Hearing aids

SillyNanny321

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 😂

I can assure you the digital NHS hearing aid are the best, I have spent thousands on private aid and nothing has come near these latest NHS digital ones I have now, make sure you get the right aids for your need, do not be vain and decline moulds, if you need moulds due to your hearing loss have them, I love mine.

I have had different types of hearing loss for most of my life. I have had two aids for a number of years and would not be without them. I was recently unable to wear them because I had infections and I (and everyone else!) really noticed. I am now able to wear them again and the difference is phenomenal. Between the infections and straining to hear and lip read I was permanently exhausted. I feel so much better. Yes, they are not perfect and I could really do with new ones as the right aid is not really strong enough and the left one emits some ear splitting squeaks and squawks at all the most inconvenient moments but, as a professional musician, they help me survive.

Oh, and I have moulds. They are brilliant.

Can I ask if anyone has noticed hearing aids helping with tinnitus?

I think the nhs is wonderful. If I lose my hearing aid it’s £47.50 to replace. The batteries are free and I can hear birdsong. There are other extraneous noises I could do without ,DH peeing early morning full stream and this evening crunching a ginger biscuit. His mother must never have told him they were for dipping in tea.

Outcast52

Can I ask if anyone has noticed hearing aids helping with tinnitus?

You do not hear the tinnitus when you have your aids in, at least I don't and friends say the same. I hear mine at night, as I obviously do not wear my aids at night

I have NHS hearing aids. In Kent we collect our free batteries from Hi Kent a charity, battery collection is done by volunteers and you can attend social events as well. A really good service.
The aids can help with tinnitus.

SillyNanny321

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 😂

NHS hearing aids are computer programmed by profession audiologists to amplify the sounds you personally are not hearing properly, reduce background noise/interference, they are blue tooth connected so the wearer can hear phone calls, TV etc straight to their aids. They can also be programmed for different environments, I have home, pub and hard acoustic areas. If you want it you can have an app that means you can do some simply adaptations yourself.
Whoever you're listening to are spewing out totally incorrect information.

Outcast52

Can I ask if anyone has noticed hearing aids helping with tinnitus?

Not in my case, but my tinnitus doesn't bother me. It does reduce if l eat less sugar.

Since 2018, I have had two pairs of NHS supplied hearing aids. They are mini RITE style and from day one I had no difficulty at all so much so that I cannot feel them in my ears and have been known to go to bed wearing them. However, at my last appointment I was warned that these would no longer be supplied by the NHS owing to cost issues. I tried out some receiver behind the ear aids and there is no way I would change to these which means inevitably I will have to pay privately. I suspect that people who struggle to acclimatise to hearing aids are being fitted with the bulky receiver behind the ear style. I am upset that I will be denied the aids that work best for me especially as my hearing loss is not self-inflicted unlike other conditions which the NHS spends millions on treating. I am intending to complain but doubt that I will get anywhere.

I have brilliant hearing aids - NHS. The new ones have every tweak in the book and spending money on them is not necessary.

When you get them put them in, leave them in and take them out when you go to bed. Things will sound strange to start with - paper rustling, cutlery in a drawer etc. But within 48 hours it will be fine. All this tinkering about, taking them in and out achieves nothing.

Just bung 'em in!

I was told by an audiologist that if your hearing is failing and you don't wear aids, the brain will forget the sounds you currently can't hear. If you persevere with aids you will retain the ability to hear certain sounds when amplified - otherwise the ability to hear those pitches or sounds will be lost to you forever.

NHS hearing aids are computer programmed by profession audiologists to amplify the sounds you personally are not hearing properly, reduce background noise/interference, they are blue tooth connected so the wearer can hear phone calls, TV etc straight to their aids. They can also be programmed for different environments, I have home, pub and hard acoustic areas. If you want it you can have an app that means you can do some simply adaptations yourself.

My NHS aids do all of this apart from the phone and TV going straight into my ears.
My private aids did and I didn't like it, that's why I went back to the NHS ones.
I have the Ambio 77 danalogic aids.
They are Bluetooth connected to the BeMore app on my phone and I can adjust the pitch and volume settings via that.

V3ra

^NHS hearing aids are computer programmed by profession audiologists to amplify the sounds you personally are not hearing properly, reduce background noise/interference, they are blue tooth connected so the wearer can hear phone calls, TV etc straight to their aids. They can also be programmed for different environments, I have home, pub and hard acoustic areas. If you want it you can have an app that means you can do some simply adaptations yourself.^

My NHS aids do all of this apart from the phone and TV going straight into my ears.
My private aids did and I didn't like it, that's why I went back to the NHS ones.
I have the Ambio 77 danalogic aids.
They are Bluetooth connected to the BeMore app on my phone and I can adjust the pitch and volume settings via that.

Any aids that are Bluetooth enabled will work with other Bluetooth enabled devices, phone, TV etc. But you don't have to use that connection if you'd rather not.
My only criticism is they aren't rechargeable but l think some health authorities are supplying rechargeable aids.

OldFrill thank you for your interesting reply. I wonder if the audiologist disabled that feature for me as I'd said I didn't like it? I'll ask next time I go.

I was offered rechargeable aids but actually prefer replaceable batteries so that I’m not tied down to nightly charging. I always carry batteries and wax filters with me and they are easy to replace on the go.

Musicgirl, are yours NHS?

Yes they are. I am very grateful for them as they would cost £££ privately. To be honest, I get annoyed with people like the OP who have expensive hearing aids free from the NHS and don't wear them. They could be of benefit to others. Also, if we have new hearing aids, we can take back our old ones as they can be used for someone else - very often they are sent abroad to African countries to help people there in the same way that old pairs of glasses are reused there. We are so very fortunate here, aren't we?

Musicgirl

Yes they are. I am very grateful for them as they would cost £££ privately. To be honest, I get annoyed with people like the OP who have expensive hearing aids free from the NHS and don't wear them. They could be of benefit to others. Also, if we have new hearing aids, we can take back our old ones as they can be used for someone else - very often they are sent abroad to African countries to help people there in the same way that old pairs of glasses are reused there. We are so very fortunate here, aren't we?

Indeed we are; I could hardly believe that the expensive computer programmed aids, the consultations, even the batteries, are completely free. How many could afford private aids, and the ongoing costs of servicing and batteries?

Indeed so - why people fork out a fortune for private ones I do not know!

V3ra

OldFrill thank you for your interesting reply. I wonder if the audiologist disabled that feature for me as I'd said I didn't like it? I'll ask next time I go.

Yes, l suspect the audiologist disabled the feature. Sometimes it's just as well to keep it simple.

I have had nhs hearing aids fir nearly two years and while they're not a panacea they do help
One thing I don't think has been mentioned is that wearing aids helps prevent further hearing loss and also yes definitely helps with my tinnitus

Yes, loopyloo, I did ask, but was told the opticians (Leightons) weren't doing rechargeable any more. Seems I was sold a duff product.
V3ra, thank you for your info about NHS aids. That looks like the way to go.

I need hearing aids only when trying to talk with other voices or noises around me. I don’t need them when home alone. This is exactly when they don’t help, because they’re amplifying the surrounding sounds so I can’t hear the person next to me.
Why can’t they just work within a few feet of my ears?

@watermeadow this is why your aids are not working for you. You need to practise wearing them even when you are on your own - when watching the television or listening to the radio is a good way to start. The reason they are amplifying other sounds when when you are talking to others is that you have not heard these sounds for a very long time and, because your brain has adjusted to this, they are much more noticeable at the moment. As you get used to them, they fade into the background more. Amplifying background noises is a problem but the benefits of being able to hear your friends and family again far outweigh this. You then notice other, enjoyable sounds that you haven't heard for a long time. I was out walking the dog this morning and I could hear birds singing, which I can't without my aids. Similarly, I can now hear a clock ticking and l am like a five year old in the Autumn when the dry leaves are on the ground and I stamp on them because, until I had my hearing aids, I didn't know they made a noise. Perseverance is key.