Help for Hearing Impairment

rachelandgromit

I lost a hearing aid after an unfortunate accident at Alton Towers
I think it was about £54. After coming onto this thread many moons ago and swearing never to wear hearing aids, I saw a different member of staff at Audiology and got the little in ear ones not the full mould ones and they are amazing!

I also got Access to Work involved and I have the Oticon streamer and it has bluetooth so can talk on a mobile via the streamer. The personal mic is great, had some great fun with it at work whereby another member of staff attached it to herself and went off for a walk into other offices and I could hear lots of conversations going on whilst sat at my desk, but it works much better for its intended purpose of hearing someone, especially in a busy room. The TV thing is quite nifty too, you can get the TV played directly into your hearing aids even when you move into a different room which is really good.

Hear-Hear

littlemoney wrote: »

Oh dear not good news, more than I can currently afford. I will have to live with one for a while till I have saved up for the additional expense. Unfortunately not on any benefits so I won't qualify for any help.

Worth speaking with your local Audiology Dept. There is no national scale of charges to replace lost NHS aids. However, some localities charge nothing at all for the first loss. others charge up to £85.00 (representing the actual cost to the NHS of the aid itself). Depends on the area in which you live, so worth asking.....

Savvy_Sue

littlemoney wrote: »

Oh dear not good news, more than I can currently afford. I will have to live with one for a while till I have saved up for the additional expense. Unfortunately not on any benefits so I won't qualify for any help.

To be honest, I don't think you'd get any help for replacing a lost hearing aid. Do you know anyone with a decent metal detector?

Guardsman

Deaf woman hears for first time after cochlear implant


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26784669

cairndog

rachelandgromit wrote: »

I lost a hearing aid after an unfortunate accident at Alton Towers
I think it was about £54. After coming onto this thread many moons ago and swearing never to wear hearing aids, I saw a different member of staff at Audiology and got the little in ear ones not the full mould ones and they are amazing!

I also got Access to Work involved and I have the Oticon streamer and it has bluetooth so can talk on a mobile via the streamer. The personal mic is great, had some great fun with it at work whereby another member of staff attached it to herself and went off for a walk into other offices and I could hear lots of conversations going on whilst sat at my desk, but it works much better for its intended purpose of hearing someone, especially in a busy room. The TV thing is quite nifty too, you can get the TV played directly into your hearing aids even when you move into a different room which is really good.

WOW lucky you, bet you don't live in Kent. I'm having loads of trouble with phone and TV sound but have only got an Impact Pro(m ) with an earpiece and behind the ear microphone.
This is supposed to be the latest available on the NHS.

I suspect you are much younger as you're still at work so need the better ones more than I do. The Oticon streamer sounds brilliant but is only compatible with certain models.

I'll have to find something else suitable for mine.

Anyone out there got any suggestions please?

Savvy_Sue

Got my new hearing aid on 1st April. New mould was clearly 'wrong' so the technician tried to modify it (by cutting a long thin bit off) and took a new impression.

I was left with a choice of not pushing in enough to stop it whistling every time I moved my hair, or pushing it in further at which point it was uncomfortable. In an effort to resolve this, I fiddled with the tube because I think one problem is that it was put in at the wrong angle. Tubing came out.

Back to audiology on Monday to get the tubing re-fitted. If that doesn't make it wearable I shall just have to wait until the new mould arrives. Not hugely impressed so far, may go back to open fit moulds!

Hear-Hear

cairndog wrote: »

I'm having loads of trouble with phone and TV sound but have only got an Impact Pro(m ).........This is supposed to be the latest available on the NHS..........I suspect you are much younger as you're still at work so need the better ones more than I do.

The first problem is that you seem to have only one hearing aid. If you have bilateral hearing loss, a single hearing aid will never achieve what 2 hearing aids can do, no matter how sophisticated the technology of the (single) heating aid may be.

Second - the Siemens Impact is indeed the latest model available via the NHS in those areas where Siemens aids are fitted. The Impact was launched in August 2010, and is pretty much on a par with mid-range aids available privately. That is assuming that 2 hearing aids are fitted. If only a single aid is fitted to a bilateral loss, then it will perform to just below the standard achieved by very basic entry-level private aids. There aren't any "better" aids available on the NHS, only others equivalent models from other manufacturers, such as Resound, Oticon, and Phonak. There is no distinction made by the NHS for hearing aid provision between younger/older or working/non-working adults, thank God. You really need to go see your audiologist to get the other aid to which you are entitled. The difference will amaze you.

If you can bear to wait until August 2014, the four-year NHS Catalogue deal is concluded. There'll be even better and brighter models available from September. :T !

Savvy_Sue

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

And if I'd never been happy with an ear mould, maybe I'd like to try a new kind, I think ambiental? Anyway, instead of going into the ear canal, it sort of sits in front. And it can be pink and sparkly, probably.

Hear-Hear, do you know what I'm talking about? I'm not convinced I was given the right kind last time, it just looked like a normal hard mould to me which I didn't get on with before so I'm not sure why it would be different last time. Only when I said it didn't look like what the previous lady had shown me, the one I saw on 1st April didn't seem to know what I was talking about.

Indie_Kid

Is there a device of some sort that I can use / wear to filter out certain noises? I can't deal with multiple noises at once. It just goes into one horrible noise and hurts.

Hear-Hear

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Hear-Hear, do you know what I'm talking about? I'm not convinced I was given the right kind last time, it just looked like a normal hard mould to me which I didn't get on with before so I'm not sure why it would be different last time. Only when I said it didn't look like what the previous lady had shown me, the one I saw on 1st April didn't seem to know what I was talking about.

Sorry Sue, I did see that original post of yours back in February, but I couldn't be sure what it was that you were shown. It should have been documented on your records for that date though.

I do wonder if it's worth asking to go back to the 'Open Fit' style. These slim tubes tend to be much more discreet and certainly more comfortable. Importantly, the slim tubes can be fitted with 'Semi-Closed' domes, Closed Domes, or Double Closed Domes. As such, they can fit a much wider range of losses than the 'Open' Domes. Worth asking when you are there next week ?