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Hearing Aids Pros and Cons

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  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    I calculate that given the cost of batteries, I need only live another 118 years to make my money back on the hearing aids.
  • caroline444caroline444 Shipmate
    edited June 2019
    @Firenze I wish you longevity! :grin:

    I've only had my regular NHS hearing aids for a couple of months, but there are a couple of situations where I find it very hard to hear even when wearing them.

    - When people who don't enunciate well speak on the phone (I know phones are notorious for poor transmission.)
    - At morning prayers, (which is my usual service.) Do other people find it hard to hear in rooms with very high ceilings? I can't hear a word of any of the readings.
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    High ceilings are an acoustic killer. Long ago, when my hearing was fine, I used to attend work meetings in a room in a historic building. It was not that large, but nevertheless I could barely hear the half dozen people I was sitting round the table with.

    And don’t get me started on those who, if they have to address a room, direct their remarks to the floor or the side wall while MUMBLING.
  • Firenze wrote: »
    High ceilings are an acoustic killer. Long ago, when my hearing was fine, I used to attend work meetings in a room in a historic building. It was not that large, but nevertheless I could barely hear the half dozen people I was sitting round the table with.

    And don’t get me started on those who, if they have to address a room, direct their remarks to the floor or the side wall while MUMBLING.

    Ah, thank you, that was very helpful! I was wondering if I had done the hearing test incorrectly, but it's obviously just an acoustic thing.

    Ha ha, I too am not a fan of mumblers (or people who talk very quietly). Grrrrrrr! :rage:
  • Caroline, if your place has a loop system and your aids have a 'T' setting, you'll get 'dry' speech from the mic with no room reverb all over it making intelligibility more difficult. It can help a lot.
  • @mark_in_manchester Thank you for that. I'm pretty sure we don't have a loop system in the chapel where we meet for morning prayers, but it's something to bear in mind for the future.
  • Mumblers are bad indeed, but so are those who gabble on and on. Words run into each other and are unintelligible too.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Loop systems are wonderful. Our new library has them fitted. The church did too, until the quakes damaged it. :angry: :anguished:
  • Huia - I recommissioned a loop system for our church. The loop itself is often buried in the walls, floor etc, and might have been broken by the earthquake - but it doesn't have to be buried. Getting someone handy to experiment with a piece of wire run round the walls of the space might get you in action again - just a plain wire, which is connected to the output terminals of the special amplifier which drives the loop itself.
  • Just make sure that the wire doesn't run near any other wiring. At the local church the bodgers ran the hearing loop and sound wires through with the lighting and all I could then hear when the sound system was on was the lighting feedback. Unfortunately for me it was too high pitched for the bodgers who were old and deaf and refused to believe me.
  • Graven ImageGraven Image Shipmate
    edited June 2019
    Does anyone use recharge hearing aid batteries? Looks like they cost about $80.00 for charger and batteries but might be worth it in the long run, also less of a recycle problem. I read they were good for 5 years. That seems a very long time.
  • Mine use rechargeable batteries and I am quite satisfied. Charging unit came with the aids so I don't know what the cost would be separately. Also I don't know how long the batteries will last, but the aids have a three year warranty.
  • My aids are a Siemens model which is a sealed unit with inductive recharging. Warranty 3 years, expected battery life 5 years. Just pop the aids into the charging unit when I go to bed and they are ready to be inserted when I get up in the morning. As our national scheme allows for replacement of aids every five years, I am anticipating that the batteries will not need replacing. I'm also hoping that in five years' time advances in technology will mean that rechargeable aids are free to pensioners. Even though there was substantial subsidy and insurance refund, there was still a co-payment of almost $500 on these.
  • IgnatianIgnatian Shipmate Posts: 29
    I've been wearing ReSound hearing aids for about 4 years now. Biggest hassle happens to be in churches; they screech with feedback when the organ hits those high notes. I also have a Roger external, wireless mic that works via FM signal direct to the hearing aids. The Roger, which looks a bit like a flying saucer, can be worn around the neck of a conversation partner in a noisy place like a restaurant, or placed on a table during a discussion. It really helps, but ain't cheap.
  • @Ignatian The Roger sounds excellent. I find hearing in crowded places very difficult. How big is the disc?
  • TL:DR the thread. I'm completely deaf (+/- 25yrs) in my left ear (Ménière's). 25% or less in my right without a hearing aid, with a Linx Resound 2 is fine. Well, fine enough. I have an op date for a cochlear implant in the left, 10 November. Keep you posted.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    I hope it goes well for you FD.

    I will get new hearing aids in December, In NZ the Government will pay $500 towards each aid every 6 years,
  • Could you be a CI candidate, @Huia?
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    I don't think so. I did ask the audiologist, but I think my hearing loss isn't the right kind. I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but will check it out when I see her next. I think too that priority may be given to young children, which I fully support, as they can miss crucial learning that can affect the rest of their lives. I have seen older people with implants, but I think they have been done privately. Short of bank robbing (I have the mask already :wink: ) or winning Lotto, there is no way I could afford to have one, even if my hearing loss could be treated.
  • Implant brought forward to Nov 10. Switch-on and 1st mapping Nov 27. 2nd and 3rd mapping Dec 4 and 18. Nucleus 7 CP1000 (dunno what CP1000 is?) The devices and mapping are "bulk-billed", ie public health care for all, while the surgeon, anaesthetist and overnight hospital stay come out of my private health insurance, because I get an earlier implant date by "going private".
  • Check just what your health fund will cover. We had our colonoscopies 15 months ago (not on the same day!) and although that's a day procedure, the fee from a major private hospital here was $1800 odd, the surgeon $850, and anaesthetist $600. Very little of that was recouped despite insurance at the highest level. A mate had some necessary plastic surgery done earlier this year - necessary as a part of cancer removal, not for cosmetic purposes - and the surgeon charged $3,500.00!!!! The government refund was just over $500 and another $100 or so from the insurer. On top of that was the $1800 from the same hospital I referred to.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    I hope it goes well for you FD.

    Through reading about the implant programme here I have discovered that the government have cut back on what they will pay for. For myself that doesn't matter so much, but it is crucial that children are funded without having to wait too long. No child who is in need of one should miss out, it is an investment in their future.
  • Thankyou @Gee D Everything checked by surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital. @Clarence has a colonoscopy every 5 years (family history), most that the Infirmary for Sick Dissenters charges unrefundable is $500 for first admission/day procedure per year.
    @Huia, I've wasted 15 years because audiologists who aren't Cochlear-qualified told me that I wasn't eligible, it would do me no good. What they meant was, they get nothing from it. Ask yr GP to give you a referral to an ENT surgeon, bypass audiologists. As I understand NZ public health, if you have a surgeon's recommendation, an implant will be covered.
  • Gee D wrote: »
    Check just what your health fund will cover. We had our colonoscopies 15 months ago (not on the same day!) and although that's a day procedure, the fee from a major private hospital here was $1800 odd, the surgeon $850, and anaesthetist $600. Very little of that was recouped despite insurance at the highest level. A mate had some necessary plastic surgery done earlier this year - necessary as a part of cancer removal, not for cosmetic purposes - and the surgeon charged $3,500.00!!!! The government refund was just over $500 and another $100 or so from the insurer. On top of that was the $1800 from the same hospital I referred to.

    My recent colonoscopy was all bulk-billed - surgeon and private hospital inclusive of staff anaesthetist. Laser reduction of prostate earlier in the year at the same hospital, theatre, anaesthetist and two night stay including post-surgery overnight cautionary ICU was still bulk-billed, but the surgeon was $3000 in advance. He's the best-regarded in the local region, and I got in just a couple of days before the suspension of elective surgery.
  • You are both very fortunate. Our colonoscopies are because problems showed up on the initial tests we had and the Commonwealth department responsible recommended that we have the further test. From then on, we were in the hands of the practitioners. Theoretically it's all open to negotiation but there's precious little we were able to do. The hospital we attended is a well known private one, church based and with a good reputation. We hoped that after years of using the church's breakfast cereal we might have received a discount, but no such luck.
  • Has anybody got good advice (or any advice, really, I'm not choosy) for a man who desperately needs hearing aids, but cannot abide the touch of anything on his head? That includes hats, glasses, and hearing aids. He gets severe headaches within five minutes of donning any such thing, and the headaches never go away until he takes them off (which is why he prefers to risk skin cancer rather than wear a hat in the blazing sun, and refuses ditto in the freezing cold when any sane creature is bundled in fur hats). I'm speaking of Mr Lamb, of course, who has been going steadily more deaf (family problem) and has finally realized that his parishioners are having trouble communicating with him, and it's not simply that his family are mumblers or cranky.

    He's much more motivated now, and on his own has been practicing with ordinary earbuds in the hopes of learning to tolerate Things On/in His Head™. But I'm not sure it's going to happen. If he has a moderate to difficult adjustment to the sound on top of dealing with headaches, I fear he will just throw in the towel. And it's done a lot of damage to his social relationships already.

    From my googling, it sounds like compression headaches (though he's very, very sensitive--more than most people with them). His audiologist two years ago tried, but had no luck finding something that would work. (and oh gosh, this is going to cost the earth...)
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    edited September 2020
    If you can afford it, might benefit from advice from a sensory specialist on what would work.
  • I saw this and thought, what is Doublethink talking about, "If you can afford it"? Then I twigged. Sorry, Americans.
    If you can afford it

  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    edited September 2020
    I meant in relation to tolerance of touch on the head, rather than selection of hearing aids per se - and yes I was thinking sensory assessment and intervention might not be covered by standard health insurance.
  • Yikes. I have no idea where to even start... doubt our family doctor woulf refer, as sensory stuff here seems to need justifying with a diagnosis of ASD or simikar. But perhaps I'm wrong, (and perhaps i'm not, having been fighting insurance companies all week.)
  • In my world the professional qualification of the professional consulted is less important than the skill set and practice area. It could be a neurologist, occupational therapist, neuropsychologist for example. My tendency would be to find someone locally who is medically connected and have them advocate. Perhaps: various people, often nurses and physical therapists here, who've retired from clinical practice, provide fee for service navigation of the health system for difficult to understand things.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    Yikes. I have no idea where to even start... doubt our family doctor woulf refer, as sensory stuff here seems to need justifying with a diagnosis of ASD or simikar. But perhaps I'm wrong, (and perhaps i'm not, having been fighting insurance companies all week.)

    A sensory integration disorder is a separate diagnosis, usually assessed by occupational therapy or speech and language therapy in the U.K.
    Though obviously I don’t know what your insurance would cover.
  • My experience of our medical system is pretty wide-ranging (given that we've been gofers for about 10K refugees down the years) and in my experience there isn't a chance in hell anyone would investigate past "oh, must be compression headaches, sucks to be you" and possibly a suggestion of pills. Insurance won't cover anything non-obvious (again, in my experience) and certainly not exploratory diagnosis-seeking for something that could be easily solved by simply giving up the hearing aid (and with it, the ability to hear (bitter laugh)). Possibly they might do it for a child; less likely, for an attractive young woman or a male executive; not a hope in hell for a 70 yo Asian male pastor.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    :(

    In case it is helpful, here is a summary of the approximate costs if you paid without insurance in the U.K. https://sensoryintegration.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/42000020322-what-is-a-sensory-integration-assessment-and-how-much-does-it-cost-

    It puts the cost of a basic assessment at about 600 dollars.

    The balance of risks and costs is v personal of course, and there’s the risk you do the assessment and find nothing that helps in terms of managing hearing aids.
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Purgatory Host, Circus Host
    Have you looked into in-ear aids? Would they still bother Mr. Lamb if they were inside his ear and not touching the outside of his head?

    Apologies if I'm stating the very obvious.
  • Not a problem at all--no, it seems to be anything touching his head anywhere from the neck up, inside or out of it. (I did wonder how he manages to tolerate his dental fillings!)

    He told me yesterday that he can now handle earbuds for up to an hour more or less before the headache starts up in truth. Which is encouraging.

    I have warned him that he needs to expect things not to work right, right off the bat. I'm hoping that if I pessimitize (is that a word?), Mr Lamb will do wonderfully with them, just to prove me wrong! :lol:
  • The Bellman & Symfon Mino might be worth considering, provided it has enough amplification for him. I found it useful in a class setting where we were spaced out along a long table, but it would be better used in a one-to-one face-to-face setting.
  • That looks very like the gadget they gave him two years ago, when we first tried to get him fitted. He gave it a good go, but couldn't cope with the headaches, which were setting in within 5 minutes at that point. Pity, as it looked great.
  • Might be worth trying again - as long as you can get hold of one without any further assessment - now that he can tolerate ear-buds for a short time.
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    What material are the earbuds he can tolerate for a bit? My hearing aids are Phonak - not only extremely light (0.05oz) but the shell of the ear bud is soft silicone.
  • Good question! He's just gone out the door so maybe I can find out tonight.
  • My Phonak aids were extremely light and comfortable, and my new Siemens model is even more so. I hardly know that they're there.
  • Well, the anaesthetist, who I thought would be the stand-out cost, has just mailed "No gap". Waiting to hear from the hospital, but I'm pretty sure that their gap will be $500 or less. The audiologist has confirmed that 3 x 2 hour post-implant mapping sessions are bulk-billed.
    So a $40,000 device, surgery, an overnight hospital stay and multiple post-implant mappings, will set me back a maximum of $1,000. Were I to use a different surgeon and hospital, not even the $1,000. That's "socialised medicine" for you. Thankyou Gough (won't mean anything to non-Aussies, nor even Aussies of the generations after Gough who don't know how much they owe to him.)
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Wow - I'm impressed, and happy for you. Lucky that no one coming after him has cancelled his good work. We had a good system, but several slash and burn merchants from both left and right wing plundered it.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    My new hearing aids arrived today. Normally I'd be asked to go to the audiology clinic to check they were the right settings etc, but they are trying to avoid extra visits there if they can. From a quick try out they don't seem to be set quite right, but my husband who I use to test such things is out at the moment. I think we'll have a few experiments when he gets back, and then leave it a few days before I call to ask for an appointment to have them properly calibrated.
  • Well, the anaesthetist, who I thought would be the stand-out cost, has just mailed "No gap". Waiting to hear from the hospital, but I'm pretty sure that their gap will be $500 or less. The audiologist has confirmed that 3 x 2 hour post-implant mapping sessions are bulk-billed.
    So a $40,000 device, surgery, an overnight hospital stay and multiple post-implant mappings, will set me back a maximum of $1,000. Were I to use a different surgeon and hospital, not even the $1,000. That's "socialised medicine" for you. Thankyou Gough (won't mean anything to non-Aussies, nor even Aussies of the generations after Gough who don't know how much they owe to him.)
    Amen to that

  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    Nope the aids are not right. Even cranked up to their max settings I hear less well than with the old ones. And again the moulds aren't great, though better than the previous pair that had my ears in agony before I'd left the hospital grounds.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    You have done very well indeed. I had some small but necessary surgery done in March. Day admission only, but still left with much of the hospital account from a well-known but private hospital. The surgeon's fee was $3500, with refunds from Medicare and insurer of $600 in round terms. A gap with the anaesthetist also. The regular colonoscopy in winter last year at the same hospital left gaps also, but nowhere near as much. Gough's reforms were great, but others have mauled away at them.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    New hearing aids today - the world is such a LOUD place. I paid $3,600 with a subsidy from the government of around $1,000
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