A good audiologist is worth their weight in gold. Although I have recently been to Specsavers for glasses to use for needlework, I would never go to them for hearing aids as the practice I go to is professional, friendly and helpful. At Specsavers I felt like I was merely being processed. Having sai that the glasses are OK for my needs.
@Graven Image's post today in the Aging parents thread has reminded of this thread.
I was prescribed hearing aids two years ago but don't want to wear them when home alone most of the time, as I really like the silence. But at meals after church, when I would really like to hear what is being discussed, the aids can't cope with as many as 20 voices, plus the clatter of everyone eating and drinking, not to mention the sound of my own chewing. So I've given up on them.
But I am finding it increasingly difficult to hear on the phone (landline), especially when the person has a strong accent, as so many people staffing customer help lines seem to be foreign.
So I am thinking of trying another audiologist in case there's a better solution for me.
cgichard I have the same problem with strong accents. I found it helpful to say, "I am hard of hearing, It would help me if you would talk slowly." That way I am not saying your accent is the problem my hearing is. Also, can you get a landline phone that has captions? They are free where I live in California. My other phone had that option as well, but with my new phone volume, I no longer need it if people with strong accents speak slower.
The lots of people and noise is a problem however good the aids. Hell, it was a problem even before I went deaf.
My aids have a volume control button, which can be turned down a notch for complete silence.
When the Bluetooth on my mobile kicks in (it doesn't always) phone is ok. If it's a foreign accent on the landline the overwhelming probability is that it's a scam call in any case.
My bluetooth hearing aids are so good when it comes to phone calls, though as @Firenze says it doesn't always kick in so I ask people to wait while I sort it. Annoying if it then turns out to be a scam.
I went to an interesting demo at the theatre in cathedral city to the west of us. I can pair my hearing aids to their sound system which is great in theory and works, but there is a delay which is a bit disconcerting. I can do the same with a bit of kit and the t-switch setting on my aids which is a bit more of a fiddle but no delay. I'll be looking to see what I fancy going to see there to try the system out properly.
I think I will bite the bullet and go to an audiologist this summer. I definitely have diminished hearing in my left ear. It is starting to effect hearing my students in class and meetings with clients in my office.
I think I will bite the bullet and go to an audiologist this summer. I definitely have diminished hearing in my left ear. It is starting to effect hearing my students in class and meetings with clients in my office.
You cannot begin it too soon. Your hearing can slip away - I went from mildly deaf in my 50s to severely deaf now (in my 70s). That I can still (mostly) hear and communicate is down to getting the best hearing aids I could afford.
I am having a problem with my right hearing aid often popping out from inside my ear, even though I place it firmly in. Does anyone else have this problem? I am so afraid of losing it as I cannot feel when it happens. I do keep checking that it is there.
I would go beck to whoever fitted it. Having said that I once just swapped the new in ear piece with the old one. It worked perfectly well for the next 6 years which is how ofen the government will pay the $1000 subsidy.
I tend to poke a bit at mine multiple times a day, as they threaten to come loose whenever I take out the earpods I use for audio-typing. If I lie down or sit with my head propped on my hand for any length of time, the left one tends to come loose, but it's never (so far) come loose enough to actually fall out - the behind-the-ear bit always seems to manage to stay in place.
Has your audiologist experimented with different cones - the little silicon thingies that go on the end? I can only tolerate the smallest round ones (because narrow ear canal) but at various times have had larger/differently shaped ones - which would, apparently, have been better from a hearing pov.
The cones on my first pair have little perforations all the way round, but I find the ones on my current pair (the Specsavers ones) more comfortable - they're a solid, soft plastic dome shape, and I honestly rarely notice that they're there.
That's interesting. My audiologist makes a mould of my ear canal every time I get a new pair of hearing aids (I think she said they can change slightly over time). Looking at them it's easy to see that the left ear canal is much narrower than the right.
My five-year warranty and government subsidy period having passed, I have now acquired a new set of subsidised aids. The audiologist has a finance arrangement with an external provider for interest-free loans for the balance, affordably repayable over 30 months. As Mrs BA and I now have the same model, the audiologist recommended I adopt a tasteful shade of champagne to minimise confusion.
That sounds like a good system @Barnabas_Aus, my whole economy revolves around ensuring there's enough money in a special account to pay for the next lot of hearing aids. I'm glad I paid off my mortgage before I got hearing aids.
Yes, I bought one and I love it. No more worries about glasses, masks in crowds, and losing a hearing aid again. I bought a clear leash so you do not even notice it. They also have bands to attach aids to glasses, but as I take my sun glasses on and off decided not to go with those.
My five-year warranty and government subsidy period having passed, I have now acquired a new set of subsidised aids. The audiologist has a finance arrangement with an external provider for interest-free loans for the balance, affordably repayable over 30 months. As Mrs BA and I now have the same model, the audiologist recommended I adopt a tasteful shade of champagne to minimise confusion.
I'm sure that any shade chosen by you and Mrs BA chose would be tasteful.
I've seem bright orange ones at the clinic I go to and was told they appealed mainly to children. Personally I prefer purple, but they seemed to have taken it off the list when I last bought hearing aids.
Comments
I was prescribed hearing aids two years ago but don't want to wear them when home alone most of the time, as I really like the silence. But at meals after church, when I would really like to hear what is being discussed, the aids can't cope with as many as 20 voices, plus the clatter of everyone eating and drinking, not to mention the sound of my own chewing. So I've given up on them.
But I am finding it increasingly difficult to hear on the phone (landline), especially when the person has a strong accent, as so many people staffing customer help lines seem to be foreign.
So I am thinking of trying another audiologist in case there's a better solution for me.
My aids have a volume control button, which can be turned down a notch for complete silence.
When the Bluetooth on my mobile kicks in (it doesn't always) phone is ok. If it's a foreign accent on the landline the overwhelming probability is that it's a scam call in any case.
I went to an interesting demo at the theatre in cathedral city to the west of us. I can pair my hearing aids to their sound system which is great in theory and works, but there is a delay which is a bit disconcerting. I can do the same with a bit of kit and the t-switch setting on my aids which is a bit more of a fiddle but no delay. I'll be looking to see what I fancy going to see there to try the system out properly.
You cannot begin it too soon. Your hearing can slip away - I went from mildly deaf in my 50s to severely deaf now (in my 70s). That I can still (mostly) hear and communicate is down to getting the best hearing aids I could afford.
Yes, I bought one and I love it. No more worries about glasses, masks in crowds, and losing a hearing aid again. I bought a clear leash so you do not even notice it. They also have bands to attach aids to glasses, but as I take my sun glasses on and off decided not to go with those.
I'm sure that any shade chosen by you and Mrs BA chose would be tasteful.