Hearing Aids and Mobile phones

Gastines3

Hopefully someone might have some advice.I wear a hearing aid.Opticon as prescribed by NHS,and being doing so for some years. Have asked if anything bought privately is any better but advised,No. Several friends who have gone private have gone back to NHS after spending £2-3 thousands etc. Biggest problem is use of Mobile. Text,great.Voice-mail and ordinary phone calls useless as soon as I put phone near my hearing aid all I get is a high pitched whistle. Obviously this is a problem for me.Anyone got any ideas? Not adverse to paying if there is something available, either better phone or hearing aid.

Tigsteroonie

You might be better asking this on the Disability & Dosh board, as there is a lively thread about hearing loss and aids

If I remember what I was told at a recent seminar (my son is deaf, but too young for a mobile phone), some mobiles now have a built-in T-loop so you'd set your hearing aids to the T setting.

There are other technical options too involving bluetooth. Have you googled?

Action on Hearing Loss have a factsheet about mobile phones here: http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/~/media/Files/Factsheets/Equipment/pdf/Mobile%20phones%20February%202013.ashx

RumRat

I bought my father (who has two NHS hearing aids) one of the Doro phones. They have enhanced sound for use with hearing aids. I picked one up for £40 from Carphone Warehouse. Plenty of online sellers.
http://www.dorousa.us/products/Cell-phones-and-accessories/Doro-PhoneEasy-618/

roytom

I've loads on this - I use Oticon Spirit Zest Power Connect hearing aids from the NHS, these work with an Oticon Streamer device (which you have to buy yourself from the NHS, £120 - you may get this paid for under the Access to Work programme) - the Streamer works with a Bluetooth mobile or a tablet. The Streamer is now on about version 3, called the Connect Pro I think.

I do find the Bluetooth connection a bit hit and miss (as in getting the connection established each time) and its range ie Streamer to hearing aids, is very short - I'm talking centimeters, so works in talk mode (not just hearing the phone ringing) it needs to be worn on cord (supplied) round the neck.

The Streamer can also be used with a cordless landline Bluetooth phone such as one of the Gigaset cordless phones. Again the Bluetooth connection is hit and miss but once connection is established it works.

Apart from the Doro Phone Easy range of mobiles I don't know of other mobiles that support the hearing aid T loop setting.

Good luck.

Gastines3

Thanks for info. Will go down the Doro route ASAP.

cajef

I have Siemens Impact Pro hearing aids, NHS supplied and don't have any problems with feedback when using any make of mobile.

Tigsteroonie

I'd heard that the new iPhones had a hearing aid mode but I'm not sure if they're compatible with any brands offered by the NHS.

roytom

cajef wrote: »

I have Siemens Impact Pro hearing aids, NHS supplied and don't have any problems with feedback when using any make of mobile.

Interesting - my NHS area doesn't do Siemens, mainly on cost grounds and their returns policy.

But are your HAs Open-Fit?

Contessa

Gastines3 wrote: »

Hopefully someone might have some advice.I wear a hearing aid.Opticon as prescribed by NHS,and being doing so for some years. Have asked if anything bought privately is any better but advised,No. Several friends who have gone private have gone back to NHS after spending £2-3 thousands etc. Biggest problem is use of Mobile. Text,great.Voice-mail and ordinary phone calls useless as soon as I put phone near my hearing aid all I get is a high pitched whistle. Obviously this is a problem for me.Anyone got any ideas? Not adverse to paying if there is something available, either better phone or hearing aid.

Apologies if you already know this but I was told to hold the phone above the ear, rather than against it. It works for me with my mobile phone.However, I can hear better on the mobile without the HA.

My landline phone (supposed to be compatible with HA's) is awful-I struggle to hear with or without HA.

Gastines3

It seems that a mobile phone with amazing abilities can be churned out for a very low cost but the hearing aid market is seen as a regular source of high profit by manufacturers to the NHS.Although obviously glad of the service, I'm also surprised of the number of visits I've made to my local centre where the computer system isn't working.I now make a point of asking for the moisture resistant tubing as the normal tubing gets moisture condensation within a few hours. Amazingly enough,after approx. 5 years of asking for this tubing ,it is still supplied in a different diameter to the standard issue.When I asked why they couldn't get it supplied to suit ,the reply was no manufacturer would do it.!!! I expect the Chinese could knock it out in a few minutes.This is just one example of UK going down the tube.

cajef

roytom wrote: »

Interesting - my NHS area doesn't do Siemens, mainly on cost grounds and their returns policy.

But are your HAs Open-Fit?

Yes they are Open-Fit, they were supplied on the NHS by Specsavers nearly twelve months ago.