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This afternoon I’ve been in a meeting where there was a load of extraneous noise. To be honest I struggled to hear a word of what anyone was saying. There obviously wasn’t an issue for others as they could communicate ok (or it al least looked as if they could). I just looked on like a gormless fool.
It’s not that I can’t hear, I heard all the other noise, but couldn’t hear individual voices enough to pick out words.
My wife has been telling me for ages that I should view Hearing Aids like my glasses, as an assistance to hearing.
I used to work where there would often be loud noise, we were given ear plugs and defenders, though they obviously protected to some degree I think either due to that job or my senior years, I can’t hear as well as I could 20 years ago.
So, where to go? Boots advertise hearing tests etc.. I’m not sure I’ve seen a high street shop like an opticians. Is there any retailer or company I should be looking for?
It's a classic sign of the start of hearing loss when you can't hear over background noise. I know because that's how mine started.
Luckily I don't need hearing aids (yet), but my FIL does because he was living in London during the blitz and it is a common issue for people caught in those kind of environments. He goes to supersavers (EDIT - SpecSavers) and TBH I don't think they are up to the task as his hearing gets progressively worse. I suspect he now needs someone a bit more specialised.
There is indeed a high street shop like an opticians - Specsavers do hearing aids. (Edit: @bentandbroken, did you mean Specsavers not supersavers?)
I don't use them myself, but I look after such things for my Mum, she's 95 and her memory isn't up it now. She had some from a company called Hidden Hearing, very small and unobtrusive, that she obtained for herself when she still could. They are about £3k a pair, you can insure them with the company for about £100/year but the number of claims you can make for losing them is limited. After she'd lost the last pair she could claim for, I took her to the GP to see if she could get NHS ones, as she can't afford to keep buying new ones and if they're a bit bigger it's no issue for her, easier to handle and less likely to be lost. The GP says they contract out all their hearing tests to Specsavers, so they made an appointment, she was tested and Specsavers supplied the hearing aids, all paid for by NHS. They seems very similar to the private ones, except bigger.
Go to your doctors and get a referral to Specsavers.
Unless you are really vain the NHS digital ones are fine. I can’t see the point in spending thousands on something you can get for free.
I’ve been a user for over 15 years now and I feel lost without it in.
They don’t always help us really busy environments though - in busy city centre pubs I can barely hear someone over over the table from me.
and TBH I don’t think they are up to the task as his hearing gets progressively worse.
Specsavers don’t fix your hearing they just give you a hearing aid suitable for your hearing when tested.
If there’s a medical need then the docs is the place to go.
I went to Specsavers then went for a hearing aid in Edinburgh NHS. It was fine but I admit I never preserved with them. I found it very tinny and the loud woman at work suddenly sounded like she was permanently screaming in my ear.
That’s what a lot of people do. It suddenly sounds alien. Using them occassionally is no good. Mine goes in a morning and only comes out when I go to bed.
A well set up one should sound pretty natural. You do get some feedback from time to time though! 🤣🔊
You've summarised exactly my case, with background noise I could barely understand anyone, there were also colleagues that I found very difficult to understand, I'm not a native english speaker so I thought it was just that, but then I started having the same issues in my native language.
I went through the NHS and I'm more than happy: on my first day with them I was surprised as I was able to understand clearly those I couldn't understand without the aids, I have yet to test them in a pub with loads of background noise as I just recently got them.
A few days ago my wife couldn't believe I was watching a movie with the TV at low volume.
I was a bit hesitant at first as I'm relatively young (46), but it is what it is.
Other half went to Boots. Hearing was pretty bad tbh.
There was a choice of budgets and in the end went for the top one as there was 15% off - genuine discount.
They set them to start at 60% initially then gradually increase to 100% over a few weeks I think it is.
Got the yearly review soon, hearing test & adjust accordingly.
Pretty happy with the service so far. Not cheap but life changing for her.
So until Monday, I am a partner in a Specsavers hearing business (I have sold up).
No one cures hearing- it’s hearing aids or nothing. If there is a ‘red flag’ ie unusual hearing loss shown by the hearing test, it will trigger a referral to ENT. The sort of thing is young person with hearing loss on one side.
If it’s normal age related hearing loss, hearing aids are the answer.
If you are over 55 specsavers or other NHS high street providers can fit NHS hearing aids.
These are decent digital HA’s which in the private world would be around £1200.
Private HA’s get you smaller, more programmable,rechargeable, blue tooth controllable etc etc.
If you have the money (top end £3000 at SS, lots more elsewhere) and are very active the private aids are a lot better.
For example, in a crowded very noisy environment, top end private HA’s have greater processing power to tune in to the person talking to you, as well as more directional mics. In a car it will decect the environment and re tune them to that scenario.
But if you can’t or don’t want to pay, the NHS ones are fantastic.
I need them, nearly got a test at spec savers the other but had to cancel.
Good to know it might be the NHS route anyway as years ago I went to audiology due to bad tinitus in one ear. I know that then I'd lost 25% in one ear and can't hear high sounds like a digital watch alarm .
But recently I realised I can't hear some lower frequency sounds in the other ear! And I haven't got a clue what direction most sounds come from 🤣
I avoid pubs and busy cafes as I can't follow conversations, but also it all gets a bit much with the noise so that I can't even think straight.
I'd best get re-booked!
Edit: my wife tells me we do have audiologists here so I'd best speak to the GP, as Ive not got a few grand lying about
@jkomo - very timely post and sorry for the thread hijack op.
My dads got the NHS hearing aids. He finds them ok but when mum was in hospital recently he kept pinging them out with the face masks. I’ve had a quick look at more expensive units to see if they have a different design but doesn’t seem so. Any input on that?
Thanks!
I went for a hearing test at my local NHS surgery. The first thing they did was check my ears were not full of wax - I was half relieved that my ears were clean, half disappointed they couldn't be quickly cured.
They set me up an appointment at my local hospital. I had a test where they checked exactly what sounds I had difficulty hearing, then ordered aids for me. None of this cost me a penny, and everyone I dealt with was great.
A couple of months ago I got called in for a re-test. My hearing was about the same, but they told me that as I used mine regularly (some people hate them and won't use them) I was getting an upgrade - again this is all free.
They are not magic, they help more in some situations than others. I still have difficulty as I work in a theatre, and there's lots of noise coming from different areas and levels, so I cannot hear the person speaking to me. Also, theatres are designed for projection, not conversation. However, in many situations they are a real help.
I'd get to your local hearing clinic if I were you. If my experience is anything to go by they'll look after you.
Just saw @tartanscarf post.
Masks and hearing aids are a bad mix - I had to wear both for months, and it was uncomfortable and impractical.
I found standard paper masks were best. Put the aids on first, then the mask. Or get one of those plastic face shields - they work ok.
Sounds like age-related hearing loss.
TLDR - get to your GP for an audiology referral. Then chase up for an annual retest.
I went to my GP in about 2015 with right-sided tinnitus and high frequency hearing loss.
Had an ENT referral, contrast MRI (done by one of my former students 🙂), and then audiology exam at the local community hospital: right sided hearing loss possibly of age or viral origin. Got prescribed a hearing aid.
Hearing aid helped in many situations. I’ve never had to wear glasses a lot so getting used to putting an appliance on (ooh er) was weird. Made a difference to conversation intelligibility and helped me be less aware of my tinnitus.
My parrot had chewed several of the tubes from the aid. I’d forget I had the hearing aid in, the parrot would clamber up to sit on my shoulder, then whip the aid out and snip through the tube! Thankfully he never chewed the aid.
This year after a grim viral infection I noticed my left side’s hearing was worse than my right ☹️. A real pain when I cranked up the stereo one day and thought the left channel was muted somehow. Add other symptoms, saw my GP: Ménière’s disease likely.
Audiology test at a local provider (beacon medical) and the audiogram was worse this time: high frequency loss both sides commensurate with age-related hearing loss.
Got prescribed 2 phonax hearing aids. BT-enabled.
Also an ENT referral due to the sudden loss.
New hearing aids are pretty good. They still sound weird and tinny when first in but that subsides quickly.
Feels like the world has been put in a box when I take them out.
Biggest faff is taking them out to then put in earphones.
Sitting with your back to a wall or better still a corner can help if you struggle with background noise, but there comes a point where you can't compensate naturally. Soft furnishing helps as well
I can put my hand on at least three hearing aids that my parents won't wear, will the NHS take them back for reuse?
Hearing aids are really ‘on loan’ so you should return unused/replaced ones.
https://www.recycle-more.co.uk/what-can-i-recycle-/what-can-i-recycle/hearing-aids
Tartanscarf, the best private ones are also ‘behind the ear’ style (receiver in canal or RIC) as It separates the mic and the speaker, and is less prone to damp ingress than in the ear styles. The advantage of in the ear is purely cosmetic but the RIC have the speaker in the ear linked by a very thin wire so the look pretty invisible. Prob is you still going to flip them out with a mask or taking a jumper off etc.
Rechargeable very important too for those with less dexterity and saves a lot of batteries from disposal.
Specsavers guarantee is 4 years, and they will need it, turnaround is about 10 working days for a fix.
Biggest faff is taking them out to then put in earphones.
When I got mine I went for ones with Bluetooth connections so I can listen to stuff from my phone. HAs are optimised for speech so music sounds rubbish but there's so many good podcasts around I just stick with those.
If your hearing aid has frequency compression it's useful if the Audiologist sets up a music program with the frequency compression turned off.
Frequency compression may help speech intelligibility but will move some of the high frequencies to a lower frequency and make music sound strange.
When I got mine I went for ones with Bluetooth connections so I can listen to stuff from my phone. HAs are optimised for speech so music sounds rubbish but there’s so many good podcasts around I just stick with those.
mine are BT-enabled. But while phone calls and notifications are OK music is both weak and not isolated from my surroundings. Hence taking out my hearing aids and popping in my CIEMs. And just realised that I did that before leaving the house and left my hearing aids behind. 😖
Bookmarked
Anyone reading this use Phonak hearing aids?
Have got a slight issue that would like advice with cheers.
I wear hearing aids in both ears...they are good but, they don't cure all sounds and everytime you get a new pair its always a different sound...probably because I keep moving up the spec each time.
I got a new pair last year just under £2k I paid and the best thing they have done over All,the others I've had is cut out the wind noise...but in noisy environments I really struggle , places like pubs for example....but what I have found is loud bangs and plates crashing are cancelled...so if anyone popped a balloon next to me I wouldn't even blink..
So yeah they are great but don't expect to be fully cured.
All my hearing aids are from specsavers....ive had 5 pairs in my time but been deaf for 40 years
I use hearing aids - and have the bog standard NHS ones - they get renewed every couple of years. However due to Covid, I haven't had a hearing test for 4 years.
As mentioned - they are nor perfect but they are better than not having any! I still have lists with loud noises / crowded rooms - or my favourite, kitchen, oven on, radio on, water running, wife sticks head in the fridge and then decides to talk to me.
I found Specsavers awful - dead set on selling me what I said I wanted , when I had no experience of hearing aids at all. I was sold completely in ear ones , which were not suitable for my needs - and made everyone sound like a Dalek. Fortunately it was try for a month or money back - so I got my 2k or whatever to was back ... after 5 days.
They were very intent on selling me something - what I actually needed was choices and advice.
I got that from an audiology department.
BTW, I was convinced I didn't need them - but I certainly did.
Anyone reading this use Phonak hearing aids?
I got a pair only a couple of weeks ago. Nathos Nova M is what the app identifies them as. Instruction booklet to confirm is not to hand.
From experiences with my mum, and those of friends, I’d say addressing your hearing difficulties can be something that also helps those around you and not just yourself. My mum’s hearing was terrible for years, yet she refused to acknowledge this, and instead blamed others for not speaking properly/mumbling etc. Very frustrating. And even when she did finally get some (after a doctor testing her for something else exasperatedly insisted she had to get her hearing sorted as she was failing to act according to her treatment, she deliberately didn’t use them. People happily wear glasses, but are funny about their hearing, as though it’s a sign of weakness or something. Friends husband is like this; stubborn bastard won’t get his hearing tested, so she ends up shouting at him all the time. It can be very wearing for those around you. Try to see it simply as a part wearing out, rather than a decline in your own mortality or whatever. Do it for those around you and not just yourself.
I have worn hearing aids since an early age, now in my 50s.
The technology has improved greatly in that time.
I have NHS digital aids and they are good but used as my back up set.
My main set are Phonak, not sure which.
The main plus point is that they are waterproof which may matter to some on here.
I had swum out of a sea kayak wearing them and they still work.
Expensive but worth it for me as I can wear them more, just use a head band to cut out wind noise.
This thread has prompted me to nip upstairs fire a battery in and get used to them.