Help for Hearing Impairment

groatie_queen

If you're feeling isolated through your deafness, I can thoroughly recommend having a Hearing Dog. I'm severely deaf and can't hear alarms, especially fire alarms/smoke alarms. So my Hearing Dog does this for me. She also alerts me to the telephone and the door bell. Each dog is trained for the sounds their deaf person specifically needs. For example, if I was a parent of a baby, she would be trained to alert me to a baby monitor.

With her smart burgundy Hearing Dogs coat on, when I am out and about she lets other people know I can't hear, and she goes everywhere with me. At work, she is a great ice breaker with my clients. In public, strangers come up and talk to her/me all the time!

Hearing Dogs are beautifully trained and a joy to have. All I do is make sure that her training is re-inforced on a routine basis. Life was a lot more lonely before I had her, that's for sure. She has transformed how I feel about being deaf.
You can visit their website and have a look at the great work that they do.

http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk

There is no charge for the dog, but I pay a yearly insurance fee. She also gets 2 free vet checks per year. I've fund-raised towards the cost of a dog for someone else - and in the process I've made new friends, and had a lot of fun and good experiences. It costs about £5,000 to train and support a dog through its working life. Most H Dogs are rescued, so they get a new happy life doing good work which they enjoy. A win win situation.

If (as I was) you're feeling isolated and frustrated by your deafness on a daily basis, I can thoroughly recommend the help and support of such a faithful companion. Much more fun than a flashing light! My dog is away on holiday atm as I am unwell and unable to walk her, and I can't begin to describe how much I miss her, it is a reminder of how cut off and depressed I was before I had her help and companionship.

Thanks to all who've posted great info on this thread - I will be applying for a bus pass when I am better.

GQ

rachelandgromit

About 12 months ago I was given hearing aids - I'm 27. I always knew there was a problem but really I've become quite an expert at lip reading/subtitles, etc... although I remember failing miserably the hearing tests at school and being creative with an excuse why. After moving back home my parents nagged me to go for a hearing test as they were sick of me doing the 'eh' thing.

The result was hearing loss in both ears, most likely due to being 2 months premature and just 2 pound in weight. I have to say, I hate the hearing aids...I hate that my car engine is louder than my radio, the indicators are noisy, how I can hear lots of conversations at once and why I should have to fiddle with each aid to 'block' some sounds out, and don't even get me started on how to use the phone with them in, hands free kitson mobile phones and wearing glasses/sunglasses which scrape over the top of the aids. . .I find it totally frustrating and really tried to get on with them but can't.

More recently I have changed the job role I do and now run group programmes for the Probation Service so it is less 'sit and a desk' and more hands on, but I am finding hearing in a group environment difficult and have to continually '"sorry, what was that". I never used the 'T' or loop when I had the aids as I just found it never made much difference.

I am really at a loss with what to do as I really enjoy my job although it is becoming difficult, but hate the aids and just want something I don't have to take in/out/mess with.

The hearing aids they have given me are unitron and they said I couldn't have those tiny things that go into my ear due to my type of loss. I am sure they said an implant wasn't suitable either.

If I was to pay private do you think there is anything else they can do?

Thanks,

Rachel

marrowgirl

Hi Rachelandgromit,

I'm sorry you are having such a rough time. Everyone is an individual so I can't comment much on your hearing aids without knowing about your hearing loss but here is my advice (for what its worth!)
-Firstly, I'd try the NHS again. Ask for an appointment for the head of department (if possible) or as high as you can get. The reason for this is I have found my boss (I'm an Audiologist) has the most sway over the budget and some departments may be able to go "off contract" and get different hearing aids if the individual has a real need not sorted out with the on contract aids (and there is more than one aid on contract anyway)
-Put all your difficulties down in writing. That way he/she can try to sort out each problem in turn and things won't be forgotten.
-It is unlikely you would get tiny (ITC) in the ear hearing aids as they would not suit your hearing loss and whistle all the time. However, maybe a full concha ITE (without the behind the ear bit) may be possible, or even a better fitting BTE (behind the ear) aid. Danalogic/GN ReSound ones are good with glasses. you can get them without the annoying switch too.
-As for the loop (T switch) this will only work where there is a loop system present.
-Oh -next if the NHS can't do anything (unlikely though) I would ask if they can suggest an Independent Private dispenser (not tied down to any specific company). Don't buy anything straight away, get a free assessment &, see what they recommend. You may be able to get your work to pay for it, although the NHS Audiologist should be able to advise you about this.

Sorry this is a long one!

rachelandgromit

Hi, thanks for your reply! Yes, you are right, that's why they said they wouldn't be suitable - (the in the ear ones) as they said I would get whistling. I had initially one of the sort of bigger mould things that literally went in and covered nearly my whole of the inside of my ear but I found this hurt my ears despite having the mould re-made 3 times and lots of fiddling with it. I then saw a younger male audiologist who was alot more sympathetic as I had found the other audiologists treated me like a child and had the sort of view I was making a mountain out of a mole hill attitude (which I realise I probably am considering there are far worst things happening to other people)!

Anyway, this male audiologist re-made moulds and they are smaller and better than the initial ones, but I still hate them. I feel silly going back as they just look down their nose at me as if to say I'm ungrateful.

I am thinking of making an appt to take the aids and batteries back as they are currently gathering dust in my cabinet and explaining why I am giving up with them and then seeing whether any suggestions are made.... I don't think Cheshire NHS service are ones for splashing out!

Errata

Have you spoken to your employer about what adjustments they can make to enable you to work more effectively ?

marrowgirl

Hi Rachelandgromit,

Is that Leighton hospital? I'm asking my colleagues up that way if there is a sympathetic ear (pardon the pun!) in that department, and i'll get back to you.
It can take a while to be able to get used to hearing aids, remember your brain has had 20+ years of peace & quiet with nothing being stuck in them! So it will take a while for the brain to adapt itself to being able to "tune out" some of the background noise -just like living near a busy road, at first all you hear is the traffic but after a while our clever brains can filter this out to some extent and we don't notice it.
However, I think you do need a "retune" of your aid/s. Don't be afraid of going back -its your right!
I agree with Errata too. Your employer can make adjustments for you. (in fact I think they can claim money back from the government? for this). Little things can change the accoustics in a room for example and make it easier (carpets, curtains etc) -and you can have a phone with an amplifier -i've got one. All sorts of stuff. A Hearing Therapist would be able to help with this information if the department has one. (sorry, I can't remember -its been a while since I visited that area -trying to find out though!)

Sorry some of your Audiologists haven't been helpful. There are great ones and i'm afraid not so great in every department. However, please don't give up. The help you need, no DESERVE is out there, and the guys on this website seem to be a mind of information!

norangeduck

Hi Rachelandgromit
Sorry to hear about the probs ur having with ur hearing aids - I too am only 23 and I got my hearing aids end of jan this year, after being diagnosed with mid/low frequency hearing loss (you will find my posts on this thread, or check out my profile) I was really upset to begin with at the thought of having them, wearing them, the feel, what other people would think - I found my moulds uncomfortable too, but I did get used to them. I dont really have much else to say, but just wanted to let you know ur not alone, and everyone on here has some good advice xxx

rosieben

I've had my NHS behind the ear aids for about 10 years now, it took me a long long time to get used to them; sometimes I would rip them out and throw them on the floor in frustration - luckily I never actually stamped on them as that would have been quite expensive I have full ear moulds now and they were quite difficult at first.

At first I was worried about what people would think, I felt a bit freakish to be honest, but after years of asking people to speak up because I'm deaf, I've realised that most people don't actually notice hearing aids!

Rebel

Just wanted to say thanks to the posters on this thread ALL of them.

Amongst other things I have recently had to have hearing aids, when I say recently I mean 3 days ago, for the first time.

I thought I was young to need them and I'm in my 50's so the young people on this thread have made me feel almost ashamed because like them I was embarrassed about needing them.

My hearing loss is the higher end, I have very good hearing at the bass range but suddenly (on the audiogram) its like my hearing fell off a cliff, it goes straight down!

Anyway I now have a pair of Oticon aids, I had a BRILLIANT audiologist named Claire, who tried to explain everything I needed to know (I haven't even read the literature she gave me, as she was so thorough)

I have a few small problems, nothing like as bad as most here, I cant feel my hands or fingers so struggle to put the aids in properly and have no chance at all without a mirror, I struggle to turn the volume down (everything seems so loud now) and my ears hurt, but after only 3 days thats not surprising (and I didn't build up gradually as I was told to at 2 or 3 hours a day), they didnt hurt to begin with so I just left them in for 8 or 9 hours the first time I used them:eek:

Anyway I guess I wanted to let others know this thread is helpful to people like me who had no idea what to expect, I've learnt by reading these posts and a lot of stuff makes more sense now

textqueen

:T hiya ive got a hearing aid and i couldnt hear my alarm or smoke alarm.

i got into with social services they were really good they came out and asset me and she told me about these gadets.

you put a round disk under your pillow and when the alarm goes off it shakes the pillow it really wakes you up.


The smoke alarm also works in the same way but this also has a stobe light on as well to wake you up but when the bed starts to shake of the round disk you will get right up.

also ive got a loop system that works with my hearing aid and you can hear the tv must clearer.

hope this helps you if you need any other help just let me know.