Help for Hearing Impairment

Savvy_Sue

As an alternative to family phone calls, if you and they have a web cam, have you thought of trying to use MSN or google talk or one of them to 'chat' while waving / gesturing over the webcam?

For 'business' phone calls, there's Text Relay (used to be TypeTalk), which you can use from your PC by the look of things.

If there are lipreading classes near you, can you get to one? Perhaps with a friend or one of your family. I found them brilliant for swapping 'tips and wrinkles'.

Indie_Kid

summerof0763 wrote: »

hi i have a ancient vibrating "sometimes" alarm clock,and a smoke alarm "council fitted" with trailing wires everywhere,that i need to find out how to get checked as daughter cremated toast last week,which set normal fire alarm off but not mine,hence thick black smoky kitchen lol.

I'm sure your local fire brigade can help out with things like this.

summerof0763

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

As an alternative to family phone calls, if you and they have a web cam, have you thought of trying to use MSN or google talk or one of them to 'chat' while waving / gesturing over the webcam?

For 'business' phone calls, there's Text Relay (used to be TypeTalk), which you can use from your PC by the look of things.

If there are lipreading classes near you, can you get to one? Perhaps with a friend or one of your family. I found them brilliant for swapping 'tips and wrinkles'.

my oldest sister is only one with a comp,my mum refuses to get one,i do use msn for a couple of my friends.
the text relay am very interested in do you have any idea how this works?
i self taught myself at primary school in the days of no help given,to lipread and can do it to a certain degree,but have found as am getting older its getting harder,eyes dont see the same,and no lip reading classes here,its been stopped "cut backs"
audiology dept said i have the strongest hearing aids they can provide,and to be honest the thought of not hearing anything just terrifys me now,no longer go out alone as even sirens i dont hear until they are upon me etc

summerof0763

hi,sorry just realised click on link to text relay thanks got the info

WarriorPrincess

My oh's elderly mum is disabled & losing her hearing. She had a man visit her at home on Monday who gave her a hearing test, told her she's lost 50% of her hearing & let her try a hearing aid which she said made a huge difference. Then he told her it was £3,600!

Would 50% hearing loss qualify her for an NHS hearing aid? If so, what would she have to do to get one? She's housebound - even getting her to leave the house in her wheelchair for an eye test takes weeks of planning. Would she have to go to a hospital for tests or could tests for an NHS hearing aid be done at home by a visiting doctor?

I don't normally post in this part of the forum - if this isn't the right place for this question, please could someone let me know where I should post it.

Errata

The first step for your mum is to see her GP who will refer her to her local Audiology department. Audiologists do make domiciliary visits, and the 'testing' kit that my local one uses is portable so could be used in someone's home.
You may have a bit of a battle on your hands to get them to do whatever's necessary to help her - home visit etc - but she's entitled to a free NHS aid if needed.
She doesn't need to pay many £££ for a private one - NHS one will suit her fine. Please, please double check to make sure your mum hasn't inadvertantly signed up for a private one.

WarriorPrincess

OH's mum definitely didn't sign up for the massively expensive hearing aid - she may be immobile but she's pretty sharp! We're going to contact the doctor & take it from there. Thank you.

Hear-Hear

Savvy_Sue wrote: "Because it's only a mild loss in one ear......but I honestly don't know that it makes that much difference"
The more 'residual' hearing you have left, the better a hearing aid will work for you. Hearing aids can't make 'new' sound out of nothing - they use what you have left. (It's for this reason that people who leave it too long tend to find acclimatising to hearing properly again is just too much). If anything, this is a good reason for you to go see your Audiologist.


"I was backwards and forwards a few times trying to get the telephone setting on my hearing aid to work, but just couldn't get the hang of it..."
Even the basic NHS digitals now have 'Automatic Telephone' so you don't need to switch programmes for telephone mode. The aid switches itself when you bring thehandset close to your ear. Brilliant. Another reason for you to go see your Audiologist and upgrade.

"And the other situation is crowded rooms. But again, I can't see that a better hearing aid is going to help - I use the directional setting."
Hmmm... Directional setting really only works well with binaural fitting. It can help with Monaural fitting, but I find that it can actually reduce speech discrimination. Ask your Audioogist to try you on 'Omni' rather than 'Directional'. Like Marmite, you will eithe rlove it or hate it !

"Do tell me if I'm missing something!"
I really feel you are missing out on what your own particular PCT may have currently available.

"Does anyone produce pretty little bags on a neck cord to keep them in? Like those cords you can get for glasses"
You will break the cord even more easily ! How about a small childs' cloth purse, with a velcro fastener.

Hear-Hear

Errata wrote: "She doesn't need to pay many £££ for a private one - NHS one will suit her fine".
That really is an outrageous comment, Errata. There is no way of knowing what suits an individual without knowing the details of the hearing loss, the listening needs, the case history, etc, etc, etc. But you are spot on about the price. The private firms that do home visits tend to charge at least double for the same technology/same product as those firms which are based in the High Street. As an approximation, if a domiciliary company quoted the OP WarriorPrincess £3,600.00, she should expect to see the same product available at places like Boots or Specsavers for around £1,500.00 to £1,800.00. She may well find too that a hearing aid in a much lower price range will suit her needs just as well, but it needs a qualified Audiologist's opinion to determine themost suitable. No matter where you choose, always always always get a second opinion.

Errata

Sorry - it's not an outrageous statement. the vast majority of people can be supplied with an NHS aid to meet their needs.