Hearing aids

[Winnie Kjaer]

Nothing to do with dementia and I don't know whether I should be in the tearoom. It is late and I am getting tired having been reading for a couple of hours. I could not tear myself away tonight. I am however wondering whether anybody has actually found a hearing aid that REALLY does the job. I am now on my 5th set. I started with an NHS behind the ear aid which I hated. I then went on to two differently sized privately purchased analogue aids in the ear. After that it was suggested I should try two aids and go over to digital ones which I did with a pair of Unitron Conversa NT moda but was never happy with them and now I have a pair of Oticon digital aids with a very small tip in the ear and a small aid at the back of the ear .I can#t remember the model number. The size is perfect but I still cannot hear in large room, in crouds or sometimes even with certain voices next to me. I also find it impossible on the telephone unless I use the loudspeaker I have purchased for the standard telephone. I am useless on the handsfree where everything sounds muffled to me. I have spent a fortune on aids but I am willing to purchase new ones if they would really enable me to hear properly. My consultant suggested Blue Tooth aids I think he called it, but they are very expensive and how do I know they will be any good. Anybody got any positive experience of good aids? I would love to hear about them.
I will have a read tomorrow though as I must go to bed now. Goodnigt.

 

[Grannie G]

Hello Winnie

I have a digital aid provided by the NHS, only one, as my other ear is beyond help.
I have been told hearing aids will only enhance my hearing they will never give me the hearing I desire , but I wear it every day in the hope it is of some benefit.
I switch it off for the phone as I get feed back.
When I went to the Theatre on Wednesday, I didn`t hear everything but I did hear more than I`d ever heard before. I put this down to the radio mikes, the loop system and my hearing aid.
I feel at least it is of some benefit.

I have an Oticon aid which I bought privately and it was useless. My practitioner said the newer ones are much more sophisticated. The one I now have is also Oticon but a newer model.

I don`t know how bad your hearing is but I would persevere with the NHS rather than spend money which might be wasted.

Winnie I`m still hopeless in groups.

 

[Winnie Kjaer]

Hi Sylvia
Thank you for your reply. My hearing is I am told too bad for the aids in the ear the ones you barely see.The thing is I am very embarrassed about having to wear one and believe it or not it is only the last couple of years I have told the carers that I can't hear.I do wear my all all the time though but hide them with my hair. I struggled through work for years without telling anyone I was using an aid. Ridiculous I know but there is still such a stigma around hearing aids. I can hear without my aids if I speak with people face to face in close proximity, but if they speak to me from the back I hear nothing. It is all the low sounds I cannot hear, so usually men's voices, and I mixed up a lot of letters as they are not clear. When I do Pilates I cannot hear in the large hall, the aids pick up the music rather than the instructors voice, even when I cut the background noise off on my aids, in support group I miss everything except what the person next to me is saying, and I find it difficult to lipread. I am reasonably O.K. in the theatre because as you say they use microphones which is lovely but I always miss the childrens voices which mostly are quite soft. My poor granddaughter has to repeat things 5 times or more before I catch what she says sometimes. It is so frustrating. I have several friends who have told me that the NHSdo not fine tune properly, my consultant is very very good and will spend hours with me, but cannot get the aids set loud enough without feed back, which is awful. Have you got a volume control on yours? You don't usually on the digitil aids do you? I may try to the doctor to refer me yet again, it is 20 years since I have had a HNS aid.

 

[Grannie G]

If it`s 20 years since you had a NHS aid Winnie I would seriously give them a try. I was very impressed with my treatment although I could do with it a bit louder too, but feed back gets in the way.

I have the opposite to you, a High Frequency loss so have problems with consonants, and the voices of many women and children, especially when they speak too quickly.

I can hear without my aids if I speak with people face to face in close proximity, but if they speak to me from the back I hear nothing.

Me too.
I would have the same problem as you at Pilates, as even in Yoga I have to position myself face to face with the teacher and when lying down need my head towards her rather than my feet so my aid can pick up what she says. Even then I miss half of it.

I`d love to know if you can be helped on the NHS Winnie.

TP is fantastic for me. For the first time in my life I miss nothing.

 

[Winnie Kjaer]

Oh. How right you are TP is so good for socialising, but bad for my sleep. Thanks for your advise, I will have a chat to my doctor next week, who is aware of my situation and get a referral. I can't lose anything by trying. Thanks again Sylvia