Coping with deafness

Yes we have a Sony Soundbase (similar to a soundbar, but the TV sits on top of it and the bass woofers are built in) The sound quality is so much better and clearer. Occasionally it doesn't turn on automatically with the TV and I notice the difference immediately.
The Sony one we have has settings specifically for speech. Some TV drams are bad if you are slightly deaf as the music confuses the dialog. We often have to put the subtitles on, Ripper street was one.

Does anyone on GN with mild hearing problems have any experience of using a soundbar with the TV? Although I have absolutely no problem with hearing news programmes completely clearly, I do have difficulty hearing all the dialogue in some plays and series, particularly when they are using either regional or American accents or speak very fast. We were thinking of investing in a soundbar but all the emphasis with them seems to be on the musical surround sound.

Nanna58 I have exactly the same problem during mealtimes and my OH always wonders why I take so long to reply. I find talking to myself is easier than trying to hold a conversation.

Someone has to explain to your husband that this is exactly what his brain needs to do- to get used to them and adjust.

Generally speaking, the sooner after having hearing problems you get suitable hearing aids, the better- and the younger too- so the brain does adapt well. Once someone is very death, it is much much harder and the older, the less the brain is able to adapt.

Friends tell me that if you only wear a hearing aid occasionally it does feel very odd. You really need to wear them all of the time so that your brain can adjust to it. I think that the longer he puts this off the more difficult it will be.
Could you enlist the help of a friend/relative - maybe get them to comment on the fact that he doesn`t seem to be hearing so well - or on how loud the tv is! Then maybe he will realise that he really does have a problem. If you could find someone who is already using a hearing aid successful perhaps they could give him some encouragement.
It must be very frustrating for you - and also pretty miserable not being able to have a conversation with him

My husband is getting very deaf, two hearing aids but they don't seem to help much. Impossible to chat over lunch or dinner, if I say something, with a hearing person there is a chance to eat whilst they respond. With my OH I say something, take a bite, and he says "pardon" leaving me bolting my mouthful to repeat myself!

I have apparently had hearing problems for years as a result of working in a noisy environment when I was young. I bit the bullet and went to my doctor at the age of 55 expecting to be told that I was wasting their time and instead discovered the truth. I was prescribed a hearing aid. The testing was very efficient and I ended up with a very discreet hearing aid that I have loved from the first time they put it in. It was quite scary at first as my brain wasn't used to the volume but it soon adapted and I love it to bits. It doesn't crackle, distort or cause me any problems whatsoever. I have recently had my hair cut very short showing my ears and still no-one seems to notice that I have one. However I am quite happy to tell the world that I wear one in the hope of removing the secrecy and embarrassment that a lot of people seem to feel.

I had new NHS digital aids very recently and very pleased with them, no crackles, very clear and several settings for different situations. I don;t know how they do it, but in noisy situations, pubs etc, they seem to learn what the background noise is over a few minutes and filter it out.

My OH has bad tinnitus, which also comes under the heading of deafness and he wears two hearing aids provided by the NHS. They were okay for a few years but when he had them updated about three years ago, the new ones were not sufficient and although he went back and had a check they told him there was nothing wrong! Now though, he often hears 'what he thinks people say' and we have a hard time with sorting out lots of misunderstandings, particularly as he is a member of a committee of a club. Other people who don't have, or know anyone with hearing problems, are very harsh and non-understanding about the problems it causes. I wish I had an answer but I don't. My Mum went private with her hearing aids and although they cost £1,000+, didn't seem to be any better.

Another time bomb in life as it seems that more young and middle aged people are hitting the 'hard of hearing' problem, or tinnitus, earlier than ever.

An aunt of mine, when alive, used to keep her expensive hearing aids in a drawer and used to lose her temper when she could not follow a conversation that eg I and one of her friends may be having, accusing us of deliberately whispering to cut her out. Very difficult.

Hate to say it but NHS aids are pretty basic. Mine crackled a lot. If he can afford to go upmarket he will notice a difference. The vanity thing took a bit of getting over too. If you can get him to look up brain/hearing loss on the internet he will see that parts of his brain are shutting down because of lack of auditory stimulation. So he really does need to get as much sound in there as possible. He might accept the authority of the Internet!

Yes, I should go back to my GP.

I'm now deaf in my left ear and had a grommet put in in July...hearing test last month, no improvement. I just got an ENT appt for March! Meanwhile my ear feels as bunged up as before and hurts every time I burp.
I did hope this op would sort it out. I had great difficulty hearing when supporting a relative in court a few months ago and really realised I was having problems....now I am being told that I have the TV on too loud.
At least I know it's me!

I`m afraid I don`t have any answers other than perhaps ask his GP to enquire how he is getting on with the hearing aids.
My mother was just like this and it drove me mad! We went to a Pam Ayres show with her once and she insisted that there must have been something wrong with the microphone! The sad thing is that in the end it did make her very isolated because she missed out on what was being said at family gatherings etc - but would not admit it; and it became impossible to talk to her on the telephone.