Hearing Aids - how goes it?
Discussion
bomb said:
I have hearing aids and have used them for about 10 years. In direct response to your questions ......
Do they just amplify everything - background noise too? Are pubs and restaurants tolerable? - If I am in an area with background noise, I simply cannot filter out the conversation around me, and hence this is exactly where I need my aids the most. Huge improvement in my hearing when I wear them in these circumstances.
How clear are they? Is there white noise? - They are 'tuned' to my ears and specific frequencies and hence amplify the noise I cannot hear ( higher pitches). No issues with white noise.
Is the volume set or adjustable? - They are adjustable for volume, and different settings for general or directional hearing.
What about phones? - I dont need to use them when using the phone, but you can use them, with a 'phone setting'.
How easy are they to adjust to? - Very simple. Small adjusters are on the back of the aid.
Any advice on which devices are better? - My first ones were from 'Specsavers' and cost a fortune ! When they needed replacing I went to the NHGS ( on advice from a friend), and my own findings were that they were MUCH better than the Specsavers ones. I got excellent service at the hospital clinic too.
How do colleagues react? Do they change how much they communicate? Do they exclude? - Noone cares ! They fully accepted me having to use them whilst at work ( meetings etc).
How do strangers react? New business contacts? Do they look down or assume stupidity? - Again, nobody cares or mentions them. No negative comments ..................(well I couldn't hear any !!)
I tend to use them when we go out socially, or, if I'm somewhere with backgound noises, or at some type of meetings etc.
I was a bit nervous when I first got them, but now I dont care what people think, and I am sure nobody cares if you wear them.
I'd recommend you get them if you are struggling to hear. Its no big deal.
I have been using hearing aids for 40 years!! and I agree with everything that bomb`s said.Do they just amplify everything - background noise too? Are pubs and restaurants tolerable? - If I am in an area with background noise, I simply cannot filter out the conversation around me, and hence this is exactly where I need my aids the most. Huge improvement in my hearing when I wear them in these circumstances.
How clear are they? Is there white noise? - They are 'tuned' to my ears and specific frequencies and hence amplify the noise I cannot hear ( higher pitches). No issues with white noise.
Is the volume set or adjustable? - They are adjustable for volume, and different settings for general or directional hearing.
What about phones? - I dont need to use them when using the phone, but you can use them, with a 'phone setting'.
How easy are they to adjust to? - Very simple. Small adjusters are on the back of the aid.
Any advice on which devices are better? - My first ones were from 'Specsavers' and cost a fortune ! When they needed replacing I went to the NHGS ( on advice from a friend), and my own findings were that they were MUCH better than the Specsavers ones. I got excellent service at the hospital clinic too.
How do colleagues react? Do they change how much they communicate? Do they exclude? - Noone cares ! They fully accepted me having to use them whilst at work ( meetings etc).
How do strangers react? New business contacts? Do they look down or assume stupidity? - Again, nobody cares or mentions them. No negative comments ..................(well I couldn't hear any !!)
I tend to use them when we go out socially, or, if I'm somewhere with backgound noises, or at some type of meetings etc.
I was a bit nervous when I first got them, but now I dont care what people think, and I am sure nobody cares if you wear them.
I'd recommend you get them if you are struggling to hear. Its no big deal.
I started with analog NHS ones, then went private, been back with NHS for the last 20 years,aids have improved immensely. My NHS audiology dept in Reading is 1st class,I have the latest digital Phonak aids.They use the very latest technology to program the aids to suite my hearing loss. There is a "drop in center" where we can just turn up to correct a problem or have adjustments. Also the ear molds have to be renewed every two years or so. Of course all this is done free of charge.
What ever aids you get make sure they can connect to a loop system. All public places,cinemas,theaters etc,must,by law, have a loop system,look for the sign,an ear with a "T". When your there just switch over and your aids become earphones. It works like wi-fi.,no wires,everything else is switched off, all you can hear is the film dialog or who ever is speaking on stage.I have a loop system at home for the TV,my wife can have the volume down,while I can follow the program perfectly. .Also getting used to sub titles is a great help.
Its important to have aids prescribed to suite your hearing loss,wear them ALL the time and get used to them. One in six of the population has some sort of hearing defect so you are not alone.The thing is other people can not SEE your problem,if you were blind they would rush to help you.So Tell them, "I am hard of hearing,please speak slowly and clearly". Of course there are prats who think deafness is a joke,...What?.....why don`t you turn your aids up mate is a stupid reply,and the worse thing they can say is "oh forget it" or shout.
Edited by Old Merc on Sunday 15th October 16:15
Well I'm 36 and got diagnosed with noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears. Saw an audiologist and hearing aids were recommended.
I shared a lot of your concerns and questions but since having them, well what a difference.
TV no longer at full volume, I can follow group conversations in meeting rooms and also in the pub. I can also finally hear the wife moaning when we're in the car without having to get her to repeat the question, and finally I the kids are happy as I can now hear the oven buzzer so meals are no longer burnt haha
The way people treat me or now view me hasn't changed and to be fair I don't feel that they are that noticeable. When I made the decision to go with hearing aids I opted for a silver grey behind the ear type, as I wasn't going to be embarrassed about wearing them or try to hide them.
First impressions were that the sound was crazy and and even slightly awkward to listen to my own voice. This was just down to my brain reprogramming itself. Over the next couple of days the sound calmed down as I got use to them and now I think they're fantastic. Only downside is that the batteries only last for 6-7days.
I shared a lot of your concerns and questions but since having them, well what a difference.
TV no longer at full volume, I can follow group conversations in meeting rooms and also in the pub. I can also finally hear the wife moaning when we're in the car without having to get her to repeat the question, and finally I the kids are happy as I can now hear the oven buzzer so meals are no longer burnt haha
The way people treat me or now view me hasn't changed and to be fair I don't feel that they are that noticeable. When I made the decision to go with hearing aids I opted for a silver grey behind the ear type, as I wasn't going to be embarrassed about wearing them or try to hide them.
First impressions were that the sound was crazy and and even slightly awkward to listen to my own voice. This was just down to my brain reprogramming itself. Over the next couple of days the sound calmed down as I got use to them and now I think they're fantastic. Only downside is that the batteries only last for 6-7days.
motco said:
bomb said:
When they needed replacing I went to the NHGS ( on advice from a friend), and my own findings were that they were MUCH better than the Specsavers ones. I got excellent service at the hospital clinic too.
Is 'NHGS' a typo for NHS? Thanks.
thanks everyone - much appreciated!
I didn't say in my OP is that my Mother lost her hearing at 18. We've never got to to the bottom of why but it was Southend in 1943... Fast forward to the 60's and some of my earliest memories are visiting my Mother in hospital for a Stapedectomy which was at the time pioneering surgery. She had five attempts in all, one fixing her hearing for 3 months; the cruelest twist of fate. That malarky left her worse off and with middle ear surgical damage and profound hearing loss. My childhood was peppered with hospital visits, hearing issues and enormous NHS box hearing aids!
On the plus side I was taught to lip read and Mom, my sister and I can converse that way.
Anyway, the above is why I want to solicit contemporary experiences and proceed informed and with caution.
So thanks for all the constructive and honest responses
I didn't say in my OP is that my Mother lost her hearing at 18. We've never got to to the bottom of why but it was Southend in 1943... Fast forward to the 60's and some of my earliest memories are visiting my Mother in hospital for a Stapedectomy which was at the time pioneering surgery. She had five attempts in all, one fixing her hearing for 3 months; the cruelest twist of fate. That malarky left her worse off and with middle ear surgical damage and profound hearing loss. My childhood was peppered with hospital visits, hearing issues and enormous NHS box hearing aids!
On the plus side I was taught to lip read and Mom, my sister and I can converse that way.
Anyway, the above is why I want to solicit contemporary experiences and proceed informed and with caution.
So thanks for all the constructive and honest responses
Edited by ian in lancs on Sunday 15th October 18:36
bomb said:
motco said:
bomb said:
When they needed replacing I went to the NHGS ( on advice from a friend), and my own findings were that they were MUCH better than the Specsavers ones. I got excellent service at the hospital clinic too.
Is 'NHGS' a typo for NHS? Thanks.
I’m sixty three and have had noise induced hearing loss for almost forty years. It was diagnosed back then as due to my shooting days in the army , we did a lot of shooting as officers or conducted shoots for other ranks often without any hearing protection. The designated protection was cotton wool and Vaseline as supplied which in reality was an unsavory brown grease and pieces of four by two cloth. Most did not use it and as officers we did not always enforce it. Should some enterprising individual use ear plugs or hearing muffs these were not in accordance with the army regulations and they were ordered to remove them.
I served twenty five years from age 18-43 and retired before I would possibly have been kicked out for being below army standards.
I bought privately my first aid for my right ear in 1988 aged thirty four. In 1997 bought two digital aids from a specialist hearing company in the city where I live and have had these since.
My thoughts
- get your hearing tested by an independent qualified specialist and ask them to recommend where to go and why.
- get the correct ones for you.
- I was very embarrassed for the first few years wearing them and my peers and superiors looked down on me for wearing them
- Persevere with wearing them, they are the equivalent of glasses , you need them, wear them all the time
- have regular tests to monitor things, I’ve failed this part !
- mind exposure to noise.
I served twenty five years from age 18-43 and retired before I would possibly have been kicked out for being below army standards.
I bought privately my first aid for my right ear in 1988 aged thirty four. In 1997 bought two digital aids from a specialist hearing company in the city where I live and have had these since.
My thoughts
- get your hearing tested by an independent qualified specialist and ask them to recommend where to go and why.
- get the correct ones for you.
- I was very embarrassed for the first few years wearing them and my peers and superiors looked down on me for wearing them
- Persevere with wearing them, they are the equivalent of glasses , you need them, wear them all the time
- have regular tests to monitor things, I’ve failed this part !
- mind exposure to noise.
healeyneil said:
For me, NHS ones were useless, and the service was not good. I had to go private (expensively! )and that's much better. It doesn't just amplify everything, it is custom tuned to suit your loss - you will have lost a lot of high frequency sound. Also there are different programmes for different situations. Places like pubs are still a problem as there's so much noise rattling around but you will hear folk close to you. Modern aids are close to invisible so most people won't realise you have them.
In rant mode I would say that NEVER EVER use anything from an electric drill upwards without hearing protection.
What’s an NHS hearing aid, exactly?In rant mode I would say that NEVER EVER use anything from an electric drill upwards without hearing protection.
Reason I ask is because I’m 38, and have been using NHS supplied hearing aids since I was a pre-teen and yet, I’ve never came across an NHS hearing aid.
Perhaps you mean, NHS-supplied? In which case, the suppliers can be anyone from Amplivox to Siemens (oddly enough, currently wearing my NHS-supplied Siemens)
Incidentally, any digital hearing-aid that I have been supplied with by the NHS, has also been completely programmable to my particular hearing loss. By virtue of such, this means that they have been setup to amplify certain frequencies - as you describe above.
This isn't a unique aspect to the private sector, as you allude.
The only difference between NHS and Private is that the NHS have a limited number of suppliers, whereas going private you may not have the same limitations in terms of available brands.
majordad said:
- get your hearing tested by an independent qualified specialist and ask them to recommend where to go and why.
This is such bad advice.OP, go to your local NHS audiology dept, start from there. If you feel the service is somehow lacking or or if the hearing aids offered aren't doing it for you, fine - go private.
However, there's no point jumping in and spending thousands privately if you potentially don't have to.
Hence, the point I quoted above is properly bad advice, imo.
I say this from a position of having used multiple NHS trusts as well as private facilities.
Edited by TheJimi on Tuesday 17th October 14:22
Getting independently tested applies in my case, I should have elaborated but was rushing to type it. Where I live we do not have the NHS so most medical matters are private, or for them that are covered by our equivalent of your NHS it’s very difficult and takes years to be treated under our public system. So in the case of the OP go NHS for the tests and aids.
TheJimi said:
healeyneil said:
For me, NHS ones were useless, and the service was not good. I had to go private (expensively! )and that's much better. It doesn't just amplify everything, it is custom tuned to suit your loss - you will have lost a lot of high frequency sound. Also there are different programmes for different situations. Places like pubs are still a problem as there's so much noise rattling around but you will hear folk close to you. Modern aids are close to invisible so most people won't realise you have them.
In rant mode I would say that NEVER EVER use anything from an electric drill upwards without hearing protection.
What’s an NHS hearing aid, exactly?In rant mode I would say that NEVER EVER use anything from an electric drill upwards without hearing protection.
Reason I ask is because I’m 38, and have been using NHS supplied hearing aids since I was a pre-teen and yet, I’ve never came across an NHS hearing aid.
Perhaps you mean, NHS-supplied? In which case, the suppliers can be anyone from Amplivox to Siemens (oddly enough, currently wearing my NHS-supplied Siemens)
Incidentally, any digital hearing-aid that I have been supplied with by the NHS, has also been completely programmable to my particular hearing loss. By virtue of such, this means that they have been setup to amplify certain frequencies - as you describe above.
This isn't a unique aspect to the private sector, as you allude.
The only difference between NHS and Private is that the NHS have a limited number of suppliers, whereas going private you may not have the same limitations in terms of available brands.
majordad said:
- get your hearing tested by an independent qualified specialist and ask them to recommend where to go and why.
This is such bad advice.OP, go to your local NHS audiology dept, start from there. If you feel the service is somehow lacking or or if the hearing aids offered aren't doing it for you, fine - go private.
However, there's no point jumping in and spending thousands privately if you potentially don't have to.
Hence, the point I quoted above is properly bad advice, imo.
I say this from a position of having used multiple NHS trusts as well as private facilities.
Edited by TheJimi on Tuesday 17th October 14:22
'Hopefully' only going to have to use it for six months as it's a high powered one and not 'that' subtle...
Depends entirely on a given NHS trust, and which manufacturers they stock.
For me, my NHS-supplied Siemens aid is absolutely fantastic, particularly in the way it allows me to manage background noise. So much so that in a noisy environment, ie loud pub, I’m actually better than someone with 100% hearing.
For me, my NHS-supplied Siemens aid is absolutely fantastic, particularly in the way it allows me to manage background noise. So much so that in a noisy environment, ie loud pub, I’m actually better than someone with 100% hearing.
TheJimi said:
Depends entirely on a given NHS trust, and which manufacturers they stock.
For me, my NHS-supplied Siemens aid is absolutely fantastic, particularly in the way it allows me to manage background noise. So much so that in a noisy environment, ie loud pub, I’m actually better than someone with 100% hearing.
That's what I'm hoping for. Oh and the ability to actually be able to hear dialogue on my fFor me, my NHS-supplied Siemens aid is absolutely fantastic, particularly in the way it allows me to manage background noise. So much so that in a noisy environment, ie loud pub, I’m actually better than someone with 100% hearing.
king seven grand AV setup 
I *think* my lot are pretty good, apparently I'm getting the very latest device that they only started dispensing a few weeks ago.
Just don't let it be beige...
Riley Blue said:
WinstonWolf said:
How 'good' are the NHS ones? Deep joy, I get my first one next Wednesday
'Hopefully' only going to have to use it for six months as it's a high powered one and not 'that' subtle...
Wearing glasses isn't exactly 'subtle' but no one takes a blind bit of notice...'Hopefully' only going to have to use it for six months as it's a high powered one and not 'that' subtle...
Good morning Mr Oot
Firstly, pleased to hear (!) that first impressions are largely positive, that’s a very big win. There’s nothing worse than trying a hearing aid, or aids, and utterly hating the representation of sound.
I think you wear glasses, don’t you? Well, you’ll know there’s a period of settling into your “new” vision when your prescription changes. It’s a similar but more protracted process with new hearing aids, or wearing aids for the first time. Hitherto, you will have been used with sounds being represented in a particular way, and now that you’re wearing the aids, those same sounds will be represented differently, so it’ll take a bit of time for your brain to get used with it.
Best advice I can give you is to think about it as little as you can, which I admit is easier said than done. However, yeah, try not to think about it and your brain will naturally find the groove.
Firstly, pleased to hear (!) that first impressions are largely positive, that’s a very big win. There’s nothing worse than trying a hearing aid, or aids, and utterly hating the representation of sound.
I think you wear glasses, don’t you? Well, you’ll know there’s a period of settling into your “new” vision when your prescription changes. It’s a similar but more protracted process with new hearing aids, or wearing aids for the first time. Hitherto, you will have been used with sounds being represented in a particular way, and now that you’re wearing the aids, those same sounds will be represented differently, so it’ll take a bit of time for your brain to get used with it.
Best advice I can give you is to think about it as little as you can, which I admit is easier said than done. However, yeah, try not to think about it and your brain will naturally find the groove.
Cheers Alex
I've also discovered I can hear a shopping trolley on block paving from the next county!
I'm not keen but who is? It's a bit like walking with a crutch, hopefully the next round of surgery will be a success and it'll prove to be temporary.
The upside is conversation is a lot easier...
I've also discovered I can hear a shopping trolley on block paving from the next county!
I'm not keen but who is? It's a bit like walking with a crutch, hopefully the next round of surgery will be a success and it'll prove to be temporary.
The upside is conversation is a lot easier...
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