + for my lenses in my glasses before l start with any coatings or the frames so l am grateful for these at least.

In 2018, I paid £2000 to get hearing aids with rechargeable batteries. The batteries stopped recharging after about 18 months, so I've been using the little disposable ones ever since.
My hearing loss is from the upper register (very common with age, I'm told) and I mainly use the aids for listening to radio, also tv if no subtitles are available.
My question is, should I get some new more modern hearing aids? Are the NHS aids as good as people are telling me? Is it difficult using the features connected to a mobile phone?

My daughter in law is stone deaf without hers,…so they can work ..

Just reading other answers l can link my aids to my iphone, loops etc. Also it will will locate my aids if l cannot find them as well as changing loudness and other settings.

At 80 I have used hearing aids for around 15 years. At first I had neat small ones from NHS then replaced by massive, for my very small ear canals, aids that just have got worse at each replacement. Told this is what NHS allow now so take them or leave them! Sadly had to take them. Due to the discomfort of these heavier aids I do not use them when at home as can turn radio up a bit without annoying the neighbours due to lounge on outside end wall. Wearing them when with family & friends they do not help me hear that much better they

Thumbs again! Aids just pick up some sounds but not others. Apparently because they are NHS & therefore cheap I am told! When I am reincarnated I come back with enough money to buy top of the range 😂

Hearing aids, dentures, prostetic devices of any kind take gettin used to. If you don't wear them, you will not get used to them.

If they really do no good, get back to the clinic and state your trouble politely.

Or give up and resign yourself to a silent world.

It is entirely up to you, but these are your options.

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Goodness! So many negative waves here!!

You have to have patience to get used to Hearing Aids. Just like a new pair of shoes.

I lost a chunk of my hearing after contracting Viral Meningitis when I was was in my late 30's. I paid £3,000 privately for Aids and 60p each for batteries which lasted for (c) 9-11 days x 2. They were Aids that were very solid and moulded to fit your ear and didn't feel particularly safe to me. I was always aware of them and because there was no way for air to enter the build up of wax was massive. I went go the Treatment Room at my Health Centre twice a year for syringing. The NHS no longer provide this service.

Go on 12-years and I was relating this to a girlfriend when out at lunch. She suggested that I ask my Dr about NHS ones 'like hers' as they were superior to the ones she'd worn for yonks beforehand. I'd known her over a decade and I didn't even know she wore Aids!!

Hers went over the ear with a slim silicone lightweight ear insert. Like me she has long blonde hair and so her Aids had never shown.

So I saw my Doc and within days I had an appointment with the hospital Audiology Dept. Two weeks later I was back to have my new Aids tuned and fitted.

They are absolutely fantastic and far superior to the Siemens that I'd bought privately. In 10-years I've not had a single problem with them. And I'm saving (c) £50pa on batteries as they are supplied f.o.c.

But you have to persevere to get used to the noise of daily life. Not doing so is just downright silly and makes everything so much more difficult - not just for you but to everyone you encounter every day.

Positive waves!
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My question is, should I get some new more modern hearing aids? Are the NHS aids as good as people are telling me? Is it difficult using the features connected to a mobile phone?

Romola I had NHS aids to start with, then the audiologist at Scrivens told me about their offer where you can have private aids on a 60 day, money back, guarantee.
So because my husband and several friends had these all-singing, all-dancing aids I thought I'd try them.
Like you I only have hearing loss in the upper register.

Personally, I didn't like things like phone calls, and listening to the radio through my phone (which I do a lot), coming straight into my ear. I found it annoying and quite claustrophobic.
The audiologist deleted this function from the app for me, plus one or two others (forget which), and after all that I decided I was paying an awful lot of money for nothing better than my NHS ones offered.
I cancelled my contract and gave the private aids back.

My NHS aids have an app on my phone where I can adjust the settings of the three registers individually, and save different settings as favourites.
I can put them in, tweak the settings, and forget about them.
All the maintenance, batteries , ear cushions, tubes and appointments are free.
I'm perfectly happy with them.

They do take some getting use to, for me everything sounded so natural? But I persevered as I couldn’t afford to have the expensive private ones. I absolutely love them now and I know people are very grateful that they don’t have to repeat and elevate their voices do I can hear. I agree with OldFrill

I had a throat issue, and part of the testing/checking, they also checked my hearing. I had/and still don't have any functional issues BUT when it was suggested that I did actually have slightly diminished hearing, I was amazed at simple things like birdsong and electric cars.
The audiologists told me that if you do not use them, your brain will switch off a little, and it will take some time to get that hearing back, so new users will gradually regain some that they have lost over time, but she also warned that the older you are/ the longer you ignore it, the less chance of recovery.
And yes dementia is a risk

Ramola, can't you get the rechargeable batteries replaced?
Have you asked?