Hearing aids

[Oma]

Not sure this is the right category but it is Techno sort of

As ive said on another thread B had his Hearing aids fitted today and boy are they tiny ,
I don't know what I expected but didn't expect these ,
He came out of the fitting room and I didn't realise he had them in , he came out with a paper bag with stuff in and I thought they were in there .
I said to him he would have to put them in when he got home to get used to them and he said I have got them in

I had to take a second look there was a very thin clear wire leading from the top of his ear that I could hardly detect as it blended in with his skin and behind his ear in the crease was a tiny silver drop type of shape that looked like the end of his glasses arm only higher up ,
Looking from the front and side I couldn't tell and the back as I said looked like his glasses .

They very state of the art digital , very expensive but I think worth it .

To be honest I only ever see my neighbours hearing aids that are quite bulky so I didn't expect these to be so small , Technology has came a long way hasn't it ,
These can be set for various settings like a crowded room so he doesn't get to much back noise etc .

He is finding things very noisy at the minute , I was washing up and he said it sounded like I was crashing about in the sink no doubt that will settle down .

I used to many years ago do sign language ( mostly forgotten now only a learner really ) and I did see many hearing aids in the deaf community and in them days they were the old beige ones so I kind of had those in my mind when he went for them .

its like how big computers were compared to now everything is getting smaller ( unlike my waist line )
Fantastic what can be done now isn't it , no more constantly repeating myself thank goodness he has no excuse that he cant hear me anymore hahaha

[Nana]

Well done B. I hope they make life easier for him. They sound very swish. Careful what you say now Oma.😂

[Oma]

Oh he always heard what I called him Nana

[Sum1Ls]

That’s fascinating. I’m finding that my hearing has deteriorated over the last five years. It’s in meetings and crowded rooms that I have difficulty. I’ve thought about getting tested but the thought if those pink monsters in my ears has put me off. Are B’s aids NHS ones? Is it cheeky to ask how much they were if not?

[Gemini]

Sum1, my OH has NHS ones, and although not invisible like the ones Oma describes I can never tell if the has them in or not. I have to really stare to see. No pink monsters!!
My auntie has swish private ones, like B's and I didn't know she had them until she told me. She tells me she is almost totally deaf without them.

I would say try the NHS ones first, as many people, like my OH find them fine. Not only are they free, the batteries, which only last a week or so are free too. My auntie didn't get on with the NHS one, so went private, but if it was me I would go down the NHS route first.

[Plantaholic]

I have NH ones and they are very small, I find it difficult to pick up conversation without them but I am not very deaf and can manage without them but conversation is difficult. Mine are NH and they change them every so often and the batteries are free.

[Oma]

Sum1 they are private and cost almost £3000 pound ,
To be honest if it was me I would have opted to try NHS ones first but he jumped in with both feet
Although I must admit they are good

I just think what if he couldn't bear wearing them that's a lot of money down the drain , For that amount of money I will super glue them in if that happened

[grannyjules]

Having a wee is noisy too. Makes you wonder what other folk can hear, lol!
I went to specsavers for mine. I'm like Plant, can hear without, but very helpful in certain situations. I've very short hair cut around my ears, but no one notices if I've got them in.
Rhys asks me, then tells me off if I haven't. But I tell him he's too noisy anyway

[Daisy]

Oma - it sounds as though B's super-duper aids are worth the money.

I went down the NHS route. My hearing's not awful, but I knew it wasn't perfect. I'm struggling with them. They do make a difference to volume of speech, noises, anything, but they haven't made sounds clearer. If people are speaking indistinctly I still can't tell what they're saying, irrespective of the volume they're saying it at! I still can't hear speech on tv over that awful 'background' music so many programmes use.

Finally, I find the right one very uncomfortable - the part that goes behind your ear irritates my skin and makes it sore. I know I ought to go back and try some different ones, but I'm worried that I could spend a huge amount of money and still not be able to use them.

OH has exactly the same NHS ones and he's doing really well with them.

[Oma]

B had wore glasses since he was 3 Daisy and still occasionally gets sore behind his ears . That's why I thought he should have gone down the NHS route to start with . He had the garden vax out this morning and had to put his ear protectors on he's hearing sounds he never noticed before and how loud they are .

[Sum1Ls]

Thanks for the info everyone. I’ll try the NHS first. Where do you recommend going for a test?

[Mimi]

Hearing aids have come a long way since the days of Fawlty Towers, who remembers the lady who insisted on having her hearing aid turned off to save the batteries much to Basil Fawlty dispare .

Dad could never get on with his and he gave up on them very quickly, mind you that was over 15 years ago, things have definitely changed.
Oma I don’t think I would pay that much for them if I needed them , I’d be terrified of breaking them ! I would have to have NHS ones I think.

[Plantaholic]

Our doctors practice sent me to a hearing and opticians, some doctors send you to a hospital hearing department. I think you will have to see your doctor first if you want to try the NH the NH aids.

[Gemini]

My mum and OH had their tests at the audiology department at our local hospital.

[Daisy]

Sum1 - you need to see your doctor or practice nurse first. They need to check there's no wax and will give you a referral for a hospital, Specsavers or Scrivens opticians. OH and I went to Specsavers and they were very thorough with testing etc. They did say if you have any worries or problems to go back. You can also get free replacement batteries there - they come in packs.

If you want a quick check to see if your hearing has deteriorated Specsavers can give you a very quick audio test with an instant readout. This isn't what they dispense from! Other places may offer the same but I happened to be in Specsavers having my eyes tested, and it was before I'd got the referral from the doctors.