Help for Hearing Impairment

littlemoney

Hear-Hear wrote: »

If what you say is true, then you need to explain to them the requirements of testing to British Society of Audiology standards. These include ambient noise being less than 30dBA. If the photocopier is being heard, then you can be sure that ambient noise was well in excess of this figure.

As a result, the hearing test results are likely to be compromised, and the hearing aid settings will be programmed incorrectly. That's why the BSA sets the standards. Make sure you ask for a re-test - to the standards set out by the BSA - and have your new aids re-set for you at your follow up appointment.

I have only ever had one test in a sound proof booth. The rest have been in a normal room and I could hear the foot steps of people walking by. I was rather surprised at the and was told there were not enough booths available.

Hear-Hear

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I was surprised that it wasn't one of those soundproof boxes which I've always been in before. /QUOTE]

It's really not good enough Sue. You MUST be tested in a sound-proofed booth or a sound-proofed room. At the required 30dBA level, it is not possible to detect ambient noise from elsewhere, and so the 'true' readings can be established. If external noise is detectable, then your thresholds will be elevated and the audiogram will seem worse than it actually is ..... and so of course your hearing aids will be set too loud for you.

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I can well imagine though that if you have a serious problem with tinnitus it could be impossible to distinguish which noise is which. /QUOTE]

Standard practice is to use warble tones or pulse tones when tinnitus is declared by the patient. These types of tones overcome the tinnitus problem.

littlemoney wrote: »

I was told there were not enough booths available./QUOTE]

Words fail me ! Please complain to the NHS Trust involved, in the strongest possible terms. The powers-that-be may not even know what is going on at grass roots ?

Errata

I haven't had a test in a soudproof box/room/booth for years, and when the audiologist clamps the earphones on my head I can hardly hear myself think let alone hear any sounds not produced by them.

Savvy_Sue

Hear-Hear wrote: »

It's really not good enough Sue. You MUST be tested in a sound-proofed booth or a sound-proofed room. At the required 30dBA level, it is not possible to detect ambient noise from elsewhere, and so the 'true' readings can be established. If external noise is detectable, then your thresholds will be elevated and the audiogram will seem worse than it actually is ..... and so of course your hearing aids will be set too loud for you.

Well, I shall await my appointment for new aids and see what they say then. I was given a slightly different type of open fit mould (again) which is supposed to reduce the 'vacuum' effect, and a bit of tweaking which seems to have worked quite well, but for various reasons I've not been wearing it much lately.

Interestingly, this lady couldn't see the cyst or whatever it is in my ear, so maybe that's gone? I can always hope ...

Guardsman

If a soundproof box has three sides and looks like something that the Victorians used to have a peep at what the butler got up to then I have been in one, actually I have been in both
But if the soundproof box is meant to be a room with four walls and a door that nullifies external sounds then I have never been in one either and that would probably explain why I also thought my aids were set too high.

Guardsman

Guidelines are being introduced to make sure people in Wales who are deaf or blind are not at a disadvantage when they need healthcare.
It comes after BBC Wales revealed in February health boards were breaching equality laws.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said the changes would "help to address the barriers people with sensory loss face" with as many as 600,000 affected.
But there are calls to ensure patients are aware of their rights.
Around 500,000 people in Wales have hearing loss - a figure which is expected to rise to 725,000 in 18 years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25220219

Guardsman

Has the NHS improved that much ?

Indie_Kid

Am I welcome here please?

I have Hyperacusis, which means my hearing is too sensitive. So to an extent, yes I am hearing impaired. But not the same as many who have posted here.

Errata

sh1305 wrote: »

Am I welcome here please?

I have Hyperacusis, which means my hearing is too sensitive. So to an extent, yes I am hearing impaired. But not the same as many who have posted here.

Of course you're welcome This thread is used by people who have hearing problems, and hyperacuity is one of them and it can be quite stressful and diffucult to cope with.

Indie_Kid

cazziebo wrote: »

My problem is hearing when there is background noise

I have had hyperacusis for almost 2 years now. This is becoming a problem for me. I can only listen to one sound. If I hear more than one sound, I either can't work out one of the noises, or it goes into what I can only describe as a mix of sounds. This is quite painful physically.

The above happened once and I had to put my hands over my ears and walk away. Someone had seen me do this. I couldn't tell her (because I couldn't talk) what was wrong.

I generally know when this will start to haooen; so have to remove myself.