Help for Hearing Impairment

Savvy_Sue

Guardsman wrote: »

Hear-Hear are you aware of any problems a cyclist would have in wearing a hearing aid ? I'm a regular road cyclist and that is one of the reasons I went for a hearing test was due to the fact I had problems hearing traffic approaching from the rear

Hear-Hear wrote: »

Guardsman

Modern digital hearing aids are primarily designed to focus on speech from the front of you, and, apart from basic level hearing aids, the better quality hearing aids will actively surpress non-speech sounds (ie. noise) from behind you and to your left and right. In general terms, the higher the quality of your hearing aid, the better any background noise is reduced.

Now this gives you a problem as a cyclist, because wind noise and trafiic noise will be attacked ever more aggresively as you go up the quality range of hearing aids. Exactly the opposite of what you want.

The manufacturers have addressed this issue, though, and on most top-of-range hearing aids, you can instruct your Audiologist to set one of the multi-memory programmes as a 'Sports' or 'Wind' or 'Traffic' programme. Actually, a good Audiologist will recommend this for you without being asked, having listened carefully to you about your listening needs.

Hope this helps.

you can also get 'socks' for your hearing aids which should help keep them dry in the rain and may cut down on windnoise. try Connevans for this (sorry not on a good 'puter for links, do google them)

when my brother was younger, and in the days when hearing aids were a box connected to your ear by a length of wire, he had mum sew a pocket to the BACK of some of his t-shirts so that the aid did not fall out when he was leaning over the handlebars. he also had her knit him some sleeves, with neck band but no body, as his arms got cold but his body got hot. there is always a way!

zaksmum

tomitma wrote: »

I have very bad hearing, I didnt realise how bad it was until I was fitted with hearing aids, I didn't get on with the national health ones, I kept on losing them so I paid for two CIC privately.

They are brilliant, but hearing aids do not make any thing clearer, they just make everything louder, I still watch TV and think to my self " I didn't understand a word that person said" When you are fitted with the hearing aids, they advise you not to wear them to go home, and just to use for a few hours a day until you get used to them.

When I first had my hearing aids, and I wore them whilst driving, I swore blind that there was something wrong with the car, because I heard noises that I had never heard before whilst driving.

Apologies if this has been covered in this thread (haven't read all of it) but regarding not being able to understand TV...you do know you can put the subtitles on? I have mine on permanently, though not all programmes have them. I don't even bother trying to watch a programme that doesn't.

Hear-Hear

Guardsman wrote: Would the Siemens Impact M come under that category?

The Siemens Impact is a really good model, launched to the NHS in August 2010. It could be considered near the 'top' of middle-of-range aids or at the 'bottom' of the top-of-range aids, IYSWIM, having 12 channels, clever Directional Microphones, and a good Feedback Manager. The Impact range even has Bluetooth connectivity !!

The downside is being dependent on the quality of your Audiologist, how well they programme your Impacts initially, and crucially how well they carry out the fine-tuning a few weeks after first fitting. You need to make sure you ask for Programmes that match your lifestyle (such as the Cycling situation you describe) and then have them adjusted after the first few weeks, because even things like the average speed of your bike will affect the amount of 'Wind Noise' management that needs to be applied. [Tip: :shhh: Ask your Audiologist to show you the 'Wind Noise' Manager settings on his/her computer screen, and make sure they are set to the strongest level :shhh: ].

BTW, I am assuming you have 2 Impacts. A single hearing aid, no matter how good it may be, is a non-starter for clear hearing and noise management, if you have hearing loss in both ears (ie. 9,000,000 people in this country alone - that's 1 in 7 of the whole population!).

Guardsman

After doing some more reading online (maybe I'm reading too much into things) some people complain that wearing a cap can cause problems with their hearing aids ?
I have spent a few pounds on a couple of waterproof beanies in the hope they would protect my hearing aids if I'm caught out in a sudden shower. My question is will they continue to work if covered by a cap ?
Please don't tell me that hair will offer some protection 29 years of wearing military headgear has ensured that I'm hairless

Hear-Hear

Wearing a cap that sits low on the head means that all of part of the hearing aid becomes covered, and feedback (whistling) arises. Much the same as when one cups one's hand fully over the ear.

Easy solutions. Check with your Audiologist that a piece of software called Feedback Manager has been activated on your hearing aids. If so, you could try having it set more aggressively, running the software with you and the cap actually in place, which may help considerably. Will take about 2 minutes! A better solution is a cap that doesn't sit so low on the head, or a hood that doesn't sit too tight against the ears.

Guardsman

Hear-Hear thank you for the info and that brings me onto my next question. I use headphones online so I don't disturb others in the house will headphones cause feedback ?

Guardsman

Tracy10xx According to your profile you are a care assistant do you work for the social services, private or NHS nursing homes ? my guess is that you work for a private company.
My advice is to seek professional medical advice to see if continuing working is going to be detrimental to your health.

Hear-Hear

Guardsman: Over-the-ear headphones can indeed cause feedback, in much the same way as cupping your hand over your ear can make it feedback (whistle). Whether it happens, and the volume of the feedback, depends on the stength of your prescription and the type of hearing aid (and earmould if you have BTE).... and the quality/ability of your Audiologist at the fitting stage.

There is a far far better solution though. According to an earlier post of yours, you are due to be fitted with Siemens Impact hearing aids in February. These are bluetooth compatible, and can work brilliantly if the PC/laptop that you use has bluetooth connectivity. Bin the headphones, and all you will need to do is stay within a 10-metre range of your computer ! You need to make sure that the Audiologist activates the Bluetooth Programme on your Impact aids, and you will need to ask for the Siemens Tek pack as well, which enables connectivity between your aids and your audio devices.


tracy10xx: Not really sure what your question is. Lupus is certainly a condition that has an impact on hearing, but you will have been told that already at the time of diagnosis. Maybe you mean to ask if you need hearing aids ? Well, it seems that you have indeed been so advised. If it's a question of your needs because of your job change, then Guardsman's advice is fully correct - ask your GP.

Guardsman

I bought Oticare Hearing Aid dehumidifier online but the instructions are a bit vague on how to use them. Do I put all of the hearing aid in the tub or do I remove the earmolds first ?
Do I remove the battery or can it be left in?

Hear-Hear

This type of simple dehumidifier is a great way of incrreasing the reliability and lifespan of your hearing aids, Guardsman. Pop the hearing aids and the earmoulds in to the pot. No need to detach the earmould first. You only need to detach your earmould when doing your weekly cleaning/sterilising of the earmould, as you mustn't get the hearing aid itself wet.