Hearing aids

[Jerry]

I’ve struggled for years with hearing in noisy social situations. Specifically on one side.

Find it hard to follow conversations.

But in normal background sound situations all is fine.

I suspect I have hearing loss on the left due to too much shooting in my teens with no ear protection.

What are modern hearing aids like? I see some advertised for serious money and wonder if there an industry selling aids with serious mark ups.

Should add I don’t like things in my ears normally. I can stand ear buds for an hour or so but after I find them uncomfortable.

 

[Cjm]

I was in exactly the same situation as you. I new I’d got some hearing loss in 1 ear when I was 21 but did nothing about it until i got to 45 and it was quite noticeable how bad it had got. I couldn’t believe the price so got an NHS one just to see how much difference it made before spending a couple of grand. 3 years later I’ve still got it and no plans to buy one privately

 

[Lincs Lass]

 

[Netherfield]

Somehow it's a game they all play, wife has two £2,500, always seems to be a 50% discount deal going on if you buy a pair together.

10 years free cleaning and replacement parts including batteries. From Amplifon.

Wherever we looked and asked all firms seem to be the same price more or less.

Now think how much computer or smartphone you can get for that kind of money and explain why they are so dear, well we do have to pay for the audiologist and the person who answers the phone and of course for the shop and all the fancy gear, so does a computer/phone shop.

Having said that she started with the NHS who would only provide one, and if anything went wrong you could queue for hours at the local hospital to get them fixed, and if you happened to be, say , on holiday, even in this country another hospital wouldn't even look at them if they didn't supply them in the first plavce.

 

[Days of thunder]

Had my phonak ones from boots now for about 9 months. They were quite expensive but are brilliant. Bluetoothed up. Would not be without them now.

 

[puppet]

Got 2 NHS last year which helps while in company. You might have to wait but the audiologist said they were not far off the private ones. Got bluetooth which was a bit alarming first time when a voice appeared in my ear when I answered a call.

 

[Hawkes]

I have had two NHS ones for about ten years. Years of sawmilling together with farming did for my hearing . I originally got them as everyone said it would help get rid of tinnitus, which was starting to be really intrusive. They did really help reduce it and improved hearing for all situations. I can call in at any surgery or hospital for free batteries if I wish to.
I cannot fault the aids or the service I get from NHS.
My mother had little expensive digital things, they weren't much use and her terrier ate one .......

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Make sure you are wax free ,
I've got an NHS one and given up with it

 

[raymono57]

Just had annual checkup for Signia NHS aids. App added to smartphone to control volume etc.
Told equivalent private aids would cost £2500.
Private prescription through NHS available for aids with Bluetooth etc.
Great service when you get into the system.

 

[Jerry]

How do you go about getting in the NHS system? Is it just a referral from the GP? (GP Ive not seen on over 7 years LOL)

Also how are these things to wear whilst also using hearing protection? I spend about 2 or 3 hours a week sat on a lawn mower and strimming and like to have ear muffs on.

 

[Cjm]

I just popped into the doctors surgery to make an appointment and ended up seeing the nurse there and then. (Just before COVID kicked off). She referred me to the hospital audiology dept, and I was tested and had a hearing aid within 3 weeks.
If I wear ear defenders I just turn it off before putting them on

 

[Derrick Hughes]

How do you go about getting in the NHS system? Is it just a referral from the GP? (GP Ive not seen on over 7 years LOL)

Also how are these things to wear whilst also using hearing protection? I spend about 2 or 3 hours a week sat on a lawn mower and strimming and like to have ear muffs on.

About 12 months wait I'm Wales ,if your lucky , next day if you go private

 

[Forkdriver]

I just went to Specsavers audio department who tested my hearing and they referred me to local NHS audiology who fitted me up with free aid. Must admit to not wearing it much of the time but it's necessary for hearing accuity in crowds.

 

[Forkdriver]

My hearing loss is right ear, being a left hander this is apparently what happens with shooting.. The aid has a complete plastic moulding to go into the ear which blocks extraneous noise while directing the amplified sounds into the ear canal. NHS model is mid range and value.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

It's a man thing, they don't admit they have hearing loss, also a vanity thing, men don't want to look odd with hearing aids in, I mean you don't look at someone wearing glasses, and think, they must be a right knob, yes it's a man thing,


Now buckle down and admit you just cannot hear, and all those that had paid for private ones, please PM me your address, as it seems you like chucking money away, and I will send you a bill for a grand for my holiday fund, ,

Here is the deal, you go to the NHS audiology department and do the hearing test,
Oh god you need a medal as you not only tried you best to hear the tones, but you even pressed the button thinking there should be a tone, and it was so faint someone with good hearing would struggle to hear it, so don't get over keen,.

Now this is what you do, yes listen to the tones, but don't press the button on the faint ones, in a few weeks you will get your hearing aids tuned to being a bit more deaf than you are, this will make the world of difference in what you get,
I never had a check up in seven years, my mate went for his couple of months ago, he did not press the button on faint tones, as this was what his wife told him to do, as she works in health care, he now has digital Bluetooth ones on NHS, can hear a pin drop at 100 yards,
I went for a check up a few weeks ago, and did the same, I am now anytime getting NHS one that are digital and Bluetooth as well, so cannot wait for them,
Mates wife said, the private sector charging a fortune to make them better than NHS by yes you guessed, tuning them for you deafer than you are, and hay presto, you think its money well spent, and better than NHS,

 

[raymono57]

How do you go about getting in the NHS system? Is it just a referral from the GP? (GP Ive not seen on over 7 years LOL)

Also how are these things to wear whilst also using hearing protection? I spend about 2 or 3 hours a week sat on a lawn mower and strimming and like to have ear muffs on.

I got a referral from my gp many years ago. As I said once you get into the system it's fine - regular tests free batteries - there used to be a walk in service at Torbay but stopped since covid.

 

[Jerry]

My hearing loss is right ear, being a left hander this is apparently what happens with shooting.. The aid has a complete plastic moulding to go into the ear which blocks extraneous noise while directing the amplified sounds into the ear canal. NHS model is mid range and value.

re shooting. That’s exactly the same as me. Opposite ear.

 

[jellybean]

I had private ones to start with and they were rubbish. Have been on NHS ones for maybe 10 years and they are ok, you could no doubt get even better ones privately nowadays but I am content for now. I don't think any of them will totally solve the problem of trying to concentrate on listening to one particular person in a crowded room though which for me is a good excuse for avoiding those situations. Shooting, chainsawing and 10 years standing next to the post driver did for me I think.

 

[PSQ]

I've got the 'left ear' deafness and trouble hearing over background noise. I went to the audiologist in June, and he said that for hearing aids to work you really need them in both ears, you don't get the same effect with only one ear as it feels a bit unnatural to have one ear amplified and the other one not. He suggested coming back when it got worse. I mentioned this to my brother, and he disappeared for a minute before returning with our late dads audiogram from about 25 years ago: partially deaf on his left side at the same frequencies as me.

And for those of us with an Apple iPhone who also use EarPods or headphones, there is a feature in the settings menu where you can import a copy or a photo of your audiogram, and the phone will adjust the output sound to the headphones to compensate for the missing frequencies. It's not a hearing aid substitute, but it works for recordings or radio etc (settings / accessibility/ audio visual / headphone accommodations / custom audio setup [have the EarPods case open to 'find' them]/ audiogram):

 

[Gong Farmer]

A bit off topic but I've been concerned about my hearing for some time as I often can't make out conversations on the TV. I can watch a programme from beginning to end and not 'hear' a word that's said.
Most of what we watch is on Netflix these days and I have had to put subtitles on, much to wife's annoyance. However looking further into 'other options' you get a wide choice of languages. Default for us is 'English (Original 5.1)' No idea what that means but selected straight 'English )original)' and can hear clearly!

Turns out the '5.1' refers to a 'surround sound' setting that Netflix can give, where you have several speakers in the room. If you don't this can be slightly distorted. Will have to check if other channels have this system.