Hearing Aid advice
Discussion
WinstonWolf said:
How bad is your hearing loss? The in-ear ones are only suitable for mild to moderate loss, if you've got a moderate to severe loss you'll need a behind the ear one.
For me (severe loss in one ear) hearing well is more important than how it looks .
It is for my mother, her loss on the conversation level is 85% but other areas For me (severe loss in one ear) hearing well is more important than how it looks .
is 60%
Macski said:
WinstonWolf said:
How bad is your hearing loss? The in-ear ones are only suitable for mild to moderate loss, if you've got a moderate to severe loss you'll need a behind the ear one.
For me (severe loss in one ear) hearing well is more important than how it looks .
It is for my mother, her loss on the conversation level is 85% but other areas For me (severe loss in one ear) hearing well is more important than how it looks .
is 60%
She can get referred to the NHS by her GP, batteries etc are free.
You're kind of limited by the size of the package required at that level of amplification.
22 said:
Go to the NHS. I would have pressed the button on a privately-bought set, had the tester/salesman been up for a slight deal. He wasn't, PH opened my eyes to the world of NHS and job jobbed.
Most people think if you go private and spend £000's you will get something special,you won't.I've been private and now back to our dear old NHS.They will give you a full audiometry and supply the correct AIDS to suite your hearing loss.
If the hospital hearing aid department is anything like mine,they will have a drop in centre. Where they will carry out any adjustments,supply batteries,etc all for free of course. Also ear moulds will have to be replaced every two years or so.
Macski said:
krisdelta said:
Is there any reason not to go via NHS? They've provided some fantastic aids for my wife over the years, great support too with any issues.
We have tryed the NHS sets but mum finds them uncomfortable and they whistle A private audiologist once told me the only difference between hearing aids is the skill of the audiologist ,not too long ago NHS only had analogue While Private had the trump card of Digital now the NHS had digital ..Private has to use smoke and mirrors to push their products
But if your looking at private why not google hearing aid specialists in your area then google their reviews. I wouldnt use Chains personally,
But if your looking at private why not google hearing aid specialists in your area then google their reviews. I wouldnt use Chains personally,
Edited by smashy on Monday 23 September 22:43
I have tried both NHS and a variety of private clinics and high street chains over the 20+ years of wearing hearing aids, since losing my hearing in my late teens.
The NHS provides a great service, although some trusts are under resourced and funded. As a result some trusts may have a limited choice of hearing aids, which was the case the last time I visited the audiology department. They will have models from the leading manufacturers, but perhaps only one or two, even then you may not be able to choose as this limited choice will almost certainly depend on your type of hearing lost and severity.
This will sometimes limit things like the newest technology, size, type (RIC/RITE BTE mBTE etc) also custom shells/tips as opposed to domes. Some of this may well have changed in recent years.
I would not discount the high street shops, although a lot depends on the audiologists you find there. I must in particular single out Boots hearing care in Winchester, as one of the best experiences I have had. The audiologist studied at Southampton University and had worked a considerable period with the NHS as an audiologist before going to the 'dark side'! The independent clinics tend to be (much) more expensive as they include their visits into the cost of the aids, they have to make a living somehow, coupled with the economies of scale for the high street giants.
That said the single most important thing is fit, a comprehensive hearing test, combined with some situational tweaks and feedback to the audiologist, they need to work for you.
I could bore you all day with hearing related matter, if you have any questions feel free to give me a shout. I am not a professional just had over 30 operations on my ears and had numerous hearing aids and am quite geeky!
The NHS provides a great service, although some trusts are under resourced and funded. As a result some trusts may have a limited choice of hearing aids, which was the case the last time I visited the audiology department. They will have models from the leading manufacturers, but perhaps only one or two, even then you may not be able to choose as this limited choice will almost certainly depend on your type of hearing lost and severity.
This will sometimes limit things like the newest technology, size, type (RIC/RITE BTE mBTE etc) also custom shells/tips as opposed to domes. Some of this may well have changed in recent years.
I would not discount the high street shops, although a lot depends on the audiologists you find there. I must in particular single out Boots hearing care in Winchester, as one of the best experiences I have had. The audiologist studied at Southampton University and had worked a considerable period with the NHS as an audiologist before going to the 'dark side'! The independent clinics tend to be (much) more expensive as they include their visits into the cost of the aids, they have to make a living somehow, coupled with the economies of scale for the high street giants.
That said the single most important thing is fit, a comprehensive hearing test, combined with some situational tweaks and feedback to the audiologist, they need to work for you.
I could bore you all day with hearing related matter, if you have any questions feel free to give me a shout. I am not a professional just had over 30 operations on my ears and had numerous hearing aids and am quite geeky!
Edited by sma on Wednesday 25th September 08:58
krisdelta said:
Macski said:
krisdelta said:
Is there any reason not to go via NHS? They've provided some fantastic aids for my wife over the years, great support too with any issues.
We have tryed the NHS sets but mum finds them uncomfortable and they whistle smashy said:
A private audiologist once told me the only difference between hearing aids is the skill of the audiologist
Absolutely right. The results you get from a hearing aid are 5% aid dependent and 95% how good your audiologist is as ascertaining your needs and programming the aid using the computer software provided by the manufacturer. TwigtheWonderkid said:
My wife has had Oticon & Phonak over the years from the NHS.
Like I said, the NHS supply from the big manufacturers, the choice of manufactures/model choice is just more limited in most cases, dependant on loss/type of loss. The Siemens in this example was the only aid that was available to me at that time on the NHS.Edited by sma on Tuesday 24th September 19:16
sma said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
My wife has had Oticon & Phonak over the years from the NHS.
Like I said, the NHS supply from the big manufacturers, the choice of manufactures/model choice is just more limited in most cases, dependant on loss/type of loss. The Siemens in this example was the only aid that was available to me at that time on the NHS.Edited by sma on Tuesday 24th September 19:16
Thanks for all your replies.
Our NHS audiology department is a load of rubbish. Over the years they supplied two hearing aids, both behind the ear, both were uncomfortable and would whistle, when returning to the dept they just checked the hearing aid for malfunctions and returned it.
That was three\four years ago, maybe we should go back?
Our NHS audiology department is a load of rubbish. Over the years they supplied two hearing aids, both behind the ear, both were uncomfortable and would whistle, when returning to the dept they just checked the hearing aid for malfunctions and returned it.
That was three\four years ago, maybe we should go back?
Macski said:
Thanks for all your replies.
Our NHS audiology department is a load of rubbish. Over the years they supplied two hearing aids, both behind the ear, both were uncomfortable and would whistle, when returning to the dept they just checked the hearing aid for malfunctions and returned it.
That was three\four years ago, maybe we should go back?
You should, just be persistent and she's not using it as it's feeding back. It shouldn't whistle when fitted and set up correctly.Our NHS audiology department is a load of rubbish. Over the years they supplied two hearing aids, both behind the ear, both were uncomfortable and would whistle, when returning to the dept they just checked the hearing aid for malfunctions and returned it.
That was three\four years ago, maybe we should go back?
WinstonWolf said:
Macski said:
Thanks for all your replies.
Our NHS audiology department is a load of rubbish. Over the years they supplied two hearing aids, both behind the ear, both were uncomfortable and would whistle, when returning to the dept they just checked the hearing aid for malfunctions and returned it.
That was three\four years ago, maybe we should go back?
You should, just be persistent and she's not using it as it's feeding back. It shouldn't whistle when fitted and set up correctly.Our NHS audiology department is a load of rubbish. Over the years they supplied two hearing aids, both behind the ear, both were uncomfortable and would whistle, when returning to the dept they just checked the hearing aid for malfunctions and returned it.
That was three\four years ago, maybe we should go back?
Apologies for the thread revival but how do you find an expert audiologist? My father is 86 and his hearing is poor. He has an NHS heading aid but like others on here it whistles etc. is uncomfortable and he doesn't always wear it for that reason. The local hospital has stopped their drop in service due to covid and told him he needs a GP referral for a reassessment, which apparently may take up to 9 months. He has stage 4 cancer and so may not have much more than 9 that.
I'd like his last time with us to be as fruitful as possible. At the moment he can converse in a quiet room one on one but he cant sit around and hold a conversation in a restaurant or a noisy room. He struggles with the grandchildren.
Is there anyone that people can recommend in the merseyside area who may be able to help him sooner than would be the case on the NHS? I have nothing against the NHS, it is just time he doesn't have. And if Im paying for him is there anything i should be looking out for, particular appliances that people would recommend?
thank you
Andrew
I'd like his last time with us to be as fruitful as possible. At the moment he can converse in a quiet room one on one but he cant sit around and hold a conversation in a restaurant or a noisy room. He struggles with the grandchildren.
Is there anyone that people can recommend in the merseyside area who may be able to help him sooner than would be the case on the NHS? I have nothing against the NHS, it is just time he doesn't have. And if Im paying for him is there anything i should be looking out for, particular appliances that people would recommend?
thank you
Andrew
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