Hearing Aids in Ear type any advice ?

[How much]

OK A friend of mine is partly deaf in one ear they have had a hearing test done by audiologist , and are currently considering if to get a hearing aid or not, So we where talking about it the other day and it it would seem they vary hugely in price you are talking from £120 to £2000.00 for an in ear canal type apparently that are the least obvious and what seems to be the preferred type if they get one
It would appear that tue independent advice seems pretty rare as suppliers seem to want to push the more expensive options , they will go to local supplier to see what is available but want to background info first.


so anyone got any advice ?

are the more expensive one actually any better ? or just more expensive ?

as mentioned in canal seem the prefered choice as its apparently less visible and better for active people but has any one got any experience of them ?

are any on line suppliers worth considering ?

 

[Mdt]

I had my hearing aids on the NHS, is that not available to your friends? I would say the more expensive ones might have more technology in them, me personally I would try for mid range rather than go for cheapest or expensive ones.

 

[How much]

I had my hearing aids on the NHS, is that not available to your friends? I would say the more expensive ones might have more technology in them, me personally I would try for mid range rather than go for cheapest or expensive ones.

Apparently yes they can get a NHS one there under the impression that only behind the ear ones are available from NHS , that may or may not be the case and there is a 8 to 12 week wait for them , the wait however is not a big issue more a case of wanting some more info in general to be better informed as to what the pros and cons are and are the more expensive one actually better .
when you think how much tech you can buy for £1000 like computers and laptops , smart tv's a wide as your room , mobile phones etc all do much much more than a hearing aid does make you think someone is taking the pee with the prices

 

[Dry Rot]

I have two NHS behind the ear deaf aids which cost me nothing, until I lost one when the replacement cost me £40. They do tend to fall out if used out doors -- so I don't use them out doors! I don't communicate a lot as I work by myself anyway amd I am not shy of telling people that I'm deaf.

Frankly, the NHS ones are not very good but then I have nothing to compare them with. I have virtually given up using the phone because I can't hear 25% and generally end up guessing. Some voices are more difficult to hear than others, female worse than male.

Yes, I do believe the costly deaf aids are a con and NHS staff (who have no axe to grind) confirm this. The obvious answer is to try both, but don't part with any money unless you are sure. Plenty of people out there ready to con you!

 

[Mdt]

There is more to the hearing aid than you think, one company involved in hearing in 25 years filed more than 1200 patents for their products. That is some serious development work. Its ok saying laptops, phones etc do more for the money but the hearing aid is trying to help improve a degrading sense nothing else can assist with that. Myself I would get a behind the ear as am sure quality will be better and also will last nearly a week on a battery. As for in the ear type being better because active I disagree with that, I have had a behind the ear type for over 35 years and never had any problems with it coming off, I get in all positions and it stays in place.

 

[Dry Rot]

There is more to the hearing aid than you think, one company involved in hearing in 25 years filed more than 1200 patents for their products. That is some serious development work. Its ok saying laptops, phones etc do more for the money but the hearing aid is trying to help improve a degrading sense nothing else can assist with that. Myself I would get a behind the ear as am sure quality will be better and also will last nearly a week on a battery. As for in the ear type being better because active I disagree with that, I have had a behind the ear type for over 35 years and never had any problems with it coming off, I get in all positions and it stays in place.

Do you wear glasses? My deaf aids come off every time I take my glasses off! So I wear them as little as possible. Itch like hell too!

What brand do you have and what is the cost?

 

[Mdt]

Do you wear glasses? My deaf aids come off every time I take my glasses off! So I wear them as little as possible. Itch like hell too!

What brand do you have and what is the cost?

Yes I do wear glasses, not had a problem knocking the aids off.
I dont have hearing aids anymore as 2 months ago i had an operation and now have cochlear implant but i do have a severe profound hearing loss and hearing aids was running out of power for my circumstances.
I could never afford what I am lucky to have now as it's nearly £50k! I have Advanced bionics CI now.

 

[Lindell]

Both my husband and father have NHS behind the ear hearing aids. There is a small plastic tube from the aid which fits into the ear. Both men have problems with increases in wax in the ear which needs regular removal.
It was mentioned that this was caused by irritation in the ear by the little tube. So maybe a hearing aid that fits right inside the ear may cause similar or worse wax secretion, which is the way the ear tries to clean out its interior.

 

[milkloss]

Father in law has hearing aids, they appear to be a combination of in and over ear aids. They are tuned to his hearing so give a realistic sound as well as the possibility of connecting with his phone or a brooch the wife wears as she sits across the table. Could get in a lot of trouble with that one I reckon.

 

[Dry Rot]

Both my husband and father have NHS behind the ear hearing aids. There is a small plastic tube from the aid which fits into the ear. Both men have problems with increases in wax in the ear which needs regular removal.
It was mentioned that this was caused by irritation in the ear by the little tube. So maybe a hearing aid that fits right inside the ear may cause similar or worse wax secretion, which is the way the ear tries to clean out its interior.

I am due for a visit to the NHS audiologists as my in ear aids are not working as well as they did...or my hearing has deteriorated. The little tubes do need cleaning out occasionally (there a 'push through' in the kit) but I've had no problems with excess wax. The aids do tickle which is annoying, but it's flaired end of the tube that's inserted into the ear canal that causes the irritation in my case. My solution is to remove them and tell everyone to shout!

 

[chaffcutter]

I started off with nhs behind the ear type, but wearing glasses meant they got in the way and pulled the tubes apart. Got fed up in the end and after speaking to a friend she recommended Specsavers for the ‘in ear’ type, and I have been very pleased with them, had them for about 15 years now. Nothing is perfect and I go back to have them adjusted to my range of frequencies occasionally, for which they don’t charge me.
Don’t have a problem with wax but get a bit sweaty when it’s hot.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

I have two NHS behind the ear deaf aids which cost me nothing, until I lost one when the replacement cost me £40. They do tend to fall out if used out doors -- so I don't use them out doors! I don't communicate a lot as I work by myself anyway amd I am not shy of telling people that I'm deaf.

Frankly, the NHS ones are not very good but then I have nothing to compare them with. I have virtually given up using the phone because I can't hear 25% and generally end up guessing. Some voices are more difficult to hear than others, female worse than male.

Yes, I do believe the costly deaf aids are a con and NHS staff (who have no axe to grind) confirm this. The obvious answer is to try both, but don't part with any money unless you are sure. Plenty of people out there ready to con you!

this is just about where I am with the hearing aids,
and the softer voice of a female is harder to hear, also in public it seems to make all the noises louder both the people your talking to, and also the background noise as well,
with regards to irritating the ear while wearing them, I find that if you put them in dry, after a while they itch and are sore to wear, so wet your index finger under the tap, and poke it in your ear before fitting, then they seem fine for a lot longer,
but I to hardly wear them as I work alone most of the time and TELL PEOPLE i AM DEAF AND SPEAK CLEARLY


Edit my father had NHS ones for a few months, he said they were not that good, so bought some in ear, what was suppose to be better, cost a lot, and after a month he said they were about the same,
only benefit from in ear ones, is if you are conscious of wearing them, I would not worry about that, as I know people with really really good hearing, and they are not conscious about being thick

 

[Turnip_Head]

Gene therapy trials begin in 2019>>

 

[Turnip_Head]

For tinnitus L-taurine should help lots.

 

[fermerboy]

I have two NHS behind the ear type aids.

The NHS don't do in ear ones unless exceptional circumstances.
I have only had one fall out once and that was with a fair thump to my head made it jolt out. That said I the ones I have now are better fitting moulds, and Its really important to have good fit no matter which type you go for.

They are all fully digital nowadays and are individually tuned to your particular hearing loss, mine are linked so adjusting volume on one adjusts both, and I can change settings for say in a pub type noise to a quieter noise, think there is 3 settings on mine.

I get about 8-10days out of a battery, which is better than some.

The only real problem I have had is a ear infection which both times have happened after using swimming pools on holiday and I think putting the aids back in too quick trapping in moisture, first time it took near 6 months to cure it properly. I generally don't use pools much and I am religious about not putting them in wet/damp ears now.

I had a long chat with the audioligist about it and he tells me that there isn't such a big gap between purchased privately and NHS ones nowadays, the private ones often have better filtering and features like bluetooth to your phone etc

I have to say I'm not a fan of aids, the faff about, etc but they seriously changed my life and I'm totally lost without them.

 

[Mrs Brown]

I have a pair of NHS aids and couldn't get on with them at all, went for an expensive pair from hidden Hearing and they are none better. Didn't get the model I ordered and I am Quite sure the ear pieces werent the ones they took the moulds for either. Cant wear them the left one was that bad they fitted a soft plug similar to the NHS one and the right ear one wont stay in and that isn't much use while working .At last consultation I asked for a refund as I reconed they arnt fit for purpose but that's not an option surely . Will have to try trading standards see what they have to say.