Do you/ your DH/P have hearing aids for Age Related Hearing Loss? Share your experiences – you could win a £250 voucher NOW CLOSED

I don't suffer hearing loss at the moment but my mum does, she initially opted for hearing aids from a company that came to the house, this was v expensive and sadly she wore the resulting hi tech hearing aids rarely and now refuses to wear them at all and the company keep ringing to make further appointments despite being told she's not interested grrr! Wish she d gone to SpecSavers!

Neither myself or my other half have hearing aids. He recently had a hearing test at work, he is 63 and was told his hearing in his left ear had deteriorated drastically and given a letter for his doctor. Needless to say he hasn't taken it to the GP. We miss-hear people talking and if we are anywhere with background noise conversation is useless. For years I have been able to hear people better if I can see their face so I guess I lip read to a degree. I also hear less if I do not have my glasses on, which confirms that. We both feel that to have hearing aids is the beginning of the end and are refusing to admit we need help. I'm sure this attitude will change as we begin to realise that we really need them. Interestingly, OH sister has one in one ear which she has to take out for the phone and a friend of mine has recently started wearing them and like many on here found them marvellous.

Helmacd, you`re not alone! A couple of years back, my daughter and I heard beeping from the walk in cupboard under the stairs. As the electric meter and fuse box are in there, I had a look and listen. The beeping was coming from around there, so after checking with hubby at work, I rang the electricity board, who sent a couple of very nice men around to investigate. After about 10 minutes in the cupboard, one of them emerged carrying a brown paper package, saying that it was the source of the beeps. Inside was a toy car of grandson`s that ran around the outside of a tin can, and it had accidentally got turned on. Was my face red!

I have hearing aids from Specsavers. If you go to GP and get your ears cleared out if necessary he can then refer you to Specsavers or wherever and you can get the aids free on NHS if you have hearing loss - and they send you free giant packs of batteries now and again.

I did something about it as i was constantly saying "What?" and making people repeat things several times. I was not at all looking forward to having something stuck in my ear but as aids free why not give it a go?

I tell you, the first time I had the aids on I cried - I had forgotten all the small sounds like birdsong and the sound of your feet on the carpet. Now, if I forget to have them on people on the TV sound as if they are underwater. It takes a while to get used to them but now I have to feel my ears sometimes to know if I have them on.

Make you look old? I am old, so what. People wear Dame Edna glasses - you should be able to get Dame Edna hearing aids with feathers or something. I'd get some. As it is people are always surprised when i tell them, which I do if occasion arises, and peer behind my ears to have a look. They are not nearly as big as some I have seen.

PS Just read the green bit at the top properly - as regards how long did it take to get used to them it was quite a while and I had problems with one ear especially to the extent I stopped wearing it for some time and then went back and got a smaller bit that fits in the ear - all fine now after a year or so.

Thank you for the invite to contribute to this thread.

We do not have hearing aids prescribed. However, DH (or DF depending on how you look at it) has had hearing tests which have indicated possible age-related hearing loss. However no hearing aids at this point in time.

My husband got hearing aids about 18 months ago. It was wonderful, no having to repeat everything, no having the TV blaring out Then he started only using them when he was at work. Then he retired and that was the end of that

My husband aged 67 had hearing aids fitted from audio ology clinic Queen Elizabeth hospital B'ham, he has never taken them off was amazed at how much he couldn't hear and it's a lot easier for me.

I don't have a hearing aid but my maternal grandfather used to wear one as did my mother. Both of them found it difficult to hear properly with background noise. They were better in a one to one situation.

I've been well aware for a time that my hearing is not as good as it used to be. I use the subtitles on the TV quite a lot. I keep thinking that maybe I need to get my ear syringed - it does little popping noises now and then. But like a lot of things, it's on my 'to do ' list!
However, after today I need either my hearing or brain tested! Perhaps both!
This morning I kept hearing a bleep bleep noise, and eventually realised it must be one of the smoke alarms telling me that its battery was running out. First problem - which one? I have one at the top of the stairs and one at the bottom. I ended up playing a game of 'stalk the alarm' to find out, as the bleeps were at random intervals.
Having decided om the faulty one, I went off to buy a new one.
Returned and fitted new alarm. Tested it - working OK. Got on with the chores, but suddenly heard 'beep beep'. Confusion reigneth.
To cut a long story short, after phoning the helpline on the alarm packaging, putting old alarm in the shed at the bottom of the garden because I couldn't be sure where the beeping was coming from, returning the alarm I'd bought to the shop on the grounds that it was faulty, fitting new one, and STILL getting beeps, LIGHT dawned!!
In my handbag was one mobile phone , bleeping at me because it had no charge!!
So where do I start? Hearing test or Dementia test? Or both??

My husband has NHS hearing aids, one for each ear, but even with them in he still says "Eh", and "what?" nearly every time we speak to him. What was odd was that in all the weeks he was in the ICU, although it was quiet in there, and most of the staff spoke very quietly, he heard every word without his hearing aids in, but as soon as he went back onto the wards he was as bad as ever, likewise now he`s home.

I have a NHS hearing aid, which I think is really an amplifier as everything gets amplified. So, in a room full of people the person you are speaking to is as loud as those around you which makes conversation difficult. Also unfortunately I live near a main road; before I had the hearing aid I wasn't terribly aware of the cars, but now I am, so take it out when on my own - then forget to put it back and cant hear what the other Residents in our Retirement block are saying !! Fortunately I also have a caravan in Sussex and keep it in there to hear the birds (and other caravanners). So on the whole they are a mixed blessing. Though on balance I suppose its better with one than without one.

I realised a few years ago that my hearing wasn't so good so got a hearing test which confirmed my suspicions. Having heard a number of negative comments regarding NHS aids I decided to go for private ones and I have never looked back. I would urge anyone considering hearing aids to invest money in the best they can afford even it means going without a holiday. The trouble with hearing loss is that you don't know what you aren't hearing. The high tones are the first to go so bird song is lost. I couldn't believe how much I had been missing.

I wear a hearing aid in one ear, should have one for each ear, but I find I can manage quite well without two. I think I have probably been hard of hearing since a child, only now realise why there were some things and words I got wrong. I used to be able to hear violins, now lose their top notes, same with most high notes. singing is a joy, but only on my own, as I am inclined to harmonise out of tune! I tried a private hearing aid years ago, it broke down three times in three months, and I had my money back. I am happy with what I have, I am one of the lucky ones. Sub-titles on the television, and I can always switch off if I do not want to hear anything. If friends talk to me, and I have difficulty hearing what they are saying, I just say "hold on a minute - I'll switch on" and it lightens the mood. (no pun intended).

Glad to say my hearing is good but hubby is not so good .

I do not have hearing loss but my DH does. He has digital hearing aids on the NHS but never wears them as he says they just make a booming sound in his head. He has had them adjusted but still no good so I just speak up louder!!

I have hearing problems in one ear and was given a nhs hearing aid a few years ago. I find it practically useless. I have been back and had it adjusted and it made no difference. I have problems hearing speech if there is background noise and if in a restaurant or bar with a group of people then I can't hear the conversation at all. I use subtitles on TV as many shows, Eastenders for one insist on playing music in the background. I feel people are so fed up with me not hearing them the first time. It's debilitating.

Hearing aids help but they are awful with mobile phones I am always taking them out.Alsothey can make your hearing loss worse. I would love a comfortable hearing aid to sleep with as I do maternity nursing so please help me

I have always felt my hearing aid "ages" me a bit and whilst I try to keep up with my grandchildren who are teenagers its difficult to find common interests to share. We are a large family and the generations often holiday and socialise together. They often asked me to come to see amateur live bands with them playing loud heavy rock which I declined with fear of a banging head and a sudden heart attack, then....I had a brainwave and went along and turned the hearing aid off...a wonderful night was had by all. I could just hear muffled sounds and enjoyed the family company and a few glasses of wine. It wasn't an experience I would like to make a regular date but they often talk about the night Gran went Rocking!!

I don't have hearing problems at the moment but dread when they come along. I do have another medical problem that sometimes affects my hearing clearly but luckily it isn't a constant thing. I would go for hearing tests though if they were needed and would wear hearing aids if I needed them, I think that any help is welcome.II do sometimes wonder why I can't hear properly but I think it all depends on the background noise.

My husband has suffered with hearing loss for some years and now he has some hearing aids life is so much better for both of us. They are very unobtrusive and cause no discomfort when wearing them. I would thoroughly recommend trying some as life will begin again for the whole family!

I did the in-store test and my result was fine but I do have problems hearing people if they are in front of me (like my grandchildren on the walk to school and back) especially if there is other noise. Not sure if it is because they mumble so much though!

Both DH and I suffer from age related hearing loss but accept it as part of life. The alternative would be to wear a hearing aid which to be honest I/we do not fancy..not for any vain reason just feel it is not band enugh to warrant one just yet. Main problems are somebody talking when in another room
( can hear them talking but sounds like mumbling) and when there is background noise it's a little difficult to define which direction sound is coming from. I no longer drive, if I did however I think it would be more of a problem.

I currently have NHS hearing aids but, unfortunately, they do not help me a great deal as I have lost all my high tones and even my lows are way down. I have been buying glasses from SpecSavers for years and am considering trying them for a hearing test although I have been told by the NHS that nothing can done to help!

I used to work with a lady of nearly 60 who wore two hearing aids. One morning she said 'pardon' to everything I said to her. In the end I was a bit exasperated and asked her if she needed new batteries in her hearing aids. She thought for a moment and then replied that she had turned them off earlier as her husband was getting on her nerves!

I had dizzy spells and was sent to hospital for a hearing test. Apparently I have hearing loss in one ear. I was offered a hearing aid, but declined. I have visions of a huge plastic thing behind my ear. I'm 62, and want to put if off as long as possible.