Hearing aid advice

lisyloo

My Dad is quite hard of hearing at almost 80.
His NHS hearing aids don't seem to work too well although I appreciate they are aids and can only help not restore full health.

Are private ones worth it?
Do the trials actually give you your money back if they don't seem worth it or is the bar high e.g. you actually have to prove an issue?

Does anyone have any recommendations?
He lives in North Bristol, doesn't use internet so won't want a remote session and doesn't use a smart phone but could travel.

Are private hearing aids likely to be beneficial? and is there anywhere recommended?
He does withdraw from conversations sometimes.

millie

The NHS have been doing a new one for about 6 months called ReSound Danalogic. These are much better than the ones they did before, with all different settings that can be controlled with a smart phone.

lisyloo

Thanks for the info.
He doesn't have or want a smart phone.
I expect he wouldn't get issued with newer technology for a while if his is ok (ish).
I honestly don't know if his experience is poor or whether it's the best he can expect for his level of hearing.

millie

If his old one is 2 years old then he would be entitled to a replacement.

lisyloo

Thanks I will try to find out.

brook2jack2

Has your Dad worn hearings aids for some time? Has he seen an audiologist recently? 

The problem is when you fist wear a hearing aid there is a "aural shock" your brain suddenly has a lot more to process and many people stop or intermittently wear the aids because it is very tiring and everything sounds too loud and causes headaches at first . You need to persevere . 

Hearing aids also need maintainance , ear wax and moisture needs removing in order for them to work properly . Also as hearing deteriorates they need adjusting and replacing. 

They are also fiddly and can be difficult to place for those with arthritis and changing the batteries can also be difficult with arthritis which is another reason why they might not be worn. 

In other words there are many factors why hearing aids might not be working for someone, particularly elderly , that may not be solved by going private. 

It is really important because there is very good research linking hearing loss with demerita and with hearing if you don't use it you lose it , ie if your hearing loss is not corrected the links in the brain go. 

brook2jack2

Has your Dad worn hearings aids for some time? Has he seen an audiologist recently? 

The problem is when you fist wear a hearing aid there is a "aural shock" your brain suddenly has a lot more to process and many people stop or intermittently wear the aids because it is very tiring and everything sounds too loud and causes headaches at first . You need to persevere . 

Hearing aids also need maintainance , ear wax and moisture needs removing in order for them to work properly . Also as hearing deteriorates they need adjusting and replacing. 

They are also fiddly and can be difficult to place for those with arthritis and changing the batteries can also be difficult with arthritis which is another reason why they might not be worn. 

In other words there are many factors why hearing aids might not be working for someone, particularly elderly , that may not be solved by going private. 

It is really important because there is very good research linking hearing loss with demerita and with hearing if you don't use it you lose it , ie if your hearing loss is not corrected the links in the brain go. 

lisyloo

brook2jack2 said:

Has your Dad worn hearings aids for some time? Has he seen an audiologist recently? 

The problem is when you fist wear a hearing aid there is a "aural shock" your brain suddenly has a lot more to process and many people stop or intermittently wear the aids because it is very tiring and everything sounds too loud and causes headaches at first . You need to persevere . 

Hearing aids also need maintainance , ear wax and moisture needs removing in order for them to work properly . Also as hearing deteriorates they need adjusting and replacing. 

They are also fiddly and can be difficult to place for those with arthritis and changing the batteries can also be difficult with arthritis which is another reason why they might not be worn. 

In other words there are many factors why hearing aids might not be working for someone, particularly elderly , that may not be solved by going private. 

It is really important because there is very good research linking hearing loss with demerita and with hearing if you don't use it you lose it , ie if your hearing loss is not corrected the links in the brain go. 

yes and yes
he wears them all the time so no issue with perseverence.
They've been "retubed" quite recently at an aftercare appointment as apparently the tubes go hard and need replacing, about 2 months ago.
I agree it's important.

What I'm not clear on is whether he's getting everything that is available and that's all that can be done, or whether he'd get more improvement with a better device.

brook2jack2

There is a lot an audiologist can do with programming a hearing aid . There is also a huge difference that can be made with the moulds or domes  , ie the bits that go into the ear , having open and closed molds can make a difference depending on what the hearing loss is. 

I would investigate all of that with the audiologist first. 

lisyloo

I suspect you are right that you have to be assertive with the NHS.
When my Dad was sorting out the issues with his hearing last time he was having biopsy, chemo etc. so it probably didn't get enough attention.
Thanks for the advice.

pollypenny

He, or you, need to persist with the audiology department.  My first hearing aids was far too big and very uncomfortable with glasses, so I rarely wore it. 

I've now god two smaller hearing aids, which I can adjust using the BeMore app on my phone, but I don't think the phone would be crucial for anyone who cant use a smartphone.