Help for Hearing Impairment

Unity

Errata wrote: »

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

I couldn't agree more Errata and it annoys me to think of elderly and vulnerable people being misled by these private firms into forking out hard earned/saved cash for something that is their right on the NHS!

I lost my hearing two years ago, very suddenly following pneumonia. It is considered quite substantial by the audiology department at my local hospital, but they have done wonders in getting me two digital Oticon hearing aids with three programmes including: normal, loop system and directional. I have not had to pay and the units themselves are so discreet, people often don't realise I'm wearing them. In addition they put me in touch with my local authority who fitted a loop system - also f.o.c.

The first point of contact for anyone with hearing problems should always be the audiology department of their local hospital by referral via their GP. At least that would be my understanding of the MSE approach :money:.

spugzbunny

Hi,

I've just had my hearing aid fitted and I am struggling wearing it with my glasses! Does anyone else have this problem and can anything be done? The aid itself is a danalogic i-fit and I love it. I might just end up switching to my contacts more permanantly. I was going to pop into the opticians at lunch and see if they can do anything to make my glasses more comfortable!

Thanks in advance!

rosieben

spugzbunny, glad you're getting on ok with your aide, they do sometimes take a bit of getting used to I think you're right, see if your optician can alter the arms of your specs to accommodate the aid.

I agree with the comments below re NHS aids; I lost my hearing suddenly about 10 years ago and I can't fault the NHS service or the SS for the help I've been given

spugzbunny

Thanks Rosieben,

Yes I can't believe what a difference it made. For the first hour I sort of sat there feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the 'new' sounds. I didn't realise how much I wasn't hearing before! I've got used to it pretty quickly though and it makes so much difference. It's so tiny as well so I'm excited to show people rather than feeling embarrassed as I did before. It's all NHS and they have been nothing but great for me!

Ginger_Nut

Hi Guy's,

Let me give a bit of history first, I was born slighly deaf and never let it bother me untill about a year ago when the OH kept going on at me for not hearing things, I just got on with it and if I dind't hear it it didn't worry me.

I am only 34 and I went to the NHS to get tested and I do need some help but nothing major.

I had a hearing aid from the NHS but it was one style for all and I didn't like the 'old granny style' (as I call it) and I went back and explained that for some one my age could I have some thing smaller and I got all we can do is colour the aid for you, so I took that as a no we can't help you.

So I have found a private selling in the local town but there prices start from £600, so does any one know where I can maybe get a cheaper one and maybe some form of payment plan? Or maybe some help?

I have seen in the forums that some one got there work to pay for it but I am a temp so I'm not sure if I still qualify for this?

So it's so long winded

Thanks for any advice/help.
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Hear-Hear (love the name)

Thanks for the advice I am booked in to boots tomorrow (saturday) so hoping to get it all sorted that afternoon.
Been having a disagreement with the OH who thinks I'm not going to where it seeing as I didn't where the NHS one (if you don't like some thing you don't use it) keep telling him I need some thing now as I know I am getting worse.

Hoping there is some form of payment plan I can do. I know this time not to be fob off thinking I need an all singing all dancing one when I know I only need the one.

Thank you and I'll keep you posted.

Hear-Hear

Hi Ginger Nut,

You could try your local Boots or Specsavers. Both of these will do two hearing aids (if you need two) from £495.00. Specsavers will do one for £375.00 if that's all you need. You can choose behind-the-ear or in-the-ear; it makes no difference to the cost. Do bear in mind, though, that at £495.00 / £375.00, you are getting a fairly basic hearing aid, probably just two channels.

NHS standard since it went all digital a few years ago is at least four channels, for which you would expect to pay around £800.00 a pair privately. Most NHS providers have been supplying ten or twelve-channel aids since April 2009, for whixh you should expect to pay around £1200.00 to £1500.00 per apir privately, if you wanted in-the-ear, faster supply, remote control, bluetooth, or whatever other reason you choose to go private.

Hope this helps.

Savvy_Sue

Hear-Hear wrote: »

NHS standard since it went all digital a few years ago is at least four channels

Maybe where you are, but I've never had anything BUT an NHS digital aid, and I've only ever had 3 channels, and I'm on my 3rd or 4th aid now.

Hear-Hear

Hi Sue,

There's a difference between channels and programmes. Most NHS digital aids come with up to 3 programmes - say, 'Normal', 'Noise', and 'Telecoil'. I think that's what you are talking about. In my reply to Ginger Nut, I was talking about channels. This relates to the way the digital chip works. I was trying to explain that the more channels you have, the clearer the sound will be.

An aid with 1-4 channels is a pretty basic aid (the Siemens Prisma - a popular NHS model in its day - had 4 channels). Commercially, you could by a pair of Siemens 4 channel aids for around £800.00. An aid with 6-12 channels is a really decent mid-range aid (PCT's that use Siemens currently supply the Siemens Reflex which has 12 channels). A pair of those privately would cost around £1200.00. When you look at 12 channels+, you are into really high quality sound territory, and prices up to £2000.00 a pair.

Think of channels like pixels on a digital camera. The raw rule of thumb is the more pixels, the clearer the image. Similar with digital hearing aids - the more channels. the clearer and better the sound output.

Hope this clarifies.

black_paw

on subject hearing i found out last year that as deaf, i was entitled to a free buss pass..if i knew that i would have done that 20 years ago and saved on petrol...the audiology department, had put me in touch with social services for help with stuff at home and they registered me deaf ( have a little card ) this open up the free bus pass ! brill

lemontart

flossy_splodge wrote: »

Don't know if you know but the RNID have lots of info on 'gadgets' that help and if you buy through them you get two benefits.
1. You get a 28 day trial period and can send the goods back if they don't do the job you wanted/hoped they would and
2. You don't pay VAT if you are a hearing aid user and buy through them.
I've found them really good.
You want the Equipment dept in Peterborough though.
:T

dont pay vat wow did not know that I wear a hearing aid (finding out if need one for other ear today) and desperately need a home phone I can actually hear people talking on, so that is great to know thanks