Advice needed on Hearing Amplifiers

oliveoil54

Mother-in-Law is going deaf, quite bad in one ear & the other ear is also loosing hearing. She has an NHS hearing aid which she doesn't wear as she finds it uncomfortable & very fiddly to use, especially as she has arthritus & disfigured fingers, so operating something small & fiddly is not easy for her.

We had thought of getting her a Hearing Amplifier as they just use ipod type head phones and the amplifier looks like an MP3, but have been on various web sites incl Amazon.com which has more reviews on these things and the reviews are so mixed that I found it very confusing as to whether they were any good or not.

Has anyone any experience of them and could you recommend any? She predominantly wants to be able to listen to tv without annoying the neighbours and to be able to hear a telephone conversation easily. Anything else would be an added bonus.

Any advice would be really welcome, had a look on the RNID org web site but they dont seem to have a forum for discussion?

skint_taffy

my mum has 2 t hearing aids i bought her a loop for her living room works well and she can hear her tv and answer the phone this year ive bought her an amplifier with a loop that goes round her neck and she can point it to hear what people are saying she coming tomorrow to try it will let you know how it works called a crecendo 50 from rnid shop £56 something you dont have to pay for vat when deaf

sunnyone

oliveoil54 wrote: »

Mother-in-Law is going deaf, quite bad in one ear & the other ear is also loosing hearing. She has an NHS hearing aid which she doesn't wear as she finds it uncomfortable & very fiddly to use, especially as she has arthritus & disfigured fingers, so operating something small & fiddly is not easy for her.

We had thought of getting her a Hearing Amplifier as they just use ipod type head phones and the amplifier looks like an MP3, but have been on various web sites incl Amazon.com which has more reviews on these things and the reviews are so mixed that I found it very confusing as to whether they were any good or not.

Has anyone any experience of them and could you recommend any? She predominantly wants to be able to listen to tv without annoying the neighbours and to be able to hear a telephone conversation easily. Anything else would be an added bonus.

Any advice would be really welcome, had a look on the RNID org web site but they dont seem to have a forum for discussion?

I have tried oridnary amplifiers and they are simply not strong enough for anything other than very mildly deaf people, has your MIL told her audiologist about her problems with her current aids?

I have RA in my hands and Ive discussed how this affects my hearing aid use and while I can manage (just, my batteries are changed for me and my husband turns them on and off) at present I wanted reassuring that I wouldnt be left severly/profoundlt deaf without any aids at all and they promised me that I can try everything they can provide and if that didnt find something suitable they could apply for special funding.

I have a special phone but it works with hearing aids, I have a personel loop but again it works with aids.

amibovvered

I find that is one of the problems - quite a lot of the equipment available for the deaf works in conjunction with hearing aids so if you don't use them you are a bit more limited.

dizzybuff

Has your council got a sensory team , they will be able to advise and come and see your mum, possibly even order and loan her one for the duration. I have a baby monitor on loan and will return it once this baby is older.

Hear-Hear

oliveoil54

An amplifier is rarely a solution for hearing impairment, just as a magnifier is rarely a solution for vision defects. That's why you see fairly mixed reviews - generally good from people with conductive hearing loss, generally poor from people with sensory-neural hearing loss. BTW, the RNID has a fantastic discussion board http://www.rnid.org.uk/community/forums/


amibovvered wrote: "quite a lot of the equipment available for the deaf works in conjunction with hearing aids so if you don't use them you are a bit more limited"

Surely that's the point. One has hearing loss, so hearing aids are the first step. One can then add to the experience by using additional aids - whether that be bluetooth with the current bluetooth-enabled hearing aids, induction loop systems with many hearing aids, etc, etc. Whyever would someone want equipment for hearing, without getting the hearing aids first ?


dizzybuff wrote: "I have a baby monitor on loan and will return it once this baby is older".

Don't be in such a hurry to return it to the Sensory Team. You may well find that it has great use beyond just being a baby monitor, and if so, the they are likely to extend the loan of the kit to you indefinately. I have clients with kit originally suppplied in the 1990's and they have been upgraded a few time since then, even though their babies aren't babies any more. The Sensory Teams are happy to continue the loan of the equipment for as long as it makes a difference to the user.

oliveoil54

amibovvered wrote: "quite a lot of the equipment available for the deaf works in conjunction with hearing aids so if you don't use them you are a bit more limited"

Hear Hear wrote: "Surely that's the point. One has hearing loss, so hearing aids are the first step. One can then add to the experience by using additional aids - whether that be bluetooth with the current bluetooth-enabled hearing aids, induction loop systems with many hearing aids, etc, etc. Whyever would someone want equipment for hearing, without getting the hearing aids first ?"

Thanks for your replies, but as I pointed out in my first post, my Mother-in-Law has problems with her hands - her fingers are swollen & disjointed & she cant feel properly with the tips of her fingers. So actually getting a hearing aid successfully & comfortably in her ear is a major problem - never mind actually turning it on & adjusting the volume? That is why we have been looking at something simpler to use such as the Hearing Amplifiers where the on/off switch & volume control is larger & easier to use & all she has to do is put the headphones in her ear!

Skint taffy has your Mother tried the Crecendo 50 yet? How has she got on with it?

beverleyhills

Contact this company. You will find them very helpful.

http://www.connevans.co.uk/store

Customer service 01737 247571

email [EMAIL="info@connevans.com"]info@connevans.com[/EMAIL]

Hear-Hear

Talk to your audiologist about upgrading to the latest digital hearing aids - no volume control needed. If she likes 'fiddling' then a remote control like the ePocket that works with recent Siemens models has great big + and - buttons that she could use to adjust the output. If she is having difficulty inserting, then a different fitting style may be more appropriate for her. Some styles are even easier than headphones to use ! Again, talk to your audiologist about the best solution based on her dexterity.

Once your mother gets the basics right, ie. the hearing aids themselves, with the audiologist, then Connevans would be about the best calling point for accessories and other assistive devices to enhance her listening experience.