A specific type of door bell (front and back doors) for Hard of Hearing.

Green_garnet

I am on the Council/Social Work list for an assessment but there seems to be a very long waiting time and if anyone can help, meantime, thank you very much.

My hearing is getting worse and. owing to another problem, sometimes I cannot wear my hearing aid at all.  I was reassessed at Audiology but, unfortunately, there is nothing to help with the problem when I cannot 'tolerate' my hearing aid.  They have done their best with different moulds and treatment but the problem is a chronic/recurring one.

I am looking for a specific type of door bell for my front and my back door.  The batteries on my present door bells run out quickly, even expensive batteries, and there is no warning that the door bells don't work.  I have heard of a system the Council Sensory Team can access but the waiting list for assessment seems to be so long and I think I am a low priority - my difficulty is relating to hearing and no need for other care help.

Sometimes I don't hear the door bell, even when it is working with new batteries on the inside unit and on the outside push bell unit.  I have serched on line and feel a bit overwhelmend.  Some say 'no battery needed'   then I find that the push bell outside unit needs a battery or, on another one with 'no battery needed' it said the battery lasts for 5 years.  So I'm a bit lost.

What I am hoping for is a 100% electric non battery for the push bells and inside 'unit.'  I am hoping for one on the front door and one on the back door, if possible with different sounds.  When the present one does work I can't tell if the sound is from the front or from the back door.  Confusingly, the letterbox is on the back door and, apart from the postman/deliveries, most, but not all, peoople come to the front door. People think I am out when I am in and don't hear them at the door.

I would not be able to wire anything up and fit it myself so would be glad to know the possible installation cost as well as the cost of any suitable system.

Thank you for any information and help.

Savvy_Sue

I don't know if you can find anything helpful here:

https://www.connevans.co.uk/viewPage.do?id=index

They won't fit, but you might get some suggestions for reliable tradespeople from AgeUK?

Green_garnet

Thanks very much, Savvy_Sue.  I have looked and, very quickly, realized that, with all the different options,  it is all a bit overwhelming.

I was very pleased to see that, from the link you gave, Connevans, had an easy to use link to send them an email.

I sent them an email explaining what I am hoping to find.  There was an 'automatic' reply saying that they had received my email and would respond as soon as possible. 

I had not thought about Age UK and I'll look on their website too.

It is a great start, thank you very much, Savvy_Sue.

Savvy_Sue

I think you'll find Connevans quite responsive. The RNID (or whatever they are called now) used to have their own shop, but now just send people to Connevans, which makes sense as there was a lot of overlap but Connevans seemed to have more! 

From my mum's experience, doorbells which make the lights flash don't work well on sunny days. You can get a wristband which vibrates as well - she didn't like it much but the option is there. There were so many things offered: a vibrating alarm under her pillow linked up to the smoke detectors was one which I think is worth mentioning.

And also, if you are ever staying in a hotel, always ask if they have vibrating alarms (Premier Inn usually do) and make your disability known - I know it is sometimes hard to do this, but having watched deaf relatives sit completely oblivious to fire alarms which were hurting my head, I KNOW they would not hear alarms at night! 

Another thing I can thoroughly recommend, if there are any locally, is lipreading classes. It won't necessarily improve your lipreading significantly, but it will put you in touch with a group of people who will understand your problems all too well, and may have found solutions to a few of them! https://atlalipreading.org.uk/

Green_garnet

Thanks for such a helpful reply, Savvy_Sue.  It wasn't  till I realized that I could hear better, when facing someone, that I discovered that I could, to some extent, actually lip read a bit.

I've given up trying when I'm in a car or bus - because I just can't  hear.

The 'door bell' issue has arisen because I have missed visitors and deliveries etc. when I've been in but didn't  hear anyone at the door.

Green_garnet

I received  a lovely reply from Connevans this morning, Savvy_Sue.  Unfortunately they don't  have anything to suit my needs but, very helpfully made some suggestions.

They actually gave me a very touching link about Hearing Dogs for the Deaf.  I wouldn't  be eligible, although I love dogs, but I was so touched by the kind and helpful reply.

Connevans seem to be such a good company and I would certainly be pleased to purchase from them in future.  Thank you for mentioning them.

Granny_D

Hi...my daughter is profoundly deaf with a cochlear implant. We have set up a combination of Ring doorbell (rechargeable battery  x 2), Alexa Show, and her smart phone and FITBIT watch. So, even if you're semi-techi, this is relatively straightforward for setup. You might even have a family member or a neighbour that has a similar setup who can spare a few minutes to help you set it all up. 
The Ring doorbell battery life is excellent from our experience. And you can receive notifications of someone at your door even when you're not at home on your smart phone. You can share your Ring account with others...like someone you trust or family member...so even if you miss it, they can see it too. You will have to sign up for  subscription to Ring to enable any recording of the doorbell activity. IMHO it's worth it! You can see them on Alexa show as soon as they Ring the doorbell and can have movement notifications too, and a notification is immediately sent to your smart phone. If you have a smart watch,  this too can notify you of any activity on your Ring doorbell. Make sure you get a spare battery for the Ring doorbell to have charged when you need to swap them...I believe there is a solar charging version available but I don't have any experience with that. I think you'd only need 1 spare for the 2 doorbells. The charged up battery lasts for around a month or more. You need broadband of course...I'm assuming you have that!
We have this setup for peace of mind for our daughter and so glad we do!
Hope that helps in anyway. 

Granny_D

P.S. Ring also make an A/C powered version too.

cymruchris

I fitted one of these systems for my dad who was also hard of hearing. Very easy.

Each of the four bell units plug into a mains socket - you choose the locations - we had one in the lounge, one in the bedroom, one in the conservatory and one in the kitchen.

When the doorbell is rung, they also flash. This particular one also goes up to 115db - which is fairly loud - particularly when they all trigger the same time through the house.

The system has been fitted for 3 years - the door push batteries are still fine.

You can also set a different ring tone for the front and back bell push - so you know which door someone is at.

You can get them as 2, 3 or 4 packs - and the one pictured above is about £35.

Green_garnet

Thanks very much.  I would be interested but I really need something not relying on the internet or smart phone connected.  It's good of you both to reply.

cymruchris

Green_garnet said:

Thanks very much.  I would be interested but I really need something not internet or smart phone connected.  It's good of you both to reply.

The one I mentioned is neither internet nor smart phone connected - it's just plug in and go.