Help for Hearing Impairment

stardust09

My room loop is amazing but unfortunately it interferes with my housemate's electric guitar amplifier so I can only use it when he's not jamming. Nobody seems to have a solution for this so I use my Sonido at other times. A bit annoying though.

Savvy_Sue

stardust09 wrote: »

My room loop is amazing but unfortunately it interferes with my housemate's electric guitar amplifier so I can only use it when he's not jamming. Nobody seems to have a solution for this so I use my Sonido at other times. A bit annoying though.

Banish his amp? My son has a massive amp, and sometimes I'd like to put it in the garden in a thunderstorm ...

Hear-Hear

Hi summerof0763

Well, you have the upper hand now, . The vast majority of Social Services Sensory Impairment Dept people I deal with are really good and just want to make life better for you. I'm sure that you'll find they will go the extra mile for you, as they recognise that you have been let down. So, with the upper hand, ask for:-

1. A Lisa Vibrating Multi Alert System. I am in no way connected to this firm; it's simply the one I am most familiar with. Google it to see what it can do. Just one central unit, plus however many paired receivers you need for things like the doorbell, the smoke alarm, the phone ringer, and baby's room, etc, etc.

2. A textphone (I have no preferred brand; the one I am most familiar with is the Textel, but it's pretty old-fashioned - like me really :cool:) so that you can use TypeTalk / TextRelay.

Just these two things will make such a world of difference.

c0c0nuts

c0c0nuts wrote: »

Hear-Hear wrote: »

Hello Unity

Could I just ask how you rate the Oticon Spirit 3?
Not a bad digital aid in its day, but the technology is pretty old now, which means your aids must be pretty old too. Since you must be living in a PCT area that uses Oticon (different PCT's use different manufacturers), you should ask to be upgraded to the more-recent Oticon Zest. The technology in Zest is old too, but certainly not as out-dated as 'Spirit 3'. You can be 99% certain that you will notice the improvement. With regard to directionality, this is where the technology advances have been greatest. You now get 'adaptive' rather than 'fixed' directionality on most aids, and as an experienced user, you will be quite amazed at the difference in quality of sound due to the much higher speech-to-noise ratio.

Big thanks to Hear-Hear, having read this today my OH had a very productive appointment with the audiologist.
Culmination being he now has 2 brand spanking Oticon Zest models as opposed to Spirit 3.
The lady was actively trying to deny knowledge of them, and tried to talk down the benefits of the model. When she muttered about letting him have a look, OH keenly agreed and now is the proud owner of 2 vastly improved 'ears'.
They are much smaller, more neutral in colour and much more dynamic soundwise apparently. They also sit better with glasses.
So a HUGE thanks to you, I have a more confident and more hearing competent (if thats the right word) hubby xx

Hear-Hear

You have just made my day c0c0nuts. :j

I had to smile when you wrote: "The lady was actively trying to deny knowledge of them". The shame is that some PCT's are offering the 'Zest' as standard whilst others continue to supply the really old kit (still digital but with technology that dates from 2002). As with so many things in life, you sometimes have a push a wee bit harder some of the time. And it's so much better when you have a little bit of extra information to go on.

Have a great weekend !

spugzbunny

stardust09 wrote: »

What a great thread. I am 32 and it's so nice to know I'm not the only younger person out there with hearing aids. When I got to my audiology appointments I am the youngest by at least 30 years. I feel quite alone sometimes...

I don't have a special alarm clock. Instead, I use my Sony Ericsson mobile phone alarm and put it under my pillow at night. The vibrations in the morning are more than enough to wake me up! I started using it a few years ago after I started sleeping through my normal alarm clock. That's a money saving tip for you!

I'm 27 so no worries about your age! I'm hoping that to counterbalance the fact that I have to wear a hearing aid at my age, my b00bs will do me a favour and stay put for a while longer! Possibly keep the grey hair and wrinkles at bay too? That's how it works right??? :rotfl:

Savvy_Sue

Reading about the upgrade coconuts got, I got my aid out and with two pairs of reading glasses on I discovered it is a Siemens Prisma Pro 2. On searching I found this:

Discogod wrote: »

just been updating myself since i last read this thread!

Re the different models available - is anyone able to tell me where mine fits on the range available on NHS?

siemens prisma 2 pro

Is there an 'upgrade' for me with better aids on NHS? I've lost around 20% in both ears since birth & it's stable (am 30 now). Really struggle with background noise though, i hate it so much & it stops me enjoying & going to social events.

which no-one seems to have answered.

Hear-Hear wrote: »

You have just made my day c0c0nuts. :j

I had to smile when you wrote: "The lady was actively trying to deny knowledge of them". The shame is that some PCT's are offering the 'Zest' as standard whilst others continue to supply the really old kit (still digital but with technology that dates from 2002). As with so many things in life, you sometimes have a push a wee bit harder some of the time. And it's so much better when you have a little bit of extra information to go on.

See, I think I will have to be a bit pushy to get anything better: it's a mild loss in one ear, which I know is nothing much to grumble about, and in quite a few situations I can function perfectly well.

However, put me in a crowded room, and I go functionally deaf. The aid makes next to no difference, even if I put it on the '2' setting, which is supposed to be for what's directly in front of me. Actually, that and the T are the only settings I use - I don't NEED to have all around amplified because I've got a good ear for all that!

So, what are my chances, and what should I be asking for?

I'm planning to have a hearing test as well, have not had one for more than 2 years, possibly as many as 5! I don't think it's a lot worse, except when I'm not well, but would I notice?

Errata

As has been pointed out before, the main difficulty and stumbling block is the Postcode Lottery. My hospital trust devotes the absolute minimum of funding to audiology which results in the best suitable aid is not available and good staff not wishing to work in a badly funded service - who can blame them.
I guess a solution to this problem, which people may not be aware exists, is to ask which is the best aid for their hearing loss and if their trusrt doesn't provide it to ask their GP to refer them to the nearest Trust which will provide it/them.
Information is a right, not a privilege, and patients can choose which Trust they prefer to use.

Hear-Hear

spugzbunny,

How I wish I could tell my clients that hearing aids will do wonders for the rest of their .... erm .... features :embarasse :embarasse



Savvy_Sue,

Siemens Prisma Pro 2, like the Oticon Spirit is out-dated. Those PCT's that use Siemens instead of Oticon are supplying Reflex L and Reflex M. (The first is very small, for mild/moderate losses and dispenses with the need for a volume control; the second is more like the Prisma 2 in size and does have a volume control). Whichever version of Reflex you get will have three major enhancements -

1. an increase in the number of channels from FOUR to TWELVE, which means effectively that they should be around three times clearer

2. an e2e wireless function, so that when the volume or the programme is changed on one side, the wireless function automatically adjusts the aid on the other side at the same time (you can also get a little remote control unit called an 'ePocket' to do this really discreetly)

3. an incredibly better feedback manager, making the Reflex aids almost impossible to emit those annoying whistling sounds

Oh, and you should be re-tested and have the aids re-programmed every 12 months .... think I mentioned that to you before. Gradual changes are hardly ever noticeable to oneself; it's others who will tell you, don't you know :question:



Errata,

That sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure that you can select an alternative PCT since hearing aids are not considered to be "treatment", but rather "provision of a medical appliance". But I would be very interested if you find otherwise.

Savvy_Sue

Thanks, I know I should have gone, but there's been a lot going on, and TBH as long as I don't bother with going anywhere noisy it's not a problem! Just not sure whether if I say "I don't use it because it really doesn't do a lot for me" that will be a good enough reason to get a better one.

Also as I only have a loss in one ear, one which automatically adjusts the other ear isn't a great advantage.

Mum's had one without a volume control, and HATES it with a passion. I can't help feeling that I would too. I normally have it on the quietest volume, whereas they always tell me to put it in the middle, then I can turn it up or down. Well, if I want to turn it down, I take it out!

Just heard that the last of my siblings has been diagnosed with a hearing loss in one ear. It's the other ear for them, so we'll make a fine pair! :rotfl: